armlet, decorative band, usually of gold, silver, or other metal and sometimes featuring precious gems, worn for ornament around the arm, especially the upper arm. Armlets have been worn since ancient times: in Assyrian art, for instance, deities, monsters, and men are shown wearing armlets.
Several fine examples of armlets are included in the Oxus treasure, a collection of Persian art of the Achaemenidian period (6th–4th century bc) now in the British Museum, London. One of the armlets consists of a circular gold band with its two ends meeting in the form of finely worked griffins. Armlets are especially popular in the East, particularly in India.