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#JOTW Anniversary bangle from Briony Raymond

Tonks

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
1,562
I’m so excited to show you the latest piece to join my collection — the large Etoile bangle from Briony Raymond.

This is a celebratory piece to mark a wedding anniversary. I struggled to decide what would be best for this occasion. My husband urged me to choose a piece that would be easy to wear every day that would go with my other pieces.

Well, despite starting out life in the “I don’t like bracelets” camp, the pieces I wear every single day (aside from Viv, my studs, and a wedding band) are bangles. I live in them. My husband suggested I find a comfortable bangle that would go with most of my existing pieces and could be worn casually or more formally.

Briony Raymond has a reputation for creating beautifully made pieces, so we decided to try her atelier for this bangle. It was a great decision. Briony and her whole team made this an incredibly easy process. They even took note of our anniversary date and made sure the bangle was ready in time.

This is the BR Etoile bangle in large. The stones are graduated with the largest in the center. Total carat weight is 2.75. The largest stone is 0.23 carats, tapering down to the smallest on the outside at 0.03. The graduation on this piece is some sort of sorcery. I didn’t realize it had graduated stones until I talked to Briony and I had pored over every photo on their site. The way the pave is set somehow camouflages the graduation. Unless I am thinking about it, I really don’t notice it. The overall effect is very sparkly. The stones seamlessly flow into the sides of the bracelet—my guess is that the white metal helps there.

I cannot rave enough about the craftsmanship on this piece. Everything is smooth as silk, including the pave. Briony told me that they take great care with every edge of a piece to make sure it won’t snag, and that shows. It is heavy, smooth as silk everywhere, and, well, the word that comes to mind is buttery. And luxe. The hinge and clasp are ingenious. They feel secure and smooth.

Details:
Briony Raymond Etoile bangle, large.
Total carat weight: 2.75
Stone size: 0.23 in the center graduating to 0.03 on the outside.
Palladium white gold, rhodium plated.
Width: approximately 4.5 mm per BR, my calipers say 4.2mm. It’s a great width that should be wearable everyday.

It stacks beautifully with all my other bangles, and it looks phenomenal with my VCA five motifs. This one is going to be a constant wear piece.

You know it is a good experience and that you are thrilled with a vendor when you start wearing a piece and immediately know you want to work with them again! I cannot say enough about the BR experience in general. I sent Briony a thank you email after the bangle arrived, and I mentioned I would love a travel pouch.

Dear readers, she sent *six* pouches and a handwritten note.


Ok, photos. First the glamour shot from Briony.
image.png


Having the stones only on the top makes for great impact.
IMG_6472.jpeg

IMG_6416.jpeg

IMG_6340.jpeg



You can see the whole surface is incredibly polished and smooth. I cannot believe how good it feels. Perhaps I have underestimated how important “feel” is as a quality to me in jewelry.
IMG_6348.jpeg
 
Wowsers, it’s gorgeous @Tonks :kiss2:
 
Continuing with the VCA theme:

Onyx/pave 5 motif
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Adding wg hammered
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The sparkle is out of this world. Quality wise this pave performs on the level of VCA pave. Very white and full of fire.
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And yes, I tested the limits of wearing casually with a t-shirt. I am here for casual plus bling, y’all.
IMG_6310.jpeg
 
And how does it stack with Cartier, you might ask?

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I absolutely adore it with my white gold JUC, which has been my most worn bangle. This is a very complimentary width. I foresee this combo being worn often!

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The Ecrou seems to be a polarizing design, but I love it. This is a fun combo.
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With two:
IMG_6401.jpeg

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Ok, last ones for now:

With Viv.
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Really loving the white metal and glad we went this direction.
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Finally, these are the travel pouches that arrived when I asked about one!
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Thanks for looking, everyone!
 
Congratulations on your anniversary and what a lovely way to celebrate. The bangle looks fantastic and it pairs effortlessly with your other pieces.
 
That is FABULOUS! Love all the combos you put together, as well! Casual with bling, story of my life. ;)2 Happy Anniversary!
 
It's so perfect, I love it! Thank you for showing us all of the fun combos and for going into so much detail on the feel and quality of the piece. Though I'm not sure I should be thanking you for introducing me to a new piece to covet! :lol:
 
Congratulations on your anniversary and what a lovely way to celebrate. The bangle looks fantastic and it pairs effortlessly with your other pieces.

Thank you on both counts!!!

My husband said he has really enjoyed seeing me wear bangles and bracelets, and he wanted me to have something that worked with all the others. I love being able to SEE what I’m wearing! And it has been fun to make new combos.
 
It's so perfect, I love it! Thank you for showing us all of the fun combos and for going into so much detail on the feel and quality of the piece. Though I'm not sure I should be thanking you for introducing me to a new piece to covet! :lol:

Thank you!

SMTB threads have been so helpful to me over the years. I hope some of mine can be that for others. And it is such a pleasure to have a community that cares about jewelry minutia!
 
Congratulations on your anniversary, Tonks! I love how carefully curated your collection is and how well all the pieces work together. The new addition is stunning! :love:
 
So chic! What a great, versatile piece! And, congrats on your anniversary.
 
Want!!!
 
Beyond beautiful! Love the slight graduation of the diamonds - such an elegant setting. This is great for dress up or casual! I have never heard of this brand or bracelet but I love it! Thanks as always for your in-depth pictures and information - you are a true gem in PS land! Congrats on the anniversary as well and best wishes for many happy returns!
 
Congratulations! It is a perfect fit.
 
Happy Anniversary! Great bracelet. Enjoy!
 
Happy Anniversary Tonks!
I love your new sparkly, it looks amazing stacked or solo. You wear it all so well.
Always love seeing Viv too!
 
This is gorgeous and I love that the graduation is so subtle. I don't know why - but I agree with with your 'buttery' description, it just seems so apt. Congrats on the anniversary.
 
Beautiful!! Just beautiful!! And the the combinations are endless & stunning! Did I mention STUNNING??!!

Happy anniversary & congratulations on a wonderful milestone marker :kiss2:
 
I’m so excited to show you the latest piece to join my collection — the large Etoile bangle from Briony Raymond.

This is a celebratory piece to mark a wedding anniversary. I struggled to decide what would be best for this occasion. My husband urged me to choose a piece that would be easy to wear every day that would go with my other pieces.

Well, despite starting out life in the “I don’t like bracelets” camp, the pieces I wear every single day (aside from Viv, my studs, and a wedding band) are bangles. I live in them. My husband suggested I find a comfortable bangle that would go with most of my existing pieces and could be worn casually or more formally.

Briony Raymond has a reputation for creating beautifully made pieces, so we decided to try her atelier for this bangle. It was a great decision. Briony and her whole team made this an incredibly easy process. They even took note of our anniversary date and made sure the bangle was ready in time.

This is the BR Etoile bangle in large. The stones are graduated with the largest in the center. Total carat weight is 2.75. The largest stone is 0.23 carats, tapering down to the smallest on the outside at 0.03. The graduation on this piece is some sort of sorcery. I didn’t realize it had graduated stones until I talked to Briony and I had pored over every photo on their site. The way the pave is set somehow camouflages the graduation. Unless I am thinking about it, I really don’t notice it. The overall effect is very sparkly. The stones seamlessly flow into the sides of the bracelet—my guess is that the white metal helps there.

I cannot rave enough about the craftsmanship on this piece. Everything is smooth as silk, including the pave. Briony told me that they take great care with every edge of a piece to make sure it won’t snag, and that shows. It is heavy, smooth as silk everywhere, and, well, the word that comes to mind is buttery. And luxe. The hinge and clasp are ingenious. They feel secure and smooth.

Details:
Briony Raymond Etoile bangle, large.
Total carat weight: 2.75
Stone size: 0.23 in the center graduating to 0.03 on the outside.
Palladium white gold, rhodium plated.
Width: approximately 4.5 mm per BR, my calipers say 4.2mm. It’s a great width that should be wearable everyday.

It stacks beautifully with all my other bangles, and it looks phenomenal with my VCA five motifs. This one is going to be a constant wear piece.

You know it is a good experience and that you are thrilled with a vendor when you start wearing a piece and immediately know you want to work with them again! I cannot say enough about the BR experience in general. I sent Briony a thank you email after the bangle arrived, and I mentioned I would love a travel pouch.

Dear readers, she sent *six* pouches and a handwritten note.


Ok, photos. First the glamour shot from Briony.
image.png


Having the stones only on the top makes for great impact.
IMG_6472.jpeg

IMG_6416.jpeg

IMG_6340.jpeg



You can see the whole surface is incredibly polished and smooth. I cannot believe how good it feels. Perhaps I have underestimated how important “feel” is as a quality to me in jewelry.
IMG_6348.jpeg

its beautiful
congradulations to you and hubby on your annivarsey
 
It’s stunning. Looks amazing on you, alone or stacked. A perfect staple piece. Enjoy!
 
This entire post is amazing. The pics are beautiful!!!! What a great idea for a wedding anniversary. The bangle is the best I’ve seen. Wear in good health and thanks for sharing!
 
Congrats on the new piece and the anniversary! Your pictures are great and the combinations are stunning. What fabulous and quality piece.
 
Gosh it's just beautiful and wow - all of those stacks! I cannot decide which one I like the best!
 
Happy Anniversary! What a gorgeous piece to celebrate with. It goes perfectly with every one of your bracelets!
 
Congratulations on your anniversary, Tonks! I love how carefully curated your collection is and how well all the pieces work together. The new addition is stunning! :love:
Thank you! It’s funny to hear my collection called “curated,” because oh my goodness it has been an adventure. There are people who know where they are headed on a map, and then there’s the way I do it, where I kind of meander around. Some of it is starting to make sense, but it was for sure not a master plan. More of an exercise in learning from each piece!

So chic! What a great, versatile piece! And, congrats on your anniversary.
Thank you!

Someone used to have as their signature something like 1-800-we-enable. Happy to help build wishlists!

Beyond beautiful! Love the slight graduation of the diamonds - such an elegant setting. This is great for dress up or casual! I have never heard of this brand or bracelet but I love it! Thanks as always for your in-depth pictures and information - you are a true gem in PS land! Congrats on the anniversary as well and best wishes for many happy returns!
Thank you, MGR! Glad you enjoyed the photos and write up. Definitely check out BR. She worked at VCA for a very long time before starting her business, so high quality pieces.

Congratulations! It is a perfect fit.
Thank you! It’s funny you say that. I prefer my bangles way looser than would technically be considered “perfect,” but it works for me. It is hot here for a large part of the year and I swell. Tight jewelry is not a good feeling.
 
Happy Anniversary! Great bracelet. Enjoy!
Thank you!

Happy Anniversary Tonks!
I love your new sparkly, it looks amazing stacked or solo. You wear it all so well.
Always love seeing Viv too!
Thank you! And glad you like seeing Viv!

This is gorgeous and I love that the graduation is so subtle. I don't know why - but I agree with with your 'buttery' description, it just seems so apt. Congrats on the anniversary.
It is odd that that word seems to fit, as we usually see “buttery” describing yellow gold, but something about it is definitely buttery!

Beautiful!! Just beautiful!! And the the combinations are endless & stunning! Did I mention STUNNING??!!

Happy anniversary & congratulations on a wonderful milestone marker :kiss2:
Thank you so much!

its beautiful
congradulations to you and hubby on your annivarsey
Thanks!

It’s stunning. Looks amazing on you, alone or stacked. A perfect staple piece. Enjoy!
Thank you! Isn’t it funny how we figure out what we wear the most over the years? I would never have guessed classic staples, but apparently that’s what I enjoy.

This entire post is amazing. The pics are beautiful!!!! What a great idea for a wedding anniversary. The bangle is the best I’ve seen. Wear in good health and thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the kind words!

Congrats on the new piece and the anniversary! Your pictures are great and the combinations are stunning. What fabulous and quality piece.
Thank you! I was really pleased it worked with all those pieces.

Gosh it's just beautiful and wow - all of those stacks! I cannot decide which one I like the best!
Right now I’m wearing it solo just to enjoy, but it is nice to have options. Being able to see the piece is really why I’ve gotten hooked on bracelets.

Happy Anniversary! What a gorgeous piece to celebrate with. It goes perfectly with every one of your bracelets!
Thank you!
 
Happy anniversary and congrats on your new gorgeous bangle!

I ADORE this piece! It has such a luxurious feel, with the smooth, polished edges, the graduating, exceptionally sparkly diamonds and the made-to-order fit. It looks absolutely perfect stacked with your other bracelets. This is a "foundation piece" for the ages! A true heirloom.

Wear in good health and much happiness.
 
This is perfection! When I saw the preview pic I was wondering if it was full or half, the half makes it perfect for daily wear! I'm also completely surprised that it's graduated! I'd love to see close ups of the setting work just to satisfy my geekery for truly fine work! Overall your bangle collection is so much fun!
 
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