The Legacy Bracelet

The Legacy Bracelet

Generations of Love

Three women, a grandmother, her daughter, and a granddaughter all came in together. The grandmother was buying the daughter a Legacy Bangle Bracelet, letting her choose the width. The granddaughter was there for moral support and to understand the importance of this birthday gift and to know that someday she would inherit this bracelet. It was touching to see these three generations together, how they talked, how they decided. The 12-year-old granddaughter offered her opinions and tried bracelets on along with her mother.

They chose the 4mm width and had it engraved on the inside with the mother’s name and year. The granddaughter understood that someday her name and the year she receives the bracelet would be engraved inside. This is how legacies are created.  -R.H.P.

125-Year-Old Legacy Bracelet

I saw a Legacy Bracelet a number of years ago nearly identical to ours. The first daughter of the first daughter of the first daughter had inherited it. Five daughters in succession had engraved it with their initials and the year they received the bracelet. The bracelet had been passed down for five generations.

The bracelet’s condition was superb with the patina of time mellowing the surface. The engraving, names and dates, were touching. The mom was here in our store with her two daughters to have her eldest daughter’s name engraved and to start a new bracelet, breaking tradition for the younger daughter and starting a new tradition for her line.

The mom said this bracelet tradition had bothered her for 25 years when she realized she would have two girls and only one bracelet. She was thrilled when she saw our Legacy Bracelet advertised. She came right in. We did the engraving on the original Legacy Bracelet and started a second Legacy bracelet.  -R.H.P.

The Legacy Bracelets
and Why Engraving is Important

One of my favorite moments for a piece of fine jewelry is the day a choice for engraving is made and then is actually engraved, because at that moment the piece becomes part of deep family history. A piece of jewelry with engraving has a voice.

One of my all-time favorite pieces of jewelry was a bracelet that Ramsey gave to Nettie. It was a type of brick link bracelet with a box clasp. On the reverse side of the gold clasp Ramsey had engraved, “Ramsey to Nettie August 1856.”

This bracelet was part of a 62-piece estate collection. There were many very nice pieces of jewelry in this collection. None, though, held the sentimental meaning of Ramsey’s love for Nettie like this bracelet. All the pieces in this collection we priced and sold. I kept the Ramsey to Nettie Bracelet because it illustrates beautifully how jewelry so perfectly preserves the sentiments of human love. Every few years when I come across the bracelet I think about Ramsey and the trip he made to the jewelry store, his choice to engrave, and that someone, 150 years later, is thinking of Ramsey and Nettie’s relationship.

Interestingly, the Legacy Bracelets are one of our most often engraved pieces of jewelry, second only to wedding rings. A name and date engraved inside is common. We’ve had declarations of eternal love and many other interesting things engraved. Think about what you might have engraved inside your Legacy Bracelet.  -R.H.P.

Our Legacy Bracelets are a Lot Like
a Well-Made Wedding Ring

I always admired wedding rings from the middle to late 1800s for their comfort contoured inner bevel. A detail not readily seen when the ring is worn by someone else, but for the person wearing the ring, the bevel is a huge bonus for its natural, ergonomic comfort. A wedding ring with a comfort bevel slides on easily, smoothly and wears naturally and more easily on hot humid summer days. It has a silky smooth easy-on, easy-off feel.

Most wedding rings of the last one hundred years have sharp inside edges making the ring a struggle to put on or take off. The sharpness can cut into the finger like a too-tight pair of shoes. One of the features included in most of our contemporary Cross wedding rings is a beveled inside edge. Our Legacy Bracelets have a smooth inner bevel.

This is a lot of wedding ring talk to introduce our Legacy Bracelet because it too has a beveled inside edge which means as you slide the bracelet on, its smooth inner surface is easy on the hand. No jewelry maker I know takes the extra time to do this beveling on bracelets.  -R.H.P.

Fitting Legacy Bracelets

Our Legacy Bracelet is designed and made to fit 80% of all women easily. The Legacy Bracelet is oval with an inside measurement of 65mm by 55mm. In inches, the measurement is approximately 2 ½” x 2 1/8”. Because the Legacy Bracelet is hand-made we can custom make the bracelet to fit smaller or larger size hands and wrists. If you’re ordering long distance, it’s best to trust our standard size. If you’re quite certain you need smaller or larger call and ask for Stan.

The Secrets of the Ancient Roman Oval
and Cross Modern Legacy Bracelet

I have a fascination with ancient Greek and Roman coins and ancient Roman jewelry, Jewelry that’s 2,200 years old to 1,800 years old. Ancient Roman rings, in particular, intrigue and mystify me. There is something that I’m puzzled by: the ancient Roman oval. Most ancient Roman rings have an oval band. Most 18th, 19th,20th and 21st century rings have round bands.

Here’s part of the truth though; fingers are not absolutely round. Some are squarish, and some oval. I believe they made ancient Roman rings with an oval band because they fit better and had less of a tendency to turn, plus most ancient Roman rings had a pronounced beveled interior. Again, this is a lot of ring talk to point out our Legacy Bracelet is not round, it’s oval. Wrists are oval so our bracelet is oval and with the bevel inside simply makes it easier to slide the bracelet on and allows the bracelet to be super comfortable on the wrist.  -R.H.P.

When You Hit One of Those Moments
When You Are Overwhelmed by the Adored

We are creatures of custom and habit. We give gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Guys, there is another occasion called, “Just because.” An occasion when the emotions well up inside, a feeling sweeps through, where you are so moved, so touched, so grateful for her presence in your life you could bust.

You know those times, when you walk into a room, she’s standing there, simply standing there in her perfect state of imperfection, and you know you love her more than anything on Earth. There are no words that could ever begin to say it, express it, or communicate what you are feeling.

Maybe every once in a while, when you’re in the midst of one of those states of overwhelming awe and adoration, you consider giving her a “Just because” gift. A rose will work, for extra points though, try gold. It’s even better than a rose!  -R.H.P.

The Legacy Bracelet is the simplest piece of jewelry ever made. A natural oval slips on easily. Smooth rounding surfaces for comfort and ease of wear.