Wearing Charm Bracelets – a Short History
Monday, May 25th, 2009
Engraved Mickey Mouse Charm Bracelet with Swarovski Crystals and 24K Gold Plating! A Charming Tribute to 80 Years of Magic!
For many centuries men and women have been wearing charms as talismans to ward off evil spirits or for good luck and riches. Using charms attached to bracelets appears to have been started by the ancient Egyptians who wore them as symbols of their devotion and to carry with them to the next world in order that their gods could recognize them and give them their appropriate position.
During the early days of Christianity men and women carried a charm fashioned as a fish to recognize each other. In the Dark Ages, charms were used for political identification and to indicate the family of the bearer. In the Middle Ages, knights carried them to safeguard themselves in battle and the general populace also carried charms. Throughout the Renaissance their use declined, especially by the wealthier classes, as people became more informed and less inclined to believe in superstitions. On the other hand the less educated poorer people continued to wear charms as protection against wickedness and to give them good luck.
Wearing charms was revitalized in the UK by Queen Victoria who wore a gold charm bracelet with lockets which contained pictures of her family. This had a big impact on the wearing of charm bracelets by the general population who began to wear them, not as talismans, but as decorative items. Family crests. glass beads and lockets became the fashion of the day. Subsequent to the conclusion of World War 2 there was a massive explosion of charm wearing as soldiers brought back gems and beads to their sweetheart from far flung countries of the world. Craftsmen in the US carried on the trend and started to create charms and gold charm jewelry. Since then the wearing of charm jewelry has continued to grow.
In the present day a widespread variety of pendants, earrings and charm bracelets are accessible with bracelets being the most admired. Silver and gold are mostly used although some people favor bracelets made from pearls or beads with precious metal charms. Bracelets vary in cost from under $100 to many thousands of dollars and are therefore within everyone’s budget. There are countless kinds of religious charms depicting saints and a huge range of charms depicting objects and animals including hearts, cupids, crosses, dolphins etc. One of the most fashionable are angel charms.
Visit The Collectibles Store for an excellent selection of charm bracelets.
