A Charmed Life

Jewelry

Jewelry

A Charmed Life

by Rosanna Mignacca While all jewelry evokes emotions and memories, jewelry lovers agree that charm bracelets are among the most sentimental pieces.

Like an intricate tapestry woven over time, these precious mementos display the multi-faceted history of the bracelet’s owner. Each charm is a specially selected symbol representing the loves and passions, milestones, and aspirations of the woman who wears it.

Something for everyone

The traditional charm bracelet is a link chain with dangling charms. From simple designs to elaborate jeweled pieces, often personalized with engravings, charms can cost from a few dollars to a few thousand.

The biggest names in couture have charms in their collections, while renowned jew­ elry designers carry a line of bracelets and charms. Even with gold and platinum bra­­ce­ lets and charms of precious gemstones, the investment can be manageable because you build your bracelet at your own pace, charm by charm.

Timeless and trendy

The attraction of a charm bracelet is timeless. From marvelous miniatures to semi-precious stones and glittering gems, a charm bracelet speaks volumes about the woman who wears one. It appeals to the collector, as it becomes an exquisite au­ tobiography of wearable art. For travelers,

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a charm bracelet is ideal for displaying where they have been as well as where they long to go. Because of its personal nature, it is also an heirloom in the making for many women. They see it as an invest­ ment collection, a piece that they will hand down to their daughters and grand­ daughters, a way to let loved ones know and cherish them long after they are gone. E

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Jewelry While ever popular today, the roman­ ce, magic, and mystery of charm bracelets go back further than you might imagine...

The history of charms can be traced back millions of years to the Stone Age, the time when our earliest ancestors first began to create and use tools. Archaeol­ ogists have uncovered primitive carvings shaped and worn for protection: every­ thing from saber tooth tigers to evil spirits.

Jewelry But it was the Victorian Age (18371901) that truly put the royal stamp of ap­ proval on charm bracelets. Queen Victoria’s fascination with charms and charm brace­ lets helped cement the charm bracelet’s place as a luxury fashion item. The Queen’s favorite charms were miniature lockets that held pictures of her royal family and even a lock of hair from Prince Albert.

She believed that wearing her charm bra­ce­ let with the lock of her beloved’s hair when they were apart would bring him safely back to her. This practice grew and

by World War II, charms had gained in popularity, as soldiers stationed in England would snip locks of their hair and place them in lockets to send back home to their loved ones. It was during this time that women also started to accessorize their charm bracelets as a means to ex­ press their interests, faith, and status, with charms that indicated their engagement and marriage.

Queen Victoria by Heinrich von Angeli

However, it was the Babylonians, around 700 B.C.E., who were the first re­ corded group to wear such amulets on bracelets.

About 300 B.C.E., the Egyptians be­ gan the use of recognizable charms as pure adornment to indicate one’s status and wealth, as well as to ward off mis­ fortune and increase fertility.

By the European Renaissance, charms as a means of protection and superstition began to fade with the Enlightenment.

But for nobility, these visual indications of one’s position in society remained im­ portant, with the use of gems growing in popularity.

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Celebrity charms

Celebrities have long had a love affair with charm bracelets. Oprah Winfrey is said to love them, Mariah Carey named one of her albums, Charmbracelet and make-up maven Trish McEvoy can be seen wearing her charm bracelet in pho­ tos and videos. Actress Keira Knightley has a charm bracelet, fashioned from her grandfather’s watch chain that contains charms that belonged to her grandmother, plus others she has added. A great be­ liever in luck, she credits it for helping her rise to fame.

Of course, the greatest celebrity charm bracelet wearer was the late Elizabeth Taylor, who had so many charms she needed several bracelets. When the jew­ elry of her estate went up for auction, one of the most famous pieces was her polished and textured circular-link charm bracelet with 20 assorted gold and multigem charms. It included both personal and professional charms, such as those bearing the names of Richard Burton, as well as her children and their birthdates, a gold director’s plate for The Taming of the Shrew and religious charms. The bid­ ding began, based on the auction house estimate of $25,000 to $35,000, but quick­ ly increased until the bracelet finally sold for $326,500.

Even Britain’s newest royal celebrity received, as a wedding gift from her stepmother-in-law Camilla, a gold charm bra­ celet with a classic round charm. On it was engraved her new monogram, a “C” topped with a crown to symbolize her transfor­ mation from Kate Middleton to Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge. E

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Jewelry Ever popular

Why the fascination with charm bra­ce­ lets, charms, and their meanings? A charm bracelet contains the hopes, his­ tory, and highlights of a woman’s life. It is the narrative she chooses to tell the world, as personal as her life story. In fact, when asking women why they wear and love their charm bracelets, the one common thread is that their bracelet is unique to them, or as one woman put it, “no one else has one exactly like it.”

Jewelry If the look of the traditional charm bracelet is not for you, today there is also a new twist for your wrist, a modern in­ terpretation that has become a hot fash­ ion piece for both the young and the young at heart. These new charm brace­ lets feature a stretch bracelet and flat, non-dangling links that act as charms.

Designed with meaning

While many charms are selected for their face value (a photographer may choose a camera, for example) charms can also be special messages displayed as symbols of the dreams and desires of the wearer: •A n angel or a cross: the wearer is seeking blessings or expressing gratitude.

•C ake: represents a wish for the good life.

•D ragonfly: a longing to attract or keep good fortune.

They can be interchanged and replaced.

And while you can get inexpensive flat link charms or pretty glass bead charms, there are also designers who offer collec­ tions using primary gemstones like dia­ monds, rubies, and emeralds. A popular choice is also pink or blue sapphires, with wearers choosing pink when they have a baby girl or blue for a boy. It all adds up to a story on your wrist!

A charm bracelet is a conversation piece, a treasure chest of memories, a le­ga­ cy of cherished jewelry. A woman who has worn a charm bracelet her whole life says, “...it represents so much about my life – my interests, my travels, my family... but most of all, my husband’s love. He has given me charms for my birthdays, our anniversaries, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and all the great trips we have taken to­ gether... one day I will be giving it to my granddaughter, so she can remember me.”

A charm bracelet is yours alone to de­ sign and hold dear. While on Aruba, visit one of the many wonderful jewelers to start or add to your bracelet with charms in gold, silver, platinum, even Murano glass.

As well as carrying charms from renowned brands, there are charms to preserve your island memories... a dazzling divi tree, the Aruban flag, even charms filled with sand from your favorite beach. K

•E lephant: a wish for a life filled with great memories.

•H igh-heeled shoes: the wearer embraces a glamourous and stylish life.

•O wl: the wearer seeks to live a life of wisdom.

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