The Hidden Meanings of European and American Charms
Starting at the inception of the 20th century and extending until the 1960s, it was a mark of the middle-class that young girls be given a charm bracelet before they reached puberty. At every holiday or anniversary, a new charm is added to the bracelet, often by the relative who had given the original bracelet.
The demand for charms is ancient; only the method of marketing them is relatively recent. Not all the charms on these bracelets were lucky emblems — equally common were hobby-related and school-related charms. In fact, the number of charms available, and the ordinariness of many of them — a telephone, a car, a cheerleader’s megaphone, a windmill — may have devalued the word “charm” in the English language, so that today it’s often misunderstood that if someone refers to “charms” when that person means “amulets.”
The French, in particular, had a list of charms called “Le Langage de Porte Bonheur” (“The Language of Good Luck Charms”) and included 10 charms that symbolized:
An elephant: “Felicite” (happiness)
A heart: “Amour” (love)
A four-leaf clover: “Bonheur” (luck)
A horsehoe magnet: “Argent” (silver — or money, due to the magnet’s “drawing” power)
A die, showing seven spots: “Veine” (games of chance; gambler’s luck)
The number 13: “Joie” (joy; the usual use of this number is as general luck or gambler’s luck)
A pig: “Prosperite” (prosperity)
A hamsa hand: “Richesse” (riches; this is not accurate — the hamsa hand protects against the evil eye
A horseshoe: “Fidelite” (fidelity; not entirely accurate — the usual meaning is attraction or “drawing”)
A pansy: “Souvenir” (remembrance;