Summary
15 ct gold bangle (bracelet) featuring a large gold nugget by an unknown jeweller, made about 1870. While the maker is unknown it was probably made in Melbourne, as following success on the Victorian goldfields many miners made the journey to Melbourne to spend their newly found wealth, often incorporating some of the gold they had discovered.
The use of natural gold nuggets in Australian colonial jewellery is not uncommon. It was the most overt way of showing success on the goldfields of Australia. Many brooches featured nuggets, usually around one or two centimetres in diameter. Rings and to a much lesser extent ear pendants, also carried nuggets. An overriding consideration in using natural nuggets was the significant weight of the gold, making the jewellery heavy to wear.
Physical Description
Plain gold bangle featuring a large natural gold nugget.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
Clothing & Textiles, Home & Community, Engineering, Working Life & Trades
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Acquisition Information
Purchase
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Acknowledgement
Collection created by Trevor Hancock and Mark Dale.
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Place & Date Made
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Inscriptions
15CT
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Classification
Clothing & personal accessories, Jewellery, Bracelets & bangles
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Object Dimensions
62 mm (Width), 63 mm (Depth), 21 mm (Height), 36.482 g (Weight)
Dimension for bangle including nugget.
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Object Dimensions
29 mm (Width), 10 mm (Depth), 20 mm (Height)
Dimensions for nugget only.
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Keywords
