I inherited my grandmothers charm bracelet about 15 years ago. That started my fascination with charm bracelets. My grandmother's had gold charms that included her zodiac sign (aquarius), her church (Good Shepherd in Corpus Christi, TX), an Eiffel tower that my dad had bought for her in Paris in the early 1960's, a bull, bale of hay, St. Christopher, and The Nativity Scene.
The neat thing about these bracelets are that they tell a short history of someone's life: when they were born, where they traveled, if they had kids, their hobbies, where they lived, etc..... I incorporated charms that were personal to me, for whatever reason. I added: a 19th c. real four leaf clover in glass, an Irish clover, a horseshoe for good luck, a palm tree from my sons, 3 mad money's (this was very popular in the fifties), my great-great-grandmother's engraved wedding ring, a beer stein (to celebrate my German heritage), A Tiffany & Co. Christmas tree that my mom & dad gave me as a birthday present, an oil derrick (tribute to family), a bar with a (moving) bartender, a cable car from San Francisco that was bought on a trip with my husband, a fleur-de-lis bought in New Orleans on another trip with my husband, and a charm with my two son's names engraved under the heading: Two Reasons For Happiness.
When I see another person wearing their bracelet, I am always the one that keeps them captive for 20 minutes while I look through each one and ask them who gave it to them, what it means, etc... There's always a story with each one. That's what makes these so fun. Talk about a conversation starter!
The round charm in the center is the four-leafed clover that is over 125 years old. The cable car to it's right is fun, because the driver moves back and forth. I never found out why my grandmother had the bale of hay.
My own bracelet is now very heavy AND VERY LOUD. You can hear me coming from miles away when I wear it because of it's powerful jingling. But I love it. If I could only rescue 5 objects from a burning house, this would be one of them.
MORE GREAT CHARMS:
A newer Four Leafed Clover, from C.H.A.R.M.
1960's Charm necklace from Connoisseur Antiques/1st Dibs
Elizabeth Locke gold and coins, 2006-2007 Collection
18th & 19th Century Italian micro-mosaics, set in gold.
From: The Charm of Charms by Jade Albert & Ki Hackney, Abrams NY
