Greek Heart Charm Bracelet with Carnelian Beads

Hearts and Red Stone: A Greek Heart Bracelet

Small gold hearts alternate with beads of warm orange-red carnelian along a fine chain. This Greek heart bracelet is 7.25 in long.

The carnelian bead bracelet follows a design in the Louvre dated to the 2nd century BC.

Product Details

• Material: 24K gold plate over pewter and brass, with carnelian beads
• Length: 7.25 in
• Custom length: Other lengths made at no charge
• Style: Greek charm bracelet, Hellenistic style bracelet
• Origin: Made in USA

Why Carnelian?

Carnelian is a red-orange quartz. Greek and Near Eastern jewelers prized it for its glow against gold. It was cut easily into beads and seals.

A Greek charm bracelet pairs the stone with gold for a warm, sunlit look. Its color runs from pale orange to deep red. Light passes through thin edges and makes them glow.

Hellenistic Taste for Color

After Alexander, Greek jewelers favored colored stones set in gold. The Met owns a Late Hellenistic set of gold, garnet and agate from the 1st century BC. A Hellenistic style bracelet carries that same love of color.

Heart shapes were a favorite pendant form in the period. The Greek heart bracelet treats them as charms. Jewelers also worked in tiny leaves, shells and figures.

Wearing and Display

Wear this bracelet alone or with a plain watch. The carnelian beads warm up pale skin. Wipe with a soft cloth.

A carnelian bead bracelet suits summer linen. See more in our Museum Jewelry Bracelets. Ask us if you prefer another length.

About Hellenistic Jewelry

Hellenistic goldsmiths worked from Greece to Egypt and Asia. Their taste for stones and tiny figures shaped later Roman jewelry. A Greek heart bracelet like this is a modest echo. Every Greek charm bracelet keeps that tradition alive.

For More Reading from the Web

• See a Late Hellenistic gold necklace set with garnet and agate. A Hellenistic style bracelet shares its taste for color. Gold, Garnet and Agate Necklace and Earrings - The Metropolitan Museum of Art