January Jewels: Woven Metal Bangle

As if I hadn't already scored enough that day, my adventures at the St. Vinnies jewelry counter did not end with the two fantastic Indian metal cord necklaces. Sitting on top of the counter, directly next to the rack of plastic beads that rendered the chunkier of the two necklaces, sat a little wicker basket full of equally underwhelming plastic bracelets. Other than its possible anthropological value of serving as an effective survey of the history of Claire's boutique, 1996 to the present, the basket did not seem to warrant my attention, nonetheless perusal. But if there could be one golden rule to thrifting, it might be that looks are almost ALWAYS deceiving. In this case, again, they were.

Inspired by my previous find, I rummaged through the basket. Beneath the plastic crystal carnage laid the real treasure; in the same genre of completely stunning metal working technique (which leads me to assume that this piece is of the same provenance as the Indian necklaces) is this woven multi-metal bangle.

This piece, amazingly, didn't warrant the protection of the glass case either, and only set me back $3. From my limited knowledge, this seems to be made of brass, copper, and possibly silver. You can see from the picture how reflective the pounded silver-colored metal is, which makes me think that it really is silver. Whatever it is, is provides the weft for the basketweave effect, while copper provides the warp, while brass is the framework. It is really incredibly eye catching, and a stand out new addition to my bangle wardrobe.

More incredibly, this is not the last that the St. Vinnies jewelry counter had to offer me! To be continued...