Jun 07

Charm Bracelets and Charms - a Brief History

For thousands of years men, women and even children have been carrying charms as amulets to keep them safe from evil or for good luck and riches. The use of charms on bracelets appears to have been started by the ancient Egyptians who carried them as symbols of their faith and to carry with them to the afterlife so that the gods would name them and give them their appropriate rank.

During the early days of Christianity men and women wore a charm shaped in the form of a fish to recognize one another. In the Dark Ages, charms were used for religious and political recognition and to designate the family of the bearer. Knights in the Middle Ages carried them to safeguard themselves in combat and the general populace also carried charms. During the Renaissance their use declined, particularly by the richer classes, as people became better educated and much less prone to be superstitious. However the less well-read poorer classes carried on wearing charms as protection against evil and to give them luck.

The wearing of charms was rejuvenated in the UK by Queen Victoria who wore a silver charm bracelet with lockets which contained images of her close family. This had an immense affect on charm bracelet wearing by the general population who started to wear them, not as talismans, but as decorative objects. Lockets and family crests became the rage of the day. Subsequent to the finish of World War 2 there was a massive upsurge of charm wearing as soldiers brought home ornaments and beads to their fiancees from far flung regions of the world. Designers in America continued the craze and began to make charms and silver charm jewelry. Ever since wearing charms and charm bracelets has continued to flourish.

Today a widespread range of charm bracelets, earrings and pendants are available with bracelets being the most well-liked. The precious metals, gold and silver are ordinarily used though some people choose bracelets made from seed pearls or beads with precious metal charms. Bracelets differ in price from below $100 to more than $1000 and are therefore within everyone’s resources. There are scores of types of religious charms representing saints and a substantial selection of charms depicting animals and objects including hearts, cupids, crosses, dolphins etc. One of the most well-liked are angel charms.

Share and Enjoy:

Ads By CbproAds