beaded cuff tribal statement bracelet grey, blue, green 2516

Another fabric cord cuff based on the Kuchi cuff form with the massive outer ribs and the thinner infill panel in the center. This one is grey with slate blue, light chocolate, and pale green cords offset by glass seed beads in cream, pearl grey, and brick red.

It is not as wide as a traditional Kuci cuff. the design measures only 2" (51 mm) wide instead of the 4" to 6" in some of the traditional cuffs.

The beads are placed in the cord matrix as the bracelet is assembled. Here you can see the beads in the infill cord which are a #30 cotton twine (about 1.5 mm diameter).  The bead color is more subtle than the photograph suggests.

When the nylon thread is tensioned the cords compress and the beads are held tightly together with the cord.

The ribs get a row of seed beads after the tensioning of the fabric is complete

The loops and buttons make this design open for people who might have hands that wont fit through a 7 1/2" (191 mm) internal circumference.   The weave and compression process left an open loop which was filled with a clear glass bead.

                         Available here

More like this in the fiber art design section of WhatKnotShop on Etsy.

design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

pair of Kuchi Cuffs - design inspiration

 This is a pair of so called "Kuchi cuffs" that I have in my collection sourced from an online vendor. The Kuchi people are Afghan Pashtun nomads. Jewelry like this is available from a large number of sites easily found with search on the term kuchi cuff.

The form of these bracelets is the inspiration for the ribbed cuffs that I have been making and posting here. The "H" shaped form is made from a pair of cast segmented pieces connected with a thin infill panel. The shape is tapered with one end about 5/8" wider than the other.

As you can see the heavy sections at the ends of these cuffs are different. One end is a smoother wrapped pattern about 1/2" wide resembling a cord tightly wrapped around a core material.

The other end is a kind of offset or expanded replication of the main pattern on the infill panel. The casting has a dark void space between the outer edge and the inner edge that is soldered to the infill panel. The material is a hard mixed metal   brass of unknown composition.

The cuffs are made with a hinge to enable the wearer to open them up and place them on the wrist. These are small measuring 7" (178 mm) inside circumference tapering to about 7 5/8" (193 mm)

The patterns are a repeating series of diamonds. circles, and linear shapes that resemble a textile fabric. The interior is smooth although this pair seems to have a lot of wear and some separation of the metal at the seams.

photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop