Cleo Bracelet

I wear this on the wrist opposite my watch and I stopped taking it off in early March. That means it has been through every shower, a full week of chlorinated pool laps on holiday, and the ocean twice. Not one link has clouded, spotted, or gone dull in the ribbed sections where water could easily sit. The stretch cord dried out fine every time with no fraying or stiffening. I was genuinely braced for this to be the piece that failed and it simply has not.

Wide gold bracelets are where plating usually fails me fastest, because the links rub against each other all day and the finish wears through at every contact point. This one has been on my wrist almost every day since the third week of February and there is not one darkened or coppery link. The ribbed grooves have not gone grey either, which is remarkable given how much hand cream and soap ends up on it. I do absolutely no maintenance, not even a wipe down. It still reads like something from a proper jewelry counter.

I have eczema on my wrists and wide bracelets are usually a disaster because so much metal sits against irritated skin all day. I fully expected a flare within a week. Instead I have worn this almost daily since the start of March with no reaction at all, no redness under the links and no itching even in hot weather when I sweat under it. The inner surface is smooth so nothing rubs raw either. It is the first substantial bracelet I have been able to keep on my wrist in years.

The gold tone and the ribbing are both excellent. On my narrow wrist it sits a little looser than I would like and slides toward my hand. Still wearable, just not a snug fit.

Lotion gets into the ribbing constantly and rinses straight out. No buildup, no grey shadow in the channels after five months.

The shine and the link detail are genuinely lovely, no complaints on looks. It is a broader piece than I'd pictured, so it competes a little with a watch on the same arm — I wear them on opposite wrists now.