By Anita Hale
Charm bracelets have been in existence for hundreds of years. The way in which we wear them has changed over this time. The first recorded commercial image of a charm bracelet was taken in 1889. It was a Tiffany's silver bracelet featuring a dangling heart charm. This heart is now recognised as part of Tiffany and Co's logo.
The importance of charm jewellery continues to evolve as time goes by. During the Second World War, members of the military tended to invest in charms as a keepsake for their relatives. These charms were handcrafted by locals and kept as a souvenir of the soldiers' tour of duty. By the 1950s the craze for charm bracelets had caught on with children. They enjoyed collecting charms that represented a unique episode in their life.
The current crop of charm bracelets happen to have been principally manufactured in Europe. The biggest manufacturer of these new charm bracelets is Denmark. It was the Danish brand Trollbeads that inspired the resurgence of charms over the 70's. Some of these later style of charms were machined to go with a special threaded system as used by that company. For example, the brand Pandora works with a trademarked mechanism which means their charms cannot be used on any of the other branded bracelets. Systems like these ensure that charms fit securely onto their intended bracelet.
On top of that, the majority of charm providers incorporate optional clips or "spacers". These are a smaller charm that keep in a steadfast place on the bracelet. Clips can serve as a technique of sectioning off charms. This means that they cannot slide around the bracelet. Further makes that apply threading systems on their bracelets include OHM, Lovelinks by Aagaard, Links of London and Chamilia.
Europe definitely has the most charm companies out there. But charm jewellery has also proven to be greatly in demand in America. The key attraction of these more contemporary charm mechanisms is the overall flexibility they offer the wearer. Bracelets are still sold as chain links. These are capable of taking a fixed number of dangling charms. However, the more established plain bracelets can accommodate far more charms. The bracelets are usually made from 14k gold, oxidised silver, polished silver and occasionally leather.
The charms for these bracelets are also made from numerous materials. The price of an individual charm can vary significantly depending on what the charm is made from. The most common kinds of charm are made from sterling silver. However you can also find a wide range of colourful murano glass charms. Charms made out of wood are less common, but still affordable. Charms that include any kind of gemstone or gold embellishment tend to sell for the most money.
The importance of charm jewellery continues to evolve as time goes by. During the Second World War, members of the military tended to invest in charms as a keepsake for their relatives. These charms were handcrafted by locals and kept as a souvenir of the soldiers' tour of duty. By the 1950s the craze for charm bracelets had caught on with children. They enjoyed collecting charms that represented a unique episode in their life.
The current crop of charm bracelets happen to have been principally manufactured in Europe. The biggest manufacturer of these new charm bracelets is Denmark. It was the Danish brand Trollbeads that inspired the resurgence of charms over the 70's. Some of these later style of charms were machined to go with a special threaded system as used by that company. For example, the brand Pandora works with a trademarked mechanism which means their charms cannot be used on any of the other branded bracelets. Systems like these ensure that charms fit securely onto their intended bracelet.
On top of that, the majority of charm providers incorporate optional clips or "spacers". These are a smaller charm that keep in a steadfast place on the bracelet. Clips can serve as a technique of sectioning off charms. This means that they cannot slide around the bracelet. Further makes that apply threading systems on their bracelets include OHM, Lovelinks by Aagaard, Links of London and Chamilia.
Europe definitely has the most charm companies out there. But charm jewellery has also proven to be greatly in demand in America. The key attraction of these more contemporary charm mechanisms is the overall flexibility they offer the wearer. Bracelets are still sold as chain links. These are capable of taking a fixed number of dangling charms. However, the more established plain bracelets can accommodate far more charms. The bracelets are usually made from 14k gold, oxidised silver, polished silver and occasionally leather.
The charms for these bracelets are also made from numerous materials. The price of an individual charm can vary significantly depending on what the charm is made from. The most common kinds of charm are made from sterling silver. However you can also find a wide range of colourful murano glass charms. Charms made out of wood are less common, but still affordable. Charms that include any kind of gemstone or gold embellishment tend to sell for the most money.
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There is further information about pandora beads and pandora jewellery available at these resources.