Jewelry: Bracelets

Item Description

I made this bracelet with a little help from my friends.
I commissioned a wax carving of the labyrinth from a friend who does CAD-CAM … Computer Aided Design - Computer Aided Manufacturing.

I could not achieve the perfect symmetry and detail in the Chartres Labyrinth doing it by hand. Count the lunations if you have a magnifying glass. You’ll see 55 teeth on the left and 57 teeth on the right. I did my best and still think it was not good enough, hence the precisely machined pattern. Note that the labyrinths in the bracelet are about 1 inch diameter! Shrunk down from about 42 foot diameter. Miniaturized!

I do all my own silver and gold casting. I’ve been doing it since 1974. I used the lost wax casting technique to cast this Chartres Labyrinth pattern in sterling silver. I added the circular contour around the bottom of the pattern as well as the little tubes to form the hinges. I added a signature pad on the back that says “HUNNER 14K”.

Then I made a silicone mold of this model, complete with stainless steel inserts to make the hinges come out more precisely.

This is what the finished pink wax looks like when it’s out of the mold

I injected the mold 9 times to create 9 waxes of the model. I then cast the waxes in 14k gold and connected the hinges with 14k gold wire.

Finally, I began hand fabrication of the clasp.

Lots of fire and acid and precision, elbow grease and prayer went into the creation of this bracelet. May it continue to inspire you every time it catches your eye. A friend who won the sterling version of this bracelet in last year’s Veriditas auction wrote: “Your creation has afforded visual energy boosts more times than you can imagine over the past year.“

The bracelet is 7 3/4 inches long from coin to coin. Measure your wrist by wrapping a string around it. Adjust the string so that it is comfortable - not too tight, not too loose. Cut the string. Spread the string out on a ruler.
That length is going to be the perfect length for you. The bracelet will fit a wrist that is a bit bigger or smaller than 7 and 1/2 inches around. The length of this bracelet is set. It will not be adjusted longer or shorter.

It weighs 55.5 grams. I still have to add the safety snaps. They will probably add another gram or two of 14k gold, each. I’ll post the total, final polished weight in the next few days after I have completely finished the bracelet.

The bracelet is made completely of 14 karat yellow gold.
This means that the metal is .583% pure gold and .417 alloy.

Imagine that an ounce of gold costs US $2625 per Troy ounce (31.1 grams) when you buy in quantity. If the bracelet weight 57.5 grams it is 57.5/31.1 or about 1.8 ounces of 14k gold.
Multiply 1.8 ounces of 14k by .583 and you get the amount of 24k gold = 1 troy ounce - 31.1 grams.

I’ve donated many hours of skilled labor to create this piece of art to support Veriditas. You can certainly donate at least $3000 in order to possess it. :-) Reserve bid for this bracelet is $3000.  Estimated Value is $5,200.

Item Special Note

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This item will be shipped from the donor.

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