Articles brought to you by Gold & Silver Charm Jewelry

For thousands of years people have been using charms as amulets to ward off evil, or luck and prosperity. The use of charms on bracelets seems to have been started by the ancient Egyptians who used them as symbols of their faith and to carry with them to the afterlife so that the gods could identify them and give them their appropriate status.

annkh-silver-charmIn Rome the early Christians wore a charm shaped as a fish to identify themselves to each other and in the Dark Ages they were used for religious and political identification and to indicate the family of the bearer. In the Middle Ages knights wore them to protect them in battle and the general populace also wore charms. During the Renaissance the use of charms faded, particularly by the wealthier classes, as people became better educated and less superstitious. However the less educated, poorer classes continued to wear them as protection against evil and to bring them good luck.gold-charm-praying-hands

The wearing of charms and particularly charm bracelets was revived in the UK by Queen Victoria who wore a bracelet with lockets containing images of her family. This had a big impact on the wearing of charm bracelets by the general population who began to wear charms, not as amulets but as decorative items. Glass beads, family crests and lockets became the the fashion items of the day. After the end of World War 2 there was a huge explosion of charm wearing including soldiers bringing home trinkets and beads to their sweethearts from far flung places of the world. Craftsmen in the US picked up the trend and began to create charms and the wearing of charm bracelets has continued to flourish ever since.

dolphin-gold-charmToday a wide variety of charm bracelets, necklaces and earrings are available with bracelets being the most popular. Gold and silver are usually used although some people favor bracelets made from beads or pearls with precious metal charms. Bracelets vary in price from under $100 to many thousands of dollars so are available to suit everyones pocket. There are many kinds of religious charms depicting saints and a vast array depicting animals and objects including dolphins, rabbits, cupids, ballerina shoes etc. Some of the most popular are heart charms and angel charms.

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