Bracelet

Cypriot jewellery is a rich mix of oriental design and Greek workmanship. Pilgrims to the Holy Land frequently passed through Cyprus, and the Cypriot goldsmiths absorbed influences from Western Europe as well as Ottoman Turkey. Their work is similar to jewellery from elsewhere in the region, but the quality is often higher. For their finest work they used niello or filigree. The goldsmiths of Cyprus were famous for their filigree, often enriched with blue and green enamels.

Bracelets made from lengths of silver chain, with a filigree clasp secured by a pin, are common throughout the southern Balkans and eastern Mediterranean. They were always worn in pairs, one on each wrist. The delicate blue and green enamel work on the clasps of these is typical of Cypriot enamel. They were bought in 1888, just after a terrible famine, when many people had to sell their family heirlooms.