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Italian charms
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HISTORY:
Prehistoric man used unique rocks and pieces of wood to ward off
enemies during the Neolithic Era. Elaborate jewelry made of precious
stones and metals emerged during the age of the Egyptian Pharaohs. It
was during this time that the first recognizable charm bracelets and
necklaces first appeared, and were usually engraved with images of
man, animals, or religious symbols and conveyed a spiritual message.
Like people of many ancient civilizations, citizens of ancient Egypt
lived very short lives by today's standard - 30 to 40 years on
average. So, they obsessively prepared for a prosperous life after
death. Charm bracelets played a significant role in the preparation
process. Charm wrist and neck bracelets were not only coveted as
protective shields and signs of status in this life, they were also
worn as identification tags to help the Gods guide the wearer and
his/her possessions to the proper status level in the afterlife.
During the Roman Empire Christians would pull the "ichthys" (fish)
charm from underneath their garments to identify themselves to other
Christians to gain entry into secret, forbidden worship activities.
The Jewish scholar of that same time would write passages from Jewish
law on tiny slips of parchment and carefully insert the slips into a
small, golden amulet that was worn around his neck. This of act
reverence and piety was meant to keep the law close to the heart.
Fast forward to the dark days of the Middle Ages, and we find that
charms and amulets were put to use by knights and kings. They were
most often used with incantations to wreak havoc on the occupants of
enemy castles and protect warriors in battle. Charms were also worn
on belts to represent family origin, political standing and
profession.
General wearing of charms began to lose favor with the wealthy
classes during the Renaissance as mass produced books emerged and
superstitions faded. However, charms and amulets were still widely
used by people of lesser means and education. The role of the charm
remained relatively unchanged until the early 1900s.
In the early 20th century, the bracelets of Queen Victoria ignited
the next big wave of charm wearing. It was at this stage that charms
had a dramatic change of purpose. They went from being practical
tools to becoming decorative fashion jewelry. Small lockets, glass
beads and family crests that hung on bracelets and necklaces were all
the rage.
The end of WWII saw the explosion of
charm jewelry as we know it
today. Soldiers leaving Europe and islands in the Pacific purchased
little handmade trinkets as gifts to bring home to their sweethearts.
Native craftsmen fashioned small bits of metal into little replicas
of items common to the locale. Enterprising jewelers in the States
quickly picked up on the trend to create charms for all occasions.
By the 1950s, the charm bracelet was a must-have accessory for girls
and women. Major rites of passage - 16th birthdays, graduations,
weddings, travel and the arrival of children - were all recorded on
the links of their bracelets. Today some of these vintage bracelets
sell for two to three thousand dollars at auction.
The charm bracelet began to disappear from the fashion scene during
the early 1970s. Disco was in and bare gold chains became the new
status symbol. But in the mid-1980s charm bracelets reappeared.
New-money heirs uninterested in the old baubles of their dead
relatives were liquidating huge estates. Charms that had been out of
circulation for decades were showing up in antique stores and flea
markets. Savvy buyers snapped them up at cheap prices.
The boom in collectibles in the 1990s drove a huge demand for vintage
charms and charm bracelets. A gold charm costing $10 in 1950 easily
commanded $70 to $80. Vintage mechanical charms (charms with moving
parts) often sold for over $100 and were highly prized by serious
collectors. Even with the advent of massive buying and selling arenas
like eBay, prices for vintage gold charms remain strong and show no
sign of decline in the new century.
As the year 2001 opened, the fashion industry once again discovered
the lure of the charm bracelet, flooding the market with new charm
styles in all price ranges. Fashion giants like Louis Vuitton have
brought the glamour back to charm bracelets, declaring them the
must-have accessory for any occasion. And if the past is any
indication, charm bracelets will be in style for quite sometime |
