At first glance, Mary Esses’ gold cuff ($28,000) appears like soft, embroidered lace encircling the wrist, but a closer look and touch reveals a cuff meticulously carved from solid 18-karat gold. It takes the Brazilian-born jeweler more than a month to hand-carve the fine lace details into wax, then cast the piece in gold and finish it by hand. The result is an intricate sculpture. This effect stems from the designer’s background as a former sculptor and ceramist; she imbues the hard metal with a seemingly imp…