The Vertebra Is a Unit of Movement

Vertebrae jewelry is jewelry built on the geometry of the spine — each element corresponding to a vertebra, an articulated unit — so the finished object flexes and moves the way a spine does, rather than hanging like a static chain.

There are, again, two meanings. Most of what sells under this name is made from real snake or animal vertebrae: bone jewelry. ABALLE works the other tradition — the vertebra as a form to study and rebuild in precious metal. A SPINALE bracelet contains no bone. It is sterling silver and 18K gold links, each shaped on vertebral logic, hand-finished in the USA.

Articulation is the whole point. A vertebra is a unit of movement, and a SPINALE bracelet honors that: links articulate independently, so the piece drapes and flexes with the wrist. It is the difference between wearing an image of a spine and wearing something engineered like one. Widths run from 8MM to 16MM, in silver and gold.

The system scales. SPINALE bracelets. IMMORTALE rings — vertebra-inspired bands. FERRAMENTA rings — the hardware of the spine, screws and bolts, recast as ornament. And HOROLOGIUM SPINALE, which builds a vertebral bracelet around a client's own watch. One anatomy, many objects.

Continue reading: How a Spine Is Made.

Questions, answered

Is vertebrae jewelry made from real vertebrae?

Some is — that's bone jewelry. ABALLE's vertebrae jewelry is sculpted in sterling silver and 18K gold, with no skeletal material.

Does a vertebrae bracelet move?

ABALLE's SPINALE links articulate independently, flexing with natural wrist movement.

What sizes do SPINALE bracelets come in?

Widths from 8MM to 16MM, in sterling silver and 18K gold.