Charm Jewellery: Popular Charms & Themes
The very word "charm" evokes a bit of the magical beginnings these unique pieces of jewellery had. Early cave dwellers kept bits of shells, bones and stones close in amulets to ward off evil spirits. The Egyptian pharaohs wore the same kind of charmsincluded carved bits of bone and precious stones that also told the Gods of the afterworld who they were in case the first charms didn't work.
Today there are three main styles of charm jewellery. Traditional open link, beads and flat, rectangular Italian charms. Literrally thousands of different tiny charm symbols have been created in each of these three categories. They've been created out of gold, silver, wood, gemstones, plastics and other precious metals.
That means there are literally millions of combinations that can, and indeed have been made. With this power to personalize and crate a truly one of a kind piece, it's no wonder charm jewellery has maintained it's popularity throughout the ages.
Select Your Theme
With so many choices, it could be almost impossible to decide where to start to build your own unique chrm bracelet or necklace. Fortunately, with a little organization and thought ahead of time, you can cut those millions of choices down into a few logical categories.
The first step to creating your perfect charm jewellery is to select a theme for your piece. Some themes are obvious. A dog lover, for example, may create a bracelet of all their favorite dog breeds. A gardener could easily build two or three different charm bracelets before running out of charms that represent different flower varieties. In fact, wearing multiple charm bracelets, each dedicated to a specific theme like this is often done.
In the 1950s, charm bracelets were a common gift for a girl's 16th birthday or high school graduation. The bracelet was presented with just one charm depicting the event of the day, or holding the recipient's birthstone or a birthday charm. Additional charms were added as different life milestones were met. These bracelets came to be known as lifetime bracelets.
With so many choices, it could be almost impossible to decide where to start to build your own unique chrm bracelet or necklace. Fortunately, with a little organization and thought ahead of time, you can cut those millions of choices down into a few logical categories.
Here are some of the most popular types of charms ever sold. They represent many of those life milestones, but can also be worked into a theme bracelet or necklace of their own.
Religious:
The cross is the number one religious symbol ever and has been popular since the dawn of christianity. It is predated however by charms of fish that Christians used to hide on their persons and show to gain entrance to Christian meetings during the rule of the Romans. At that same time, Jews wore lockets containing miniature bits of the Torah both to keep them close to their hearts and to keep them safe from Roman soldiers.
Family:
Charms abound for each member of the family, not just #1 mothers or grandmothers (although those two are the most popular). Even charms celebrating brothers are popular gifts at holidays. A family themed bracelet or necklace is easy to assemble for small or large families. Charms with engraved birthdates, initials of family members, birthstones of family members, or common interests of the family are all good places to start building a bracelet.
Love & Friendship:
There are dozens of different ways marriages are depicted in charms. Wedding bells, entwined hearts, miniature brides and grooms, cakes, bouquets and actual photos are just a few. Friendship charms that come in two parts are perennial favorites. One part is given as a gift with the other added to the bracelet of the giver, symbolically tying the two together even when apart.
Work:
Symbols of many different jobs and professions also abound. These sysmbols are commonly found on a lifetime bracelet, though it might be possible to build a complete bracelet around the theme. For example, you could help a lawyer friend build a bracelet by giving her a different charm depicting the scales of justice on the anniversary of her passing the bar exam.
Hobbies & Souvenirs:
This is indeed a rich and varied field among charms. Just about anything can be found here. Charms of different car types are very popular as are hundreds of charms devoted to different sports and athletic events. A charm that symbolizes the wearer's love of movies, or music, or even cellphones can easily be found.
When soldiers returned home from Europe or the South Pacific at the end of World War II, they frequently took small charms that symbolized the area they had served. Palm tree or champagne bottle charms and the like quickly made travel souvenier charms very popular. A travel themed bracelet remains one of the most popular themes today.
Hobbies and interest charms round out the story told by a person's lifetime bracelet. They show the person's evolution and growth. They can also represent trends and fads in society.
Trends & Fads:
One fast growing area of charm jewellery didn't exist 25 years ago and has nothing to do with bracelets or necklaces. The latest accessory to turn into a charm carrier is a cellphone. Plenty of different shaped cellphone charms have joined older style telephone charms for those who like to talk a lot, but now there are charms made specifically for mobile phones as well as of them.
The trend of attaching charms to cellphones themselves or to the belt clips and cases that house them is especially big in Japan. There, charms of shoes of all kinds, from sandals to cowboy boots are top sellers. Among the most elaborate of all is a charm shaped like the phone booth in the Dr. Who tv series. The phone booth is inside a glass dome and actually lights up when a call is received.
There's virtually no limit to the places charm jewellery can be displayed. There's also no end to their popularity in sight. At some point, however, you will want to stop looking at all the different options you have for creating your perfect charm jewellery piece and just start building it. After all, this is one piece you are expected to keep adding to and changing over a lifetime.
