Alfred Karram (American, b. 1932), Bracelet, 1970s, gold

Audio Description

This bracelet was designed by Alfred Karram in the 1970s. Karram is an American jeweler who was born in 1932.

Made of both polished and heavily textured gold, this bracelet is a series of linked rectangular and square pieces that are unevenly joined, making the edges uneven. The bracelet is widest at the center front.

Label Copy

This bracelet was designed by Alfred Karram in the 1970s. Karram is an American jeweler who was born in 1932.

Opening his shop in 1956, Alfred Karram had no formal training in jewelry design, but his tendency was toward modernity. He wanted to offer pieces that would attract a younger audience with both his style and prices. Most of Karram’s jewelry carried a price tag of $50 to $100, but he was pleasantly surprised that his store attracted audiences of all ages.

Possibly from his Nugget Block Collection designed in 1976, this bracelet reflects Karram’s penchant for geometrics and positioning smooth, polished gold side by side with textured surfaces. This proclivity for geometry was demonstrated in other series, such as the Cubic Designs Collection of 1978. Karram’s mid-town Manhattan shop reflected the same interest in its architecture, designed by the jeweler himself. Steel and hammered brass outside, the interior included wooden beams projecting from the walls. Karram created an atmosphere that was bold, daring, and unusual—like his jewelry.

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