A pair of diamond-set enamelled gold bangles
North India, 18th Century
each of circular form with hinge and screw clasp, the band consisting of a series of rectangular panels set with diamonds, surmounted by openwork foliate motifs set with diamonds, the interior decorated in green and red enamel with a band of flowerheads interspersed by trefoils surmounted by floral motifs
6.1 cm. diam. max.; 105 g.(2)
Footnotes:
Bangles hold a significant position in Indian culture, remaining one of the primary adornments worn by Indian women and often acting as an indication of marriage, their wear believed to be auspicious for a married woman. Metal bangles are popular because of their durability, the metal used being an indicator of the status of the individual (see O. Untracht, Traditional Jewelry of India, London, 1997, p. 186).

A similar pair of bangles, dated to the 19th Century, is in the Susan L. Beningson Collection (see M. E. Aitken, When Gold Blossoms: Jewellery from the Susan L. Beningson Collection, London, 2004, p. 118, cat. 123).