| Beginning in the early years of the 20th century | | | | encountered the pansy as a lucky charm |
| and extending until around 1960, it was a mark of | | | | elsewhere; it belongs more properly to the |
| middle-class properity that young girls be given a | | | | "language of flowers" than the "language of good |
| charm bracelet before they reached puberty and | | | | luck charms") |
| that at every holiday or anniversay, a new charm | | | | The 20th century American charm bracelet at left |
| be added to the assemblage, often by the doting | | | | features a variety of lucky charms in a bright mix |
| relative who had supplied the original bracelet. One | | | | of brass, copper, sterling silver, and gold-plated |
| suspects that jewelers were behind the craze, | | | | metal. |
| but in fact, the demand for charms is ancient; | | | | This bracelet is typical of the kind of jewelry |
| only this method of marketing them is relatively | | | | worn by adolescent girls in the 1950s and 1960s, |
| recent. Not all the charms on these bracelets | | | | collected charm by charm while travelling through |
| were lucky emblems -- equally common were | | | | the tourist traps, flea markets, jewelry stores, |
| hobby-related and school-related charms. In fact, | | | | and yard sales of the heartland. It is, in fact, my |
| the multiplicity of charms available, and the | | | | very own charm bracelet! There are 13 charms |
| mundanity of many of them -- a telephone, a car, | | | | on it, demonstating the use of "unlucky" 13 as |
| a cheerleader's megaphone, a windmill -- served | | | | reversed bad luck. Clockwise from the top, they |
| to devalue the word "charm" in the English | | | | are: |
| language, so that today one may be | | | | a silver heart engraved with initials: love for the |
| misunderstood if one refers to "charms" when | | | | named individual |
| one means "amulets." | | | | a brass heart pierced by an arrow: smitten |
| The picture here is an undated French postcard | | | | romantic love |
| that was mailed in 1921. Printed in sepia tone, with | | | | a silver horseshoe: attraction or "drawing" luck |
| modest touches of colour, it is a photo of 10 | | | | a gold wishbone set with a pearl: wishes come |
| good luck charms of the type then popular in | | | | true |
| Europe and America. | | | | a silver horseshoe on which is placed a wishbone, |
| The legend reads "Le Langage de Porte Bonheur" | | | | a four-leaf clover, a horseshoe and the words |
| ("The Language of Good Luck Charms") and the | | | | "Good Luck": good luck |
| 10 charms are labelled with their meanings -- | | | | a gold and green enamelled four-leaf clover: luck |
| which, i feel compelled to note, do not accord in | | | | a silver money bag with a $ sign: wealth |
| every case with their usual symbolism. | | | | a copper horseshoe on which is placed a four-leaf |
| The charms are: | | | | clover: good luck |
| an elephant: "Felicite" (happiness) | | | | a brass heart padlock: faithful love |
| a heart: "Amour" (love) | | | | a silver spread of playing cards: gambling luck |
| a four-leaf clover: "Bonheur" (luck) | | | | a gold double horseshoe set with an artificial |
| a horsehoe magnet: "Argent" (silver -- or money, | | | | diamond: money luck |
| due to the magnet's "drawing" power) | | | | a brass money bag marked 1000: wealth |
| a die, showing seven spots: "Veine" (games of | | | | a silver horseshoe: attraction or "drawing" luck |
| chance; gambler's luck) | | | | Other popular 20th century charms not depicted |
| the number 13: "Joie" (joy; the usual use of this | | | | on this page but often found on European and |
| number is as general luck or gambler's luck) | | | | American charm bracelets include: |
| a pig: "Prosperite" (prosperity) | | | | a swastika: luck (pre-Hitlerian, of course) |
| a hamsa hand: "Richesse" (riches; this is not | | | | twin hearts pierced by a single arrow: reciprocated |
| accurate -- the hamsa hand protects against the | | | | love |
| evil eye; this one is unusual in that in place of the | | | | an Amanita muscaria mushroom: luck |
| bilaterally symmetrical filigree design of an Arab | | | | a chimney sweep or his ladder and brush: luck |
| "hand of Fatima" or an eye in the palm (which | | | | a so-called "Lucky Buddha": luck |
| would make it an eye-in-hand amulet), it has a | | | | a black cat: gambling luck |
| little arabesque curlique in the palm which is not | | | | Unrelated to European and American charm |
| visible on this scan (and barely visible on the | | | | bracelets -- but probably made to meet |
| original) | | | | Occidental rather than Oriental tastes -- are the |
| a horseshoe: "Fidelite" (fidelity; not entrely | | | | so-called Chinese charm bracelets made with glass |
| accurate -- the usual meaning is attraction or | | | | beads, jade carvings, and metal amulets strung on |
| "drawing") | | | | black cord and tied around the wrist. |
| a pansy: "Souvenir" (remembrance; i have not | | | | |