When I was a little girl, I so wanted a charm bracelet! All my "aunties" had them and to me to own one would have been a sign of having grown up. By the time I did grow up, though, they had gone completely out of fashion, for my late teen years coincided with the era of Mary Quant, minimal accessories and certainly nothing fussy.
American readers will be familiar with these Italian charm bracelets, a modern take on traditional ones, for they were all the rage during my only visit to the USA in 2002. I don't know if they still are: they somehow never caught on in Britain. Anyway, that Christmas it was my American friend and her daughter who introduced me to them, starting me off with some links and initial, birthstone, USA symbol and doggie charms. I bought several more there, others during various visits to Italy but most via the internet . Liz will be pleased to know that I achieved a "coup" for Wales during the internet buying period, as the company I bought from most often stocked charms depicting every flag but the Welsh one, so I wrote to them and said , "How about it?" and next time I logged in, there it was! The idea of the bracelets, by the way, is "friendship " for as you take off blank links to add your new charms, you give them to friends so that they can start bracelets too.
I know the photo isn't good and it was terribly difficult to take but I hope you can just about see the charms, left to right, starting with the top bracelet: Eiffel Tower, London Bus, 2 charms forming Big Ben, Union Jack, Will Shakespeare, Welsh flag, a Simi dog, red lips [given to me by my American friend's daughter because I've always got my red lippie on], "Bad Hair Day" , USA symbol, Canadian flag [brought back from Canada by a friend - I like to think I'm wearing it for jmb now] , Czech Republic flag [because I spent a very happy month in Prague in 2003 doing my CELTA - Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults] "Proud Sicilian", bowl of pasta, Ponte Vecchio, Florence Duomo, Vatican City flag. Second bracelet: 1 blank link, little girl [for my American friend's daughter],"Ciao", Italian flag, Colisseum, palm tree [for Sicily],2 charms forming Tower of Pisa, chilli pepper, lemon, cherries, water melon [all symbolising Italian food], French flag, CND symbol, pile of books, doggie, amethyst [birthstone] P [my initial]. All these charms mean something to me and remind me of friends and / or places.
Yesterday I looked for a charm to replace my one blank link but they are not easy to find even here any more. However, a jeweller in Modica Bassa is going to try to get me my second initial. So, if I want to start another bracelet, it is back to the internet!
11 comments:
I've never had a charm bracelet...in childhood or in my second childhood...I'm pretty minimalist when it comes to jewellery.
I have two of those bracelets also. They can get quite spendy so I always looked for a sale. I bought some hand painted ones on eBay,the artwork was amazing but the paint eventually fades or gets rubbed off no matter how you try to protect them. They are not in fashion these days here in California. In 25 years they'll probably be all the rage so I'm saving mine for my granddaughter.
I never had a charm bracelet either. Actually I hate things hanging on my wrists or round my neck. I'm a ring and earrings person.
But I love these bracelets and you have a great collection there. I hope you can get something meaningful for your spare link.
regards
jmb
Ciao, Lee. I want a gold one! Pink, you're right - they get spendy and that's why I stopped looking for charms. That's a thought! - They'll come back into fashion one day!
Years ago I used to cllect flag related/polical lapel badges. I did have a Wales one.
The centrepieces of my collection where a Communist Party Youth one from the soviet union depicting Lenin, and a Bobby Sands memorial badge.
My ex accidently threw out the bag they were in.
They're still all the rage here. There are entire shops and stands and things devoted to selling them.
They're awfully cute... I don't own any, though.
Hi, jmb. Well, I think it's going to be an initial charm. We'll see. I like necklaces and earrings, too - and rings! Ciao, Crushed. What a pity! Those could have fetched a bit on ebay by now, apart from being a bit of history. I've still got some of my political campaign badges and they are displayed in one of those printer's trays that used to be fashionable. [Here no one has ever seen one so they think it's quite novel.] My "Free Nelson Mandela" badge takes pride of place, among wine corks and other stuff that means nothing to anyone but me.
Hi, Ruthie. I remember the stalls selling nothing else. Interesting to know they're still around!
Hi WL have found this site which is in london....hope its helpful.
http://www.chilliproducts.com/products/italian_charms.html
You can still find them here in the malls Welshcakes! I am a huge fan of the old fashion charm bracelet! Just love them and wear mine all the time!
M
Thanks, Anne. Me, too, M - I like dangly charms!
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