c. 1940

Cone Bracelet

Alexander Calder

American, 1898 - 1976

Alexander Calder redefined sculpture through his iconic mobiles and stabiles, and his metal jewelry was equally innovative. Beginning in the late 1920s, the artist made jewelry using extremely simple methods of shaping wire or sheet metal. Their bold, simple shapes evoked prehistoric and non-Western sources of design, and their aggressively-hammered and sawn surfaces further underscored their “primitive” quality.

The gilded silver “cone” bracelet is a characteristic example of designs he produced for sale through trunk shows and gallery exhibits. It is similar to bracelets and necklaces made in the mid- to late 1930s that employ sawn and hammered sheet metal.