| The custom of wearing charm bracelets dates | | | | and the charm bracelet grows along with them, |
| back thousands of years, and though the | | | | reflecting hobbies and personal experience. A |
| materials and designs on them have changed, the | | | | charm bracelet can hold a small replica of a |
| concept itself has never gone out of style.This | | | | graduation cap, wedding bells, or lockets with |
| form of jewelry initially had a religous function, | | | | children's photos.Charms are also a popular gift |
| and dates back to the prehistoric era. According | | | | because of their affordable price. An intricate |
| to Elizabeth Florence, president of the Jewelry | | | | silver charm can be obtained for less than ten |
| Information Center, "The first charm bracelets | | | | dollars, though it is possible to spend hundreds of |
| were probably worn by the Assyrians, | | | | dollars on a charm made of 18K and set with |
| Babylonians, Persians and Hittites from 500 to 400 | | | | gems.Italian charms, a genre in and of |
| B.C. Those charms were made of lapis lazuli, rock | | | | themselves, do not dangle from a chain like |
| crystal and other gems and were inscribed with | | | | traditional charms. Instead, they are soldered onto |
| small designs, such as figures of gods, man and | | | | flat links which snap onto an extensible bracelet. |
| animals. They were immediately associated with | | | | They are embellished with letters, symbols, |
| special powers."As time passed, charms lost their | | | | pictures or stones, or have enamel pictures |
| protective spiritual functions and became fashion | | | | painted on them. Charms can be snapped on and |
| jewelry. The 1890's saw a renaissance of charms, | | | | off these modular bracelets to create new |
| especially in Victorian England, where elaborate and | | | | configurations to match different moods and |
| intricate jewelry was in vogue. Queen Victoria | | | | outfits. They are traditionally made of stainless |
| helped popularize the trend by wearing a charm | | | | steel or 18k gold. Italian charms are of the same |
| bracelet of small lockets holding family | | | | standard size and the resulting bracelet can be |
| portraits.WW II caused another revival of charm | | | | customized to fit every wrist; a small size holds |
| bracelets in America in the 1940's and 1950's, as | | | | 17 or less links, a medium 18, and a large 19 or |
| soldiers stationed abroad picked up charms as | | | | more.There are different companies which |
| souvenirs in the European cities they visited and | | | | produce Italian charms, but all brands can be |
| brought them home for wives and girlfriends. The | | | | interchanged on the same bracelet. The basic |
| fashion trend continued well into | | | | "starter" bracelet of blank links costs |
| peacetime.Charms still remain a popular jewelry | | | | approximately five dollars, and the charms cost |
| item, as personalized keepsakes in an increasingly | | | | fifteen dollars and up. China also manufactures |
| mass-produced jewelry market. Popular themes | | | | Italian charms, and while these are popular (and, |
| include horoscope signs, birthstone charms, travel | | | | as with most Chinese goods, very competitively |
| souvenirs, and family keepsakes. Many women | | | | priced), some consumers report occasional |
| start collecting charms when they are children, | | | | oddities such as reversed images and poor fit. |