Charm Bracelets and Charms - a Brief History

For many centuries men and women have been carrying charms as talismans to protect them from evil or for good fortune and prosperity. Using charms on bracelets is thought to have begun in ancient Egypt where the people carried them as signs of their faith and to take with them to the afterlife so that the gods would name them and assign them their correct status.

The early Christians in Rome wore a charm fashioned as a fish to recognize one another. During the Dark Ages, charms were worn for political or religious recognition and to indicate the family of the bearer. Knights in the Middle Ages wore them to protect themselves in combat and the general populace also wore charms. Throughout the Renaissance their use faded, principally by the richer classes, as people became better educated and much less likely to believe in superstitions. Still the less well-read poorer classes still believed in charms as a defense against wickedness and to give them good luck.

Wearing charms was rejuvenated in Great Britain by Queen Victoria who wore a gold charm bracelet with lockets containing images of her family. This had a big affect on charm bracelet wearing by the people who started to wear them, not as talismans, but as ornamental objects. Lockets, family crests and beads became the fashion of the day. Following the end 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 places of the world. Jewelers in the States picked up the craze and started to produce charms and gold charm jewelry. Ever since wearing charm jewelry has continued to boom.

Nowadays a wide diversity of charm bracelets, earrings and pendants are offered with bracelets being the most fashionable. Gold and silver are ordinarily used though some people favor bracelets made from seed pearls or beads with gold or silver charms. Bracelets vary in cost from below $100 to more than $1000 and are therefore within everyone's finances. There are numerous kinds of religious charms representing saints and a vast selection of charms depicting animals and objects including rabbits, dolphins, cupids, hearts etc. One of the most well-liked are angel charms.