A bracelet is the piece its owner sees most often. You notice a ring when you look at your hand and earrings in the mirror, but a bracelet returns to your eye with every gesture, reaching for a cup, signing your name. That is why so much depends on how it sits on the wrist, and that is the one thing you cannot settle without trying it on.
At BELLER, bracelets are made by hand in our own atelier, and you try them on in two boutiques, in Warsaw at 71 Mokotowska Street and in Kraków at 9 Szczepańska Street. This piece describes what happens at the counter, how we measure the circumference and what we can adjust on the spot.
Why can a bracelet not be chosen from a photograph?
Because wrist circumference is as individual as ring size, and a bracelet either rests on it or turns and slides off. Between two adults the difference runs to several centimeters, and with a bangle there is a second dimension, the width of the hand, because the bracelet has to pass over it before it settles on the wrist. A photograph shows form and proportion, it does not show the play.
The other thing a screen will not convey is weight. The gold Elements N°4 bracelet weighs 15.19 grams and is five millimeters wide, while the gold Minimal N°7 weighs 1.10 grams. Both are solid metal, yet they behave entirely differently on the arm, and you recognize the difference within seconds of putting them on.
How does a bangle differ from a chain bracelet?
A bangle has a fixed circumference and holds its shape, while a chain bracelet drapes over the wrist and closes with an adjustable clasp. Everything else follows from that. A bangle is chosen once and precisely, because it should move freely on the wrist without leaving the hand. A chain bracelet is adjusted by length, so it is easier to correct years later.
Our selection of gold bangles currently holds twenty nine designs between 3,850 and 24,950 zloty, and silver bangles eighteen, from 650 to 1,650 zloty. The full gold bracelet collection counts sixty nine designs, from 420 to 39,500 zloty, and silver bracelets thirty two, from 550 to 1,750 zloty. We wrote about links and weaves separately in our guide to types of gold bracelet weaves.
How do we measure wrist circumference in the boutique?
We start with a soft tape placed exactly where the bracelet will sit, just past the wrist bone. Then we add play, a different amount for a bracelet meant to lie close and for one meant to move. Finally you try two or three designs in different circumferences, because only a side by side comparison shows which one you want to wear every day.
With a bangle we check one more thing, the passage over the thumb and the widest part of the hand. It happens that the wrist points to a smaller design while the hand calls for a larger one, and then the decision is made on the arm, not in a table. If you would rather prepare in advance, we collected the home methods in our guide on how to choose a bangle size.
Can a bangle be fitted to the hand?
With selected designs yes, we adjust the circumference in the atelier, and the first size correction is included in the price. Its exact scope depends on the design, because a plain solid bangle behaves differently from one set with diamonds.
The gold Raw N°2 bangle is two millimeters wide, weighs 3.88 grams and costs 3,850 zloty, and it still lets you choose the finish, hammered, matte or high polish. Those three versions of the same form look like three different bracelets on the arm, which we describe in more detail in our piece on gold jewelry finishes.
What do we do when a chain bracelet is too long?
We shorten it or add a link, depending on which way it needs to go, and the first such correction is included in the price. We do this in the atelier rather than quickly at the counter, so that the clasp and the links keep their original strength.
This is worth remembering when a bracelet is meant as a gift, because the wrist of the person receiving it is rarely known to the centimeter. We set out that situation in more detail in our guide on how to choose a gold bracelet.
How does the same form look in gold and in silver?
The simplest way to show it is one design we make in both metals. The Round N°1 bangle in gold weighs 5.65 grams, measures three to five millimeters wide and costs 5,650 zloty. The same form in 925 silver plated with rhodium weighs 4.67 grams, has the same width and costs 750 zloty. The shape is identical, the metal, the weight and the temperature of the shine are not.
Our silver is made in the same atelier as our gold, and the rhodium layer protects it from tarnishing. In the boutique you can put both versions on one after another, on the same arm and in the same light, and that is the most honest comparison there is.
Can a bracelet be engraved?
Yes, engraving is free with every order, and in a bangle we place it on the inside, where it stays for the owner alone. The length of the inscription is agreed on the specific design, since it depends on width and form. On some designs with a distinctive surface engraving is limited, and we say so straight away.
Personalization goes further than an inscription. The gold Minimal N°7 bracelet costs 1,850 zloty and we make it by hand with any letter of the alphabet you choose, with a set diamond of 0.013 carats in color D and clarity VVS1. The letter comes from a name, a date or a word that means something to two people only.
What can we do for a bracelet after years of wear?
Basic service for BELLER jewelry is lifelong and free, and it covers inspection, polishing that restores the original shine, size adjustment and engraving. A bracelet is worn daily and after years it shows on the edges, especially on a bright, smooth finish. Polishing in the atelier removes that trace, and we check the clasp and the links at the same time.
We service BELLER jewelry only, because we can vouch for our own designs alone. The full scope is described in our piece on the jewelry service at BELLER. You leave the bracelet with us, in Warsaw or in Kraków, and collect it on an agreed date.
When should you visit the boutique in Kraków and Warsaw?
Both boutiques are open Monday to Saturday from 11:00 to 19:00, and a visit needs no appointment, you can simply walk in. Our Warsaw atelier is at 71 Mokotowska Street in Śródmieście, telephone +48 731 091 091, and the Kraków atelier at 9 Szczepańska Street in the Old Town, telephone +48 798 011 311.
If you want to be sure that a particular design is there to try on, write or call ahead and arrange a meeting. An order is normally completed in three to five working days and never later than seven working days from confirmation, and if you have a fixed date, tell us at once, because once the date is agreed with the atelier we can speed the work up. Bracelets, though, are best chosen on the arm, so come to the boutique first.