I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this enamel cuff bracelet since I had the pleasure of seeing it in NYC, so today we’re going to talk about it.
This Victorian enamel cuff bracelet blows my mind.
I will give you a moment to pick your jaw up off the floor after seeing that initial photo. This Victorian era enamel cuff bracelet is an immediately impactful piece: bright colors, stunning silhouette, large scale, enthralling imagery!
This beauty stopped me in my tracks when I spotted it shining up at me in Circa 1700’s case during the most recent NYCJAOS show. Circa 1700’s booth was so busy that I only had a chance to ask for a closer look at one piece, but oh what a piece it was! One of my favorites of the show for sure.
The scenes on this enamel cuff bracelet aren’t just eye-catching, they’re also deeply meaningful: the entire piece is an homage to the romantic and singular city of Venice.
The central panel of this enamel cuff bracelet features a detailed rendering of the winged lion of Venice, a symbol that has represented the floating city since the 1200’s.
If you’ve ever visited Venice, you probably recognized it immediately – it’s all over the city. The lion on this cuff is one of the more detailed renditions I’ve seen, with elaborate feathered wings, a glowing halo, and an open book with squiggles to symbolize writing.
The panel to the right of the Venetian lion depicts Andrea Gritti, one of the Doges of Venice. According to Wikipedia, the “word doge derives from the Latin dux, meaning ‘leader.’ […] The doge of Venice acted as both the head of state and head of the Venetian oligarchy.”
Gritti ruled Venice as the Doge from 1523–38. There are a few other portraits of him around – like this one by Titian – and he always shown with dramatic facial hair, although he’s usually represented as older with white or gray hair. That particular painting also shows him wearing the same style pointed cap as on the bracelet.
The left panel of this enamel cuff bracelet shows – did you guess? – another Doge of Venice!
This side shows Francesco Morosini, who was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, so about 150 years after our friend Andrea Gritti on the other side.
Like Gritti, Morosini is depicted in great detail in a panel that features his full name. I found this painting of Morosini by Giovanni Carboncino that shows the Doge in a very similar outfit to the enamel portrait on this bracelet, down to the hat, cape, and facial hair.
I’m not sure what I love most about this spectacular enamel cuff bracelet: the wonky cobblestone lines of old-cut diamonds framing each panel, the elegantly scalloped design of one side of the bracelet, the vibrant enamel portraits, or the historical significance.
I am very curious about why the bracelet shows two non-consecutive Doges who ruled more than a century apart. I asked Susan of Circa 1700 – the dealer who was offering this treasure – and she told me that Venetian Doges from the 15th century were a common subject matter for Victorian era Grand Tour jewelry. So this beautiful piece was probably some wealthy Victorian era English aristocrat’s travel souvenir from a trip around Europe.
Why these two Doges specifically, though? If any of you have a deeper understanding of Venetian history than I do and want to enlighten us all, please leave an explanation in the comments.
This extraordinary treasure of an enamel cuff bracelet was spotted at Circa 1700 during NYCJAOS Spring 2026. Please contact Circa 1700 for questions about availability or purchase information.
Want more? Shop my Vintage Jewelry Finds and Antique Rings curations on ShopMy here or find more posts about NYCJAOS here.
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I left a piece of my heart in Santorini. I’ve wanted to go there for years, but I don’t think I had a very good idea of what to expect, beyond white buildings and romantic views.
Mr. DitL and I did our Santorini vacay in two phases: for the first two days, we stayed on the South side of the island, near Perissa beach. The volcanic black sand beaches of Perissa and Perivolos are the best beaches on Santorini for actual beaching. The entire beachfront is lined with restaurants, each of which have beach beds and cabanas paired with umbrellas that you can either rent or use for free if you order something from the restaurant. It sounds like a recipe for party town, but Perissa is staggeringly chill.
Having a home base in Perissa was also ideal for visiting the Red Sand beach and the incredible sight of the prehistoric site of Akrotiri, an active archaeological excavation of a Bronze age town. Both were as cool as they sound! The Red Sand beach was much harder to access than we’d expected – the access path was much more of a mildly death-defying hike than a path – but it was worth it for the view and the feeling of accomplishment.
The Aria Suites is a tiny hotel – only 6 suites – in a quiet pocket of Fira, Santroini’s biggest city. The combination was perfect: Mr. DitL and I had a gorgeous airy suite all to ourselves, with breakfast served on our private terrace every morning and a perfect view of the sunset from the two lounge chairs on our other terrace. We alternated between exploring the shops, restaurants, bars, and museums of Fira and sipping wine on our balcony and admiring the view.