Charmed, I’m sure…
By La Petite AcadienneGreetings, my dears!
I hope that all is lovely and wonderful with each and every one of you.
Remember WAY back when, when I made mention of my mom’s charm bracelet, and how I didn’t want to tell her that I’d love to have it some day, for fear of appearing grasping?
I could kick myself right now.
She hocked it.
Don’t worry — she didn’t hock it because that was the only thing standing between her and a steady diet of ramen noodles. She simply figured that neither of us girls had ever shown any interest in it, and she hadn’t worn it in years and years, so why not be rid of it.
I could CRY. Seriously. She had charms on there from when my sister and I were born. She had a charm from when she graduated from nursing school. It was the ONE piece of jewelry of hers that I actually coveted.
So I’m a little bitter right now. But I’m also determined that I WILL have a charm bracelet, damn it. And if I can’t have my mom’s, I’ll just have to get my own.
One can always buy a pre-charmed (so to speak) charm bracelet, if you like the look, but don’t want the time, bother and expense of slowly filling up your bracelet with charms. This one from Lily Pulitzer is rather adorable, and it does still have room for charms if you want to add something more personal. Plus, it’s on sale:
I also think this one is really neat. The Feng Shui of the charms is supposed to increase the energy in your life. So it IS a little pricier than coffee, but it doesn’t have the diuretic effects…so it’s a toss-up, really. However the fact that it’s 77% off certainly sweetens the deal, no?
Or, you could do what I’m probably going to do, and get one that’s mostly blank, so that you can add on your own charms. I’m loving this David Yurman one. The fact that it’s silver AND gold makes it a lot more versatile with regards to what charms you pick for it, I’d say.
So what kind of charms would I put on there? Well, I’d want them to either have meaning, or be ones that I just think are delightful. This Eiffel Tower charm would be a must-buy, as it would remind me of the lovely 24 hours I once spent in Paris.
Of course, with charms, you can’t go wrong with Tiffany. They have got a broad selection of gorgeous things. How dinky is this oyster charm? It opens up, to reveal a pearl inside! Swoon!
I’ll also be getting some sort of charm that reminds me of my son. I’m not sure yet what to get though…but that’s half the fun, isn’t it?
If you had a charm bracelet, what charms would you want on it?
Bisous,
LPA
January 23rd, 2011 at 8:16 pm
I have a charm necklace that documents my vacations. I find that tiny silver charms make an easy to carry home souvenir that I never regret nor need to make room for. Well, never need to make room for if you discount the fact that I keep needing longer chains.
January 23rd, 2011 at 10:20 pm
That’s a fantastic idea, Melodie! I always love the idea of bringing something home when I travel, but am not really one for knick-knacks. I imagine you’ve found some very unique charms over the years.
January 24th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
I had a charm bracelet growing up, and my stepmother and I would collect charms for our bracelets together whenever we went on family vacations. They’re an excellent present for young girls, since charms are readily available and many are inexpensive enough to be attainable for a kid on an allowance.
I can’t say I’ve worn it since I was maybe 14–I’m not much of a bracelet person, they tend to get in the way–but I do still have it.
January 24th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Emily, that is how my necklace started out, as my childhood charm bracelet. I seldom wore it because I’m at a keyboard all day and it got in the way. Then one day I saw a long necklace with coins on it and had a lightbulb moment. I bought a long chain and transfered the charms over and started collecting once again. It’s noisy and you have to be prepared to have the occasional grabby person who just has to see something closer but I still love it. It’s uniquely mine and everything has a memory.
January 25th, 2011 at 11:41 pm
I have two charm bracelets, both silver. I grew up moving all around and lived in Europe during my school years. One bracelet is solely charms of all the countries I have been to, the Eiffel Tower being one of them, a flamenco dancer for Spain, a coach with spinning wheels for England as examples. The other one is charms for everything else, states I have been to, baby head charms for my kids, HS graduation, college graduation, etc. My grandmother started them for me as a young teen, and as far as souvenirs go, they are affordable, easy to store and don’t have to be dusted. I do not wear them to work, too jangly, but they are fun for social occasions and lead to some interesting conversations.
January 26th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
you have my complete sympathy on Mom’s bracelet. My mother had a 1940’s rose gold Longine’s watch that dad gave her before he went off to war. She sold it for (sob) $50.00 because she ‘didn’t think anyone wanted it’ and she had no idea how much it was worth. It’s just – gone
But I love your solution and I’m so stealing it. I was doing souvenier Christmas ornaments but unless I get a 20 foot tree, I’m pretty much at the end of that rope
January 26th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
I have a silver charm bracelet that began in junior high. When my parents gave it to me my mother told all the charms I added to it had to have some meaning to me. So it has a little stand mixer (from my visit to the Betty Crocker Kitchens of the World) and a Lake Superior stone on it, among other things.
At a conference I met a woman priest who was wearing a lovely necklace. In the middle of the chain was a charm of Noah’s ark and all along the chain were animal charms. I bought the chain, and some charms, but never got around to putting it together.
January 27th, 2011 at 5:59 am
No mention of Pandora charm bracelets?
January 27th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
I thought of mentioning them, Phyllis, but thought I’d focus on the more traditional, dangly charm bracelet. The Pandora-style bracelets ARE a great option though, for those who want to be able to personalize their jewelry but don’t like the jangly-dangly aspect of traditional charm bracelets.
January 27th, 2011 at 8:55 am
What’s a pandora charm bracelet?
First–I’d try and hunt that pawned bracelet down. Sometimes it is possible to find it. If it costs the earth, then that may take a little figuring–but if it was sold for gold scrap, then, no.
I lost a charm bracelet that I still mourn, and I lost it in the snow playing at recess, as a child in grade school. So perhaps I have issues with just letting go of these things. But I love charms. I’ve received so many over the years–acorns, semi-precious stones from Brazil, the old fashioned Italian stoplight, with ruby and emerald stones; tennis rackets, four leaf clovers, tiny whistles!, pinocchio, and high heeled pumps, among other things. I’ve also got a small collection of “cornicelli” that I’ve accumulated over the years. I don’t have the bracelet, so I’ve used all the charms as pendants, or inserted them on watches as decorations (I attach them onto the spring rod that holds the strap on to the actual watch).
But I can’t bring myself to buy that replacement charm bracelet (I’ve got a faux antique gold one that I bought from 1929 Jewellery company, many years ago–I love wearing it, and I don’t fear losing it).
January 30th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Too bad about your mother’s charm bracelet!! isn’t it always that way – if you step back about something, you can appear uninterested, instead of simply not looking grasping. sigh…
Out of the blue my aunt recently gave me a charm bracelet that had been my grandmother’s. I don’t remember her wearing it, but it had a charm for me and for my brother (her only grandchildren). My name is misspelled, but I can only imagine that she had that charm made right when I was born. It’s a lovely thing to have.
January 31st, 2011 at 3:16 pm
That IS lovely, larkspur.
And yes, it’s a fine line to walk — one doesn’t want to be putting nametags on the silverware, but by the same token, if the person doesn’t even know you like the item, it could wind up goodness-knows-where.
I think my strategy from now on, when it comes to anything that I hope will someday be passed on to me, is to express my admiration for it, early and often.
February 1st, 2011 at 4:27 pm
I have two silver charm bracelets, the older of which was started for me by my paternal grandmother. It has a Girl Scout charm, and an enamel map of California, among other childhood memories. When I started traveling for business, I bought a charm for myself, plus one for my niece and one for my goddaughter, everywhere I went. And I’ve got them for hobbies and interests, too. (Sewing scissors, cricket bat, hedgehog.)
When my Grandmother saw that I’d been adding to the bracelet (and started a second one), she bought a little hatchet-shaped charm for me, to help remember “the old battle-axe” (her words). She passed away ten years ago, but every time I put it on, she’s right there with me.
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:36 pm
If by “hocked it” you mean she pawned it, why not go to the pawn shop immediately and redeem it? It’s not the kind of thing that they’ll sell right away.
February 5th, 2011 at 9:57 am
@annie: That was actually my first thought, as I gasped out to her: “When did you do this?” Her response? “Oh, I don’t know — it has to be over a year ago, I’m guessing.”
She lives several hours away from me, and I’ve not been home since that conversation, but am planning to visit in February. I do plan on taking a quick peek in that store just on the off-chance that the bracelet is still there.
I’m not optimistic, however.