Charms

To Charm Bracelets

Even in the Neolithic era, cavemen wore amulets on their wrists to attract higher powers or as amulets from evil spirits. Men wore the teeth and bones of the animals they killed to show strength and a warlike spirit and as a reminder of victories. All this, scientists consider the first types of charms. In 1952, the issue of the initial origin of charms was raised at the Jewelery Industrial Council: “Men wore roughly processed stones framed in gold as early as the Neolithic period” (Statesville [NC] Daily Record, October 22, 1952). Archaeologists have found charms everywhere for quite some time.

Charms in Ancient Civilizations

How jewelry made of precious metals and stones of charms appeared in the era of the Egyptian pharaohs. It was at this time that the first, recognizable charm bracelet appeared. In ancient Egypt , the Roman Empire, and many other civilizations, charms were worn to protect against evil spirits or for good luck.

Middle Ages

Knights wore charms, believing that they were able to defend in battle. Charm pendants were worn on belts, thereby showing their origin, political views or profession. The owners of the charms were also kings, members of the royal family and noble people.

XIX century. Victorian era

In many respects, the development of jewelry was influenced by the Gold Rush in 1849 and the discovery of the Comstock Valley silver deposit in 1859. It is believed that Queen Victoria had the greatest influence on the charm industry. In 1893, she was photographed with her charm bracelet, on which there were several pendants-portraits with images of her children, in particular - her third son Arthur, the Duke of Connautsky , presumably the portrait was made by the artist Ross. The main trend of Victorian fashion is charms in the shape of hearts with various types of engravings, enamels, bas-reliefs. Some charms were made with mechanisms, hearts opened with miniature keys.

The reign of King Edward VII (1901-1910)

In 1901, Edward VII became king of England. In his reign, sport develops and interest in him in British society. It was during this period of history that women began to actively participate in sports activities. After wearing tiara during a game of golf, it became commonplace, interest in a new direction of jewelry business appeared - sports. Betting, betting at tournaments developed an interest in a new kind of charms - porte bonheurs - “charms for luck”: horseshoes, pigs, beans (“luckybean”).

Charms during the Art Nouveau Period (1880-1914)

During the Art Nouveau period, many forms and styles developed, however, two directions were most popular. The first (until 1900) was a juicy, lush, vibrant flowers and soft lines. Designers often portrayed girls with long curly braids or Gibson -style hairstyles. The second direction, based in Germany, was called the "youth style" (from German. Jugendstil ). The basic concept of this style is stylized abstraction and linear design. All this is reflected in the charms. In general, during the Art Nouveau period, designers worked with silver, adding semiprecious stones to products.

Noisy 20th

The First World War undermined the economy of Europe. However, during the 1920s, Paris became a center of fashion and jewelry. Leading French jewelry workshops, such as Tiffany, Cartier, Boucheron, Van Cleve and Apple, have converted the charm bracelet into a fashion icon. European women of fashion wore bracelets fully hung with charms, often the number of charms reached 40 pieces on one bracelet. Asian-style charms gained wide popularity: silver and gold Buddha images, pagodas and rickshaws were made with the addition of semiprecious stones. Animal charms were also very popular. Charm bracelets in the form of a trio “dog-penguin-rabbit” were a hit of the 20s of the XX century. But the know-how of this time became spinners (from the English Spinner). They were disks framed in a frame, which at a certain angle showed an inscription or picture. Perhaps the most popular were spinners with the inscriptions ILOVEYOU and HAPPYBIRTHDAY.

Times of the Great Depression

The stock market crash of 1929 in the USA is called the beginning of the Great Depression . The general situation in the early 30s reduced the ability to buy jewelry, interest in charms was reduced. However, with the development of Hollywood and cinematography, the role of charm bracelets has increased. Hollywood in the mid-30s is a place of escapism, a place where people could forget about the difficulties of life. The Washington Post spoke of charms as "a solution to the problem of choosing day decorations." Actresses like Barbara Pepper and Verre Tisdale wore bracelets with dozens of charms. Preference was given to the style of the Victorian era : monograms, hearts, large chains, enamel.

World War II (1939-1945)

In the 40s, interest and need for charms jumped sharply. Particularly popular were charms made of silver with engraving. Family members and close friends gave charms to soldiers leaving for the front. Lovers exchanged charms with the words “Forget-me-not”. The military wore bracelets with their ID charm: a capsule with the inscription “My Identity”, engraved with the rank and personal number of the soldier.

Post-war time. 50s

In the 50s, charms reached the peak of their popularity. The development of technology - the advent of a TV and radio tape recorder, the development of attractions, the increase in the level of education - all this also influenced the development of the charm industry. Young people wore bracelets with charms-triangles - symbols of schools and colleges. When Kokichi Mikimoto came to the jewelry market, who introduced the fashion for cultured pearls, charms with pearls began to appear. A separate area of ​​the charm industry has become charms that have practical applications: miniature notebooks, watches, key rings.

The End of the 20th Century - Our Time

At the end of the 20th century, new directions for charm bracelets appear, for example, Italian charms that appeared at the end of the 20th century are not typical pendants, but links. They are attached one after another, with the help of special hooks. The assembled links form a bracelet. All kinds of drawings are applied to each link: from flags and letters to enamel drawings.

Many famous people collect charm bracelets. Perhaps the most famous person in recent history who wore charms is Princess Diana .

Princess Diana's Bracelet

On the first wedding anniversary in 1982, Charles gave Diana a koala charm bracelet to commemorate his trip to Australia . Then each year during the first ten years of their marriage, he added charms to the bracelet, for example, a miniature of St. Pauls Cathedral, where Diana and Charles were married. In 1982 and 1984, he gave her the golden letters W and H to mark the birth of his sons William and Harry. Pointe shoes - Diana once dreamed of becoming a ballerina, and a tennis racket, since tennis is a favorite sport, a little bear is her love for teddy bears. The apple shows Diana's love for Manhattan . However, the time came when new charms ceased to appear on the bracelet, which was immediately noted by secular society and journalists. Only after the birth of Prince Harry in 1984, Diana put on a charm bracelet, by then there were already charms with the initials of the names of her sons. Diana did not wear the bracelet in public, for her he was a reminder of the pleasant moments in her life.

Faberge Easter Eggs

A miniature Easter egg, the same as hundreds of others made by Faberge and other Russian jewelers. They were extremely popular as gifts, they were often collected and hung on one chain. One such chain could have several dozen such eggs ^[1] .

• John Buf Faberge.-M.: White City, 2005. ISBN 5-7793-0061-5
• Joanne Schwartz Charms and Charm Bracelets: The Complete Guide.-Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2005. ISBN 0-7643-2129-3