Featured Possibly very old silver coil cuff? Any ideas?

Found this old looking cuff. I was interested in it because of how it looked. It looks really old and is worn quite a bit but still has a good look. I can't find anything similar online and was hoping you all could help. The seller said it was possibly russian but I don't think that's right... there are no markings

 

https://www.rhjewellers.com/ancient-western-asiatic-silver-snake-head-bracelet/

I can not authenticate the information provided.....nor do I know if yours is in the same league......

 

Well that'd be quite the find if mine was real. Thanks for that link!! I feel silly for bending mine to fit my wrist now if it is real lol...

 

but if it is.............

 

I will be reaching out to a few antiquities dealers and getting a proper xrf analyze test. The wear on my piece is incredible and it'd be hard to imagine it being a more modern fake...!

 

Looks great to me. I would have guessed old (thinking maybe 19th C as opposed to ancient but really no clue) and Stans. Super curious. Love this-my kind of piece!

@Any Jewelry

 

Here's another similar piece utilizing the same rope filigree details on the serpent heads looks like this one was buried for a while and never worn that much
https://www.lotsearch.net/lot/western-asiatic-achaemenid-serpent-headed-bracelet-285884

 

Just absolutely love these!

 

It sure wants to be!

 

@spartcom5, I love your cuff/bracelet! I don't know if yours is an ancient piece or not, but in looking at it, I wonder if it might be oxidized Sterling silver.....I have a necklace (was my Mom's) that part of it has that treatment on it.....just the twisted oxidized sterling bit...not the otherwise unique carving/engraving on yours? Your bracelet made me think of my necklace!!!

 

No carving/engraving on the piece,the wires were fused much like the granulation process with small spheres.

 

Wow! It DOES look ancient to me Fantastic find!
That estimate in the auction link is so low... I wonder how much it was hammered

 

where may I ask , did u find this..?

 

Google I telling me that it is a viking raven bracelet. The detail on the head rings true to this with the silver granules and braided wire. Authentic items are chemically soldered with a paste. This is then flashed in a fire momentarily. If anything moves that's it. Melt it down and start again. My dad's neighbour is a viking enthusiast and got him making viking jewellery the original way.

 

It is gorgeous, spart.

I agree old and possibly the Stans. That heavy coiled technique is used in other parts of Asia as well, so it is worth looking further. That wire circle decoration is also found in different parts of Asia, including Afghanistan. And snakes, symbols of the earth, fertility, and protection in many parts of the world.

The style bears no resemblance at all to Achaemenid silver and gold items, I have no idea how that link came about. But as we know, once one seller uses it, others follow.

The patina and wear are consistent with daily use for several decades, just like most ethnic jewellery. That is one of many things that makes ethnic jewellery so attractive.

Below, similar wear on the circle and spiral decoration of my 20th century Afghan silver and lapis (base) kohl bottle.

 

Thank you to all for the input! One thing I didn't realize until looking at it closer is that on the inside of the coil there appears to be a brown crust all over. I suspect it was perhaps under ground at one point and someone cleaned it thoroughly but couldn't get the dirt that was hard to reach? Anyhow I've sent pictures to antiquity dealers and am awaiting a response!

 

Or it was 'browned' with a natural substance. Maybe the result of henna on the arms of the wearer.
And in some parts of Asia they use certain substances to add colour to gold or silver. Sometimes pigments, sometimes mashed fruit, for instance tamarind.

 

I had this bracelet authenticated awhile ago by Bob Dodge. The xrf analyzer test came out to be a composition commonly found in Roman times. The bracelet was ID'ed as a Sasanian Era cuff roughly 450 AD. The hole in the bracelet head was due to a poor casting back when it was made. It was a very nice find indeed and Bob was confident in saying it would sell easily at an auction of sorts if I decided to sell it of course.

 

Very nice, thanks for the update!

 

Congratulations, a wonderful result