Coco Chanel: the revival of the cuff bracelet

Cuff bracelets had long fallen out of fashion but suddenly reappeared in the 1930s, making their comeback with Chanel’s trademark designs. A vintage item from a bygone era, the cuff bracelet is so much more than merely decorative. It stands apart from other bracelets, inscribing any look with style and accentuating personal flair. These colourful bracelets tended to be decorated with fine stones in the 1920s, but then slowly shifted towards a more art deco style. Here’s a look back at the renaissance of this millennia-old bracelet.

The 1930s: Fulco di Verdura styles the wrists of Coco Chanel.

Fulco di Verdura, a talented Italian jeweller, joined Gabrielle Chanel’s team in the 1920s. He originally worked in textiles until the legendary fashion designer entrusted him with an important mission: designing her jewellery pieces. The Italian designer quickly set about creating his (soon-to-be) famous cuff bracelets for this iconic woman. She wore them as Indian women wear theirs, with one on each wrist in total symmetry.

Di Verdura designed multi-coloured bracelets with precious stones in the form of a Maltese cross, set against a white background and with a gold interior. And so, Coco Chanel’s cuff bracelets were to go down in History. The Italian jeweller really left his mark on the accessory collections for this fashion house, and nowhere more so than on the Chanel cuff bracelets. They became staple items in the wardrobes of women everywhere, and are still so recognisable today.

Cuff bracelets in the 1930s: changing shapes, new materials.

Art deco style began to make an appearance in the 1920s. Bracelets had geometric shapes, with sharp or rounded corners, and came in black or white, onyx or platinum. They were often extremely colourful, embellished here and there with touches of jade, coral, emerald green and lapis lazuli. In the 1930s, jewellery designers began to play around with shape and colour, amusing themselves with the contrast between matte and shine, transparency and opacity – all on the same of jewellery.

In the inter-war period, however, these cuff bracelets gradually shifted away from polychrome colours, preferring monochrome instead, as seen in the models below. The geometric forms seen previously were now increasingly streamlined and clean-cut. Jewellery designers produced pieces that were ever more understated and chic, with well-defined contours. These strong, statement cuff bracelets injected 1930s style with a certain boldness, thanks to the colour and the materials used.

Design pieces: the 1930s cuff bracelet makes a comeback.

For the 1930s jewellery enthusiasts among you, the leather cuff bracelets by Buttons Paradise use vintage buttons and belt buckles from this period. The bracelets combine one-of-a-kind Bakelite elements with streamlined leather forms.

Our collection of 1930s-inspired cuff bracelets is just waiting to be discovered!