charmed LIFE the
By KRISTY STEVENSON
Taking a look back at the history of the charm bracelet, and its resurgence in today’s jewelry market.
any Southern belle will recognize the charm bracelet as a piece of decorative jewelry worn around the wrist that carries personal charms (i.e., decorative pendants, trinkets, or beads) that often signify important things in the owner’s life. The first recognizable charm bracelets and necklaces emerged during the age of Egyptian Pharaohs. and throughout history, variations of the bracelet can be found everywhere from the roman Empire to the middle ages to the renaissance era. The end of World War ii, however, marked the explosion of charmed jewelry as we know it today. Soldiers leaving Europe and islands in the Pacific purchased little handmade trinkets as gifts to bring home to their sweethearts. native craftsmen fashioned small bits of metal into tiny replicas of items common to the locale. Women loved the idea of a bracelet full of charms because of their sentimentality. Enterprising jewelers in the States quickly picked up on the trend to create charms for all occasions.
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4/19/10 4:36:06 PM