The custom of wearing charm bracelets dates back thousands of years,
and though the materials and designs on them have changed, the concept
itself has never gone out of style.
This form of
jewelry initially had a religious function, and dates back to the
prehistoric era. According to Elizabeth Florence, president of the
Jewelry Information Center, "The first charm bracelets were probably
worn by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians and Hittites from 500 to
400 B.C. Those charms were made of lapis lazuli, rock crystal and other
gems and were inscribed with small designs, such as figures of gods, man
and animals. They were immediately associated with special powers."
As
time passed, charms lost their protective spiritual functions and
became fashion jewelry. The 1890's saw a renaissance of charms,
especially in Victorian England, where elaborate and intricate jewelry
was in vogue. Queen Victoria helped popularize the trend by wearing a
charm bracelet of small lockets holding family portraits.
WW
II caused another revival of charm bracelets in America in the 1940's
and 1950's, as soldiers stationed abroad picked up charms as souvenirs
in the European cities they visited and brought them home for wives and
girlfriends. The fashion trend continued well into peacetime.
Charms
still remain a popular jewelry item, as personalized keepsakes in an
increasingly mass-produced jewelry market. Popular themes include
horoscope signs, birthstone charms, travel souvenirs, and family
keepsakes. Many women start collecting charms when they are children,
and the charm bracelet grows along with them, reflecting hobbies and
personal experience. A charm bracelet can hold a small replica of a
graduation cap, wedding bells, or lockets with children's photos.
Charms
are also a popular gift because of their affordable price. An intricate
silver charm can be obtained for less than ten dollars, though it is
possible to spend hundreds of dollars on a charm made of 18K and set
with gems.
Italian charms, a genre in and of
themselves, do not dangle from a chain like traditional charms. Instead,
they are soldered onto flat links which snap onto an extensible
bracelet. They are embellished with letters, symbols, pictures or
stones, or have enamel pictures painted on them. Charms can be snapped
on and off these modular bracelets to create new configurations to match
different moods and outfits. They are traditionally made of stainless
steel or 18k gold. Italian charms are of the same standard size and the
resulting bracelet can be customized to fit every wrist; a small size
holds 17 or less links, a medium 18, and a large 19 or more.
There
are different companies which produce Italian charms, but all brands
can be interchanged on the same bracelet. The basic "starter" bracelet
of blank links costs approximately five dollars, and the charms cost
fifteen dollars and up. China also manufactures
Italian charms, and
while these are popular (and, as with most Chinese goods, very
competitively priced), some consumers report occasional oddities such as
reversed images and poor fit.
Frank Vanderlugt
