Charm Bracelet
Charm Bracelet
A charm bracelet is a type of jewelry that worn around the wrist. Why is it called as charm bracelet, because it carries personal “charms”, which are decorative pendants or trinkets which signify important things in the wearer’s life.
The wearing of charms may have begun as a form of amulet to ward off evil spirits or bad luck. During the pre-historic period, jewelry charms would be made from shells, animal-bones and clay.
The role of charms, however changed over time from that of practical use and as a means of warding off evil, to a purely aesthetic one. It was Queen Victoria who become more popularizing this kind of jewelry at her era. She had a series of charms designed and produced to give as gifts to her extended family and circle of friends every New Year. Queen Victoria’s own fascination with charms, jewelery and pendants made charm bracelets enormously popular amongst the gentry of the time, as a luxurious fashion items. At such a time it was common for the wealthier classes to show off their fortune by wearing elaborate and exotic clothing, and the wearing of charm bracelets as a fashion accessory.
It wasn’t until World War II, however, when soldiers, who collected trinkets as a reminder of men they knew, the women they loved, and their time in the trenches, that the wearing of charms really took off throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. Fighting, often away from their loved ones for years at a time, soldiers would buy small reminders of the places they had been as presents for their families back home. Such presents, some bought, others found, seemed to encapsulate moments from the soldiers’ time away and as such charms became hugely popular as a means of capturing emotion and personal memories. Since then charms have often been collected as reminders of good times, and because they signify a great amount of sentiment which their wearers wish to carry around with them.
Nowadays charms and trinket bracelets are highly sought after the world over. Ever popular with young celebrities, charms have recently been used to promote charities, religion, good times, and just plain fun, as well as carrying the sentiment which comes with every one.