The Golden Fishes of Shangri-La

April 23rd, 2010 by James L. Sweaney, CGA, FGA. GG
Two Fishes Adorn Cuff Bracelet of Pure Gold

Golden Fishes Adorn a Cuff Bracelet of Pure Gold

From an article by Nitin Kumar of Exotic India,  “The Golden Fishes symbol consists of two fishes, which usually appear standing vertically with heads turned inwards towards each other. The pair of fishes originated as an ancient pre-Buddhist symbol of the two sacred rivers of India, Ganga and Yumana.  Symbolically, these two rivers represent the lunar and solar channels, which originate in the nostrils and carry the alternating rhythms of breath or prana.

In Buddhism, the golden fishes symbolize happiness, as they have complete freedom in water. They represent fertility and abundance as they multiply very rapidly. Fish often swim in pairs and in China they represent conjugal unity and fidelity where a pair of fishes would often be given as a wedding present.”

Mardon is fortunate to be able to offer these very affordable handmade cuff bracelets from Nepal.  The wonderful hand craftsmanship is just amazing. The jeweler starts with an ingot of metal which he flattens and shapes by rolling. Once he reaches the desired thickness and rectangular dimension, he smooths both surfaces in preparation for decoration.

He then carefully hand engraves the two fishes motif, derived from centuries of tradition, with small steel chisels called gravers, which actually cut fine grooves into the metal. Even though he uses the same traditional pattern over and over, each bracelet is an unique rendition of the design because of the skilled hand work.

The engraved cuffs are engraved on both sides, while the filigree style, seen below, is embellished on the outside with delicate swirls crafted from hand drawn wires of silver carefully soldered in place and is engraved with the fishes on the inside. The finishing touch is a frame of round and braided wires soldered to edges of the engraved panel.

Whether you prefer the warm luster of gold, metal of the Sun, or the cool glow of pure silver, metal of the Moon, we have an excellent selection of these truly wonderful and unique bracelets. With wear, these soft metals will lovingly shape themselves to your wrist. As with our gemstone jewelry of Shangri-La, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at their affordability– These fine silver treasures start at $495, and the 24K vermeil version (heavy gold on fine silver) is only $750.

Pure 24K gold versions of these bracelets are available, but Nepalese law prohibits their export, so they must be purchased and worn out of the country by individuals as a personal possession.

Hand Engraving of Two Fishes

Hand Engraved Bracelet with Two Fishes, inside and out, $495

Filigree outside, Engraving inside

Filigree outside, Two Fishes inside, $495

Vermeil-24K Gold on Fine Silver

24K Gold Vermeil on Fine Silver, $750

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