How Charming — Why Charms and Charm Bracelets?
Traditionally, there are several times in a woman’s life when she can receive a charm bracelet; once as a young girl and once for her marriage.
In the past, when a woman married, she was given a charm bracelet to celebrate her future. A charm bracelet with wedding bells or a marriage certificate was later filled with charms representing the honeymoon, anniversaries and the birth of her children. This bracelet was frequently referred to as a “Lifetime” bracelet, growing over the years to one day be passed onto her daughter, so she could continue the tradition of charm collecting from generation to generation.
Charm bracelets were passed on from mother to daughter, either as a new gift or as a family heirloom. The daughter then added her own charms to the bracelet, including ones that represented her favorite hobbies, interests and beliefs. As the daughter matured, so did her charm bracelet, increasing not only the number of charms, but also in sentimental value.
To a woman who lived during the 1930s, 40s and 50s, charms, usually worn in multiples on a link bracelet, were of great personal significance. A charm bracelet became a chronicle of a woman’s life; a time capsule that represented her loves, her interests, her travels, and her experiences. These sentimental, yet precious objects told her story, and preserved it for generations to come.
A woman most probably received her first charm as a young girl; perhaps a ballerina or a flower. In her teenage years, she may have received the additions of a love token from a sweetheart, a souvenir from a school trip, a jeweled mortarboard for graduation. Charms commemorating her engagement, wedding, first home, children–all