| Italian charms are pieces of semi-precious jewelry | | | | charm and laminating it with clear enamel paint. |
| consisting of a couple of pieces of metal (usually | | | | This charm is set onto a stainless steel link or gold |
| iron or copper) base plates, plated with 18K gold | | | | charm, the shiny steel providing a beautiful, |
| and enamel. These base metals offer sturdiness | | | | sparkling background that shines through the |
| and longevity. The charm is then decorated with | | | | image. |
| semiprecious stones such as lapis and garnets, or | | | | Italian photo charms are one of the most popular |
| in the cheaper variety, zirconium/CZ, is the choice | | | | ways to enhance the look of any link bracelet. |
| of charm makers. The finishing touches to the | | | | Apart from the option of personalizing the charm |
| charm are done by painting the charm with | | | | with an initial, many buyers choose to put a |
| enamel. This enamel is never fired onto the | | | | sweetheart's name and or a birthstone on the |
| charm, but painted. After careful sorting of the | | | | charm along with a snapshot of them. The enamel |
| charms, the best are selected and soldered onto | | | | coating over the picture preserves it for years, |
| a link. However, buyers be warned of checking | | | | from the elements. |
| the spring of a base link of a charm to see if it is | | | | The most common photo charms are those of |
| tight and secure. | | | | people and pets, but they can be used for other |
| Amongst the vast array of Italian Charms is the | | | | images including artwork, logos, and prints as well. |
| photo Italian charm. This is usually in the form of | | | | The beauty of these Italian photo charms is that |
| a bracelet. However, there are various models of | | | | they can be interchanged and so a priceless |
| this popular form of Italian Charm. Unlike the | | | | collection of personalized Italian charms can be |
| conventional picture charms, the new photo | | | | built up over the years. |
| charms are made by embedding a photo into the | | | | |