Medina Cuff in Oxidized Silver and Brass

• Open, adjustable cuff back
• Oxidized silver finish for tonal contrast against the brass
• Hand-filed notch detailing along the brass edges
• Mixed-metal construction

Because each cuff is cut, filed and oxidized by hand, slight variations in brass tone, notch spacing and the depth of the darkened silver are normal from one piece to the next.

Medina is Arabic for city, and it names the old walled quarters at the historic center of many North African cities — dense, narrow-street districts that are still lived and worked in, not preserved as relics.

The two brass blades cross like intersecting streets, and the notched edges echo the rhythm of a walled skyline read from a distance. Made in the USA rather than sourced from Morocco: an American maker's reading of the form, not a traditional craft object.

The brass is cut from flat sheet stock, shaped by hand and filed along both edges to raise the short even notches. The sterling band is formed into its open cuff, chemically darkened, then worked back at the high points so the recesses stay black against the bright silver.

• Technique: Hand-cut, hand-filed, chemically oxidized

Wipe with a soft polishing cloth after wear and store in a fabric pouch away from humidity to slow natural retarnishing. Skip metal polish and dip cleaners — they will strip the oxidized finish.