Wearing Charm Bracelets – a Short History
Since the time of the Pharaohs people have been wearing charms as amulets to ward off evil or for good fortune and prosperity. Using charms on bracelets seems to have begun in ancient Egypt where the people carried them as symbols of their devotion and to carry with them to the next world in order that their gods could recognize them and give them their appropriate status.
In Rome the early Christians wore a charm shaped in the form of a fish to identify themselves to each other. In the Dark Ages, charms were worn for political or religious recognition and to designate the lineage of the possessor. In the Middle Ages, knights carried them to shield themselves in combat and the general populace also wore charms. Through the Renaissance their use faded, mainly by the more affluent classes, as people became better educated and less inclined to believe in superstitions. However the less well-read poorer people still believed in charms as protection against wickedness and to give them good luck.
The wearing of charms was revitalized in Great Britain by Queen Victoria who wore a silver charm bracelet with lockets which contained pictures of her family. This had a great affect on the wearing of charm bracelets by the general population who began to wear them, not as amulets, but as decorative objects. Family crests and lockets became the craze of the day. After the end of World War 2 there was a massive upsurge of charm wearing as servicemen brought back charms and beads to their girlfriends from different countries of the world. Jewelers in America picked up the fashion and started to fashion charms and gold charm jewelry. Ever since the wearing of charm bracelets has continued to flourish.
Nowadays a widespread assortment of charm bracelets, necklaces and earrings are obtainable with bracelets being the most admired. The precious metals, silver and gold, are usually used although some people favor bracelets made from beads or seed pearls with gold or silver charms. Bracelets differ in cost from below $100 to many thousands of dollars so are within everyone's finances. There are a lot of types of religious charms portraying saints and a huge array of charms depicting objects and animals including hearts, cupids, crosses, dolphins etc. One of the most fashionable are angel charms.
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Tags: charm bracelets, charm jewelry, gold charm bracelets, gold charm jewelry, silver charm bracelets, silver charm jewelry. history of charms
