Silver & Gold Bracelet Marking

[JeanneCurt]

HI,
I received this bracelet about 8 years ago from a 95 year old friend.  I have been trying to find out what the marking means and where the bracelet might have come from.

A jeweler told me it was silver and that the gold on the design was plated.  The piece measures about 7 1/2" on the inside and it is about 1/2" wide.

The raised designs seem to be leaves and animals or birds!

Any help on identifying this bracelet would be appreciated!

Thanks!
Jeanne

[talesofthesevenseas]

If I'm not mistaken, your bracelet is Chinese and the motif you show in the photos are of bats. These are symbolic of good luck, particularly if there are five of them. (You might want to count them!)  The Chinese character for bat is "fu" and so is the Chinese character for luck. Five bats together are symbolic of the five types of happiness: wealth, long life, peace, cultivation of virtue (or good health), and a good death.