Images: Cartier Juste un Clou bracelet; Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Bone cuffs

Few jewellery designs can hope to match the longevity of the cuff bracelet. Indeed, these open C-shaped creations first came to prominence some 7,000 years back, a time when they were worn by both male and female members of ancient Incan, Mayan, Roman and Egyptian royalty. Crafted from a variety of metals and set with precious gemstones, these accessories served as symbols of their undeniably lofty status.

Images: Gucci bracelet; FRED Collier bracelet; Chopard Precious Lace bracelet; Chaumet Perspectives de Chaumet yellow gold cuff; Jewelry by Marsha cuff; Diamond Scene wide diamond cuff.

In the intervening millennia since those long-ago days, cuff bracelets – those designed to adorn the wrist with nary a clasp or fastening in sight – remain a constant of the haute joaillerie world. Now largely favoured by the fairer sex, they can be worn on one hand as a solo piece or simultaneously on two in a style akin to the amulets of old.

Imaes: Fortunoff diamond and sapphire cuff; Takahiromiyashita Thesoloist silver single bone shaped cuff; Buccellati Ortensia cuff; Bahdos two-tone diamond cuff bracelet; Page Sargisson hand-carved bracelet; Nicole Rose Fine Jewelry cuff bracelet

Available in a myriad of hues and sizes, while being flexible to the extreme, the more minimalist designs – notably Cartier’s Juste un Clou creation or Chopard’s Precious Lace bracelet – can easily be worn on an everyday basis. When dressing up for special occasions, though, a more ostentatious look be guaranteed through the deployment of larger statement pieces, such as Fortunoff’s dazzling sapphire-and-diamond number or Buccellati’s Ortensia cuff.