The Origins Of Charms

Whether you prefer silver charms or gold charms it is hard to imagine a more unique piece of jewelry than a charm bracelet. Each one is unique, plus charms can also be used on necklaces and even on earrings. They are highly collectable and often are very detailed replicas of places, symbols, events and special occasions.

There are very few rules when it comes to using charms on a bracelet or with other pieces of jewelry. While some people prefer to keep their charm bracelets all one type of metal, others prefer to mix and match. This combination of silver and gold on the bracelet can be very striking and can also make matching your charm bracelet to other jewelry very easy.

The earliest recorded use of charms and charm bracelets dates way back to the early times of the Egyptian Pharaohs. In these times gold charms were used to bring good luck or ward off bad spirits and were considered essential rather than just fashionable. Metals as well as other materials were used in designing these types of gold or silver charms and the bracelets would stay with the wearer even into death.

Later on in Roman times, charms were used by early Christians as a way to secretly identify each other. The symbol was, as it still is today, the simple fish outline. Those that studied Jewish law would insert small rolls of parchment containing scripture into amulets worn about the neck, similar to charms or lockets of today.

Charms continued to be used to keep away bad spirits even into the Middle Ages and up to the Renaissance period. Some of these types of gold and silver charms were very detailed and became the modern good luck charms still in use.

In the early 20th century the English royal family, namely Queen Victoria, again made wearing a charm bracelet a fashion forward piece of jewelry. These charms often included coats of arms and flags as well as monuments.

Soldiers returning home from World Wars l and ll often brought back small charms from different countries and areas of the world they visited. Local jewelers catered to this growing market by making easy to recognize symbols from different areas. Wives, girlfriends and mothers in the United States often had charms from many different countries on their charm bracelets.

New additions to traditional charms include other types of materials within the gold or silver charm. These can include precious or semi-precious gems, crystal, cut glass or even different types of metals. Charms are still popular with women of all ages and are again being shown in many fashion shows around the world.

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