Tennis Cluster Bracelet Silver (10mm & 12mm)

Tennis Cluster Bracelet Silver (10mm & 12mm) That Flickers Rather Than Shining Evenly

Where an ordinary tennis bracelet has one row of stones, here the stones are set in groups per segment. That puts them at different heights and different angles, so the bracelet flickers with every movement of your wrist instead of shining evenly along with it. At 10mm or 12mm it clearly takes its place. The silver-tone finish is applied in five layers of PVD.

Product details

• Base material: copper alloy, nickel-free

• Finish: silver-tone, 5x PVD

• Stones: VVS CZ (simulated diamond)

• Widths: 10mm and 12mm

• Sizes: 18 and 21 cm

• Clasp: box clasp

• Delivered in a Carpe Ice jewelry box

What Makes a Cluster Setting Different

In a cluster setting several smaller stones are grouped around a larger one, instead of every stone sitting alone in its own setting. That gives far more facets per centimeter, and because those facets do not all face the same way, light breaks in several directions at once. On a wrist that comes into its own more than on a chain, simply because your hand moves all day and the bracelet therefore keeps changing angle.

Why a Copper Alloy and Not Stainless Steel

A cluster setting calls for hundreds of small settings at different heights. Copper can be worked more finely than stainless steel, so those settings close tightly around each stone and almost no metal stays visible between them. That is why virtually every serious iced out piece is built on a copper base. Copper is also denser than hollow steel, and on a wrist you notice that straight away: the bracelet lies heavy rather than hollow.

Five Layers of PVD, and Why That Counts on a Wrist

The silver color is applied with PVD, physical vapor deposition: the material is bonded at molecular level inside a vacuum chamber rather than electroplated on top, and Carpe Ice applies it in five layers. That makes the finish considerably harder and more scratch-resistant than an ordinary coating. On a wrist that weighs heaviest, because it rubs along sleeves and table edges all day, and in silver tone a worn spot would show immediately as a warmer undertone. The alloy underneath is nickel-free.

10mm or 12mm, and Which Size

Both widths are emphatic. The 10mm is our best-selling width and just about stays in proportion beside a watch. The 12mm wants to be the only one: wear it on your free wrist, without a watch or a second bracelet alongside. The bracelet comes in 18 and 21 cm (7.1 and 8.3 in); measure your wrist and add about 2 cm. At these widths you deliberately want a little more slack than on a fine bracelet, so it can turn and the clusters keep catching a different angle. If you fall between two sizes, take the 21.

Keeping It Sparkling

A copper alloy is more sensitive to moisture than steel, so this is a piece for going out rather than for the gym. Take the bracelet off before showering, swimming and training, apply fragrance and hand cream before you put it on, and store it dry in the box it came in. There is a layer on it, including on the silver-tone version, because that color is PVD over copper here; only the silver-tone pieces in bare steel have no layer and can stay on. On a cluster setting there is more space under the stones than on a flat row, so hand cream and dust gather there faster. A dry, soft toothbrush lifts it out.