Slave bracelet

Slave bracelet may refer to:

• A copper bracelet used as a medium of exchange in the West African slave trade, see Manillas.
• Any bracelet made of chain links.
• An Indian wrist bracelet joined to a ring by a chain (Panjas).
• A bracelet worn by a slave (this meaning comes from BDSM fiction, e.g. John Norman's Gor series of novels; in this context it may be a colloquial term for handcuffs).

Slave bracelets are a piece of jewelry associated with several cultures. As it refers to the hand adornment often worn by belly dancers or associated with harem jewelry, the slave bracelet or "hand chain" consists of a bracelet that attaches to a ring via a chain, bejeweled links, or other ornate hand connector along the back of the hand. They have been a popular accessory worn by members of the Gothic subculture as well as those of the BDSM community, specifically Dom/Sub couples as a symbol of ownership between Master (BDSM) and Slave (BDSM).

Slave bracelets, or hand flowers, had been long popular before making their debut in the Western world. As it turns out, India is where the term “hand flower” originated: kamal is the Hindi word for the Lotus flower and refers to this hand ornament. It is literally translated from the Indian word “Hathphool”. The Hath phool originated as an ornamental piece of bridal jewellery, with five rings attaching to a bangle bracelet. The five rings each represented goddesses which would protect the bride’s family in times of need. Later, this changed to anywhere from one to three rings attached to a bracelet, and believed to represent the bonds of matrimony.