Vintage 18k Yellow and Rose Gold Elephant Hair Cuff Bracelet, Circa 1970s

This vintage 18k gold elephant hair cuff bracelet is designed with a dark ribbed elephant hair body wrapped in twisted gold. The bracelet has an open cuff form with polished yellow gold ball terminals at each end, giving the piece a bold contrast between the textured natural material and high polish gold. The twisted gold wire is worked in alternating yellow and rose gold tones, creating a wrapped pattern across the bracelet and adding dimension to the design.

The bracelet weighs 24.5 grams and has an inner circumference of 6.5 inches. The opening measures 3/4 inch at rest and can flex to 1 1/8 inches, allowing some adjustability when placed on the wrist. The twisted gold portion measures 3/8 inch in width. The bracelet dates to the 1970s to 1980s, reflecting the safari inspired luxury jewelry style of the period.

Elephant hair was used in jewelry largely because it carried symbolic and cultural meaning, especially in parts of Africa where elephant hair bracelets were associated with strength, protection, luck, wisdom, and connection to nature.

The hair itself is thick, dark, and durable, so it could be woven or bundled into bracelets. In many traditional examples, the bracelet was worn as a talisman, sometimes with knots or wraps representing protection, good fortune, or balance. Later, especially in the mid to late 20th century, elephant hair became incorporated into luxury jewelry, often paired with gold, silver, or gemstones. These pieces were part of a broader “safari” or travel-inspired jewelry aesthetic popular in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.