Ornate Strange Silver Cuffs??

[Aquitaine]

Today my finds are these strange items. Both have a pin to hold them together, with tops and bottoms. They look like bracelet cuffs but I haven't a clue what they are or what they may have been used for. The metal appears to be silver, although I could be mistaken as I don't see anything on either. Would it be better if I cleaned them with silver polish or leave them alone if they are old? Thanks so much!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[robertk]

Personally, I'd leave them alone until I was sure what they are.

 

[Red-Coat]

Neat. Those were once bracelets, but have been converted into fancy storage boxes. Traditional Berber work from North Africa and also produced for sale as tourist souvenirs and for the 'collector' market, notably in Morocco. Mostly they aren't silver, but you might be lucky if they're early.

(Not Active) Tribal Art (General) for Sale in Online Auctions - Catawiki

Buy and sell (Not Active) Tribal Art (General) at Catawiki. Discover (Not Active) Tribal Art (General) auctions filled with special objects, selected by our experts.

www.catawiki.com

 

[oldmxrat]

Those are pretty cool!
A few drops of lemon juice on a piece of aluminum foil gently rubbed on the metal will tell you if they're silver, it would give off a rotten egg smell, and would also remove the tarnish without harm.

 

[Digger RJ]

Today my finds are these strange items. Both have a pin to hold them together, with tops and bottoms. They look like bracelet cuffs but I haven't a clue what they are or what they may have been used for. The metal appears to be silver, although I could be mistaken as I don't see anything on either. Would it be better if I cleaned them with silver polish or leave them alone if they are old? Thanks so much!

Very Cool!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Joecoins]

Definitely do not polish them.

 

[Aquitaine]

Personally, I'd leave them alone until I was sure what they are.

Yes, I agree....

 

[Aquitaine]

Neat. Those were once bracelets, but have been converted into fancy storage boxes. Traditional Berber work from North Africa and also produced for sale as tourist souvenirs and for the 'collector' market, notably in Morocco. Mostly they aren't silver, but you might be lucky if they're early.

View attachment 2136084

(Not Active) Tribal Art (General) for Sale in Online Auctions - Catawiki

Buy and sell (Not Active) Tribal Art (General) at Catawiki. Discover (Not Active) Tribal Art (General) auctions filled with special objects, selected by our experts.

www.catawiki.com

That looks just like them! I wasn't sure about the stones, but possibly morrocan coral as I read in one description. Thanks so much, it's so strange what people

Those are pretty cool!
A few drops of lemon juice on a piece of aluminum foil gently rubbed on the metal will tell you if they're silver, it would give off a rotten egg smell, and would also remove the tarnish without harm.

I tried what you suggested oldmxrat with a bit of lemon juice and foil, although I wasn't able to detect a rotten egg odor, but the area became shiny and a lot of black came off easily. I think the bracelets could very well be silver.

rid of.