History Of Charm Bracelets
In all actuality, the tradition of wearing these charm bracelets dates all the way back to thousands of years ago, and even though the designs and the materials on the charm bracelets have changed, the overall concept has never really ever went out of style. Charm bracelets had a religious function initially, and it dates all the way back to what was known as the prehistoric era.
Based on information that was provided by Elizabeth Florence, who is the president at the Jewelry Information Center, the very first charm bracelets were most likely worn by Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, and Persians from five hundred to four hundred B.C. All of those charms were created from rock crystal, lapis lazuli, and several other gems and they were inscribed with some relatively small designs, like figures of man, gods, and animals. These charms were associated immediately with some sort of special powers.
As time went by, the charms lost all of their protective functions spiritually and evolved into fashion jewelry. The eighteen nineties saw a renaissance of charms, particularly within Victorian England, which is where intricate and elaborate jewelry was in vogue. It was Queen Victoria that helped to popularize this trend by wearing the charm bracelet that consisted of small lockets that contained family portraits.
Within America, during the nineteen forties and the nineteen fifties, WWII caused yet another revival of charm bracelets, as the soldiers that were stationed abroad were able to pick up charms within each of the European cities that they visited and then brought them home for their girlfriends and wives to be used as souvenirs. This fashion trend managed to continue on into peacetime.
The charms still manage to remain a very popular piece of jewelry, within the jewelry market that is increasingly mass-produced as personalized keepsakes. The popular themes included birthstone charms, horoscope signs, family keepsakes, and travel souvenirs. Most women started collecting charms whenever they were children, and the charm bracelet has just grown right along with them, reflecting their personal experiences and hobbies.
A charm bracelet may hold a very small replica of wedding bells, a graduation cap, or lockets that include children's photos. Another reason that charms are so popular is because of their affordable price. You may obtain an intricate charm made of silver for a small price of less than ten dollars, even though it is possible to spend a couple hundred dollars on a charm that is created from eighteen karat gold and set with different types of gems.
The Italian charms, a genre of and in themselves, don't dangle from the chain like the traditional charms. Instead, the Italian charms are soldered onto extremely flat links that snap onto charm bracelets that are extensible. These bracelets are embellished with symbols, letters, stones, or pictures or either they have some enamel pictures painted upon them.
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