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 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - 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.

Tradition Berber box made out of an old bracelet - silver metal and enamel - Height: around 12.5 cm

Traditional Berber box made out of an old bracelet - silver metal and enamel (silver grade, if there is any, unknown) North Africa – 1st half of the 20th century Height: around 12.5 cm Diameter at the base: around 6.8 cm Perfect condition. Carefully packaged and shipped by international...

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

Tradition Berber box made out of an old bracelet - silver metal and enamel - Height: around 12.5 cm

Traditional Berber box made out of an old bracelet - silver metal and enamel (silver grade, if there is any, unknown) North Africa – 1st half of the 20th century Height: around 12.5 cm Diameter at the base: around 6.8 cm Perfect condition. Carefully packaged and shipped by international...

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.