Description

Charms are small decorative trinkets that are symbolic and meaningful to the owner. A charm bracelet, then, is a bracelet on which you can attach these personal charms to create a customised bracelet that holds meaning and value to you. These charms can symbolise milestones, people, and all sorts of meaningful aspects of one’s life. Nowadays, charm and trinket bracelets are highly sought after worldwide. 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.

What is the History, Tradition, and Meaning of Charm bracelets?

Originally, the charm was an instrument that was believed to provide luck or protection to those who wore or held it. Good luck charms, also called amulets, were worn on wrist and neck jewellery at least as far back as ancient Egypt, Rome, and other civilisations. The inhabitants of these ancient civilisations believed that there were special powers in the objects that they would attach to their these amulets, shields, and sheaths. However, the true origin of the charm bracelet can be traced back to Queen Victoria, who wore a gold chain on her wrist, attached to which were lockets containing the portraits of each member of her family. This transformed the meaning of the charm bracelet from that which provides luck and protection, to a statement of style, personal meaning, and expression.

The trend continued when the women in Victorian England copied the style, recreating it in their own way, by adding glass beads, lockets, and other trinkets to their chains. What added a lot of sentimental worth to these was when soldiers from the World War would travel through cities and bring back little jewellery charms as souvenirs for the women in their lives. It then became popular for all the teenage girls of the era to receive charms representing significant milestones in her life, from graduation, to marriage. These then went on to become heirlooms, and popular gifts to girls on their 16th or 18th birthdays.