Everyone knows that, when it comes to gifts, there are three types of guys: the guy who’s really sweet, tries hard, and generally manages to get it right; the guy who’s really sweet, tried hard, and still fouls things up pretty often (but he’s cute and sweet so you try to forgive him); and the guy who just doesn’t try very hard at all, so you’re pretty excited when he gets you something more interesting than a toaster.

As chance would have it, most guys seem to be most like guy number 2—he tries to catch your hints, and he always puts a lot of thought and heart into your gifts, but a lot of times, he just misses one or two details that happen to be, well…CRUCIAL! But we all love him anyway.

Like any girl, you really, really want him to get you something good for Valentine’s day, if only because you can’t stand the hangdog look he gets when he sees that you don’t like his Valentine’s gift. So here’s a hint—online wish lists are your friend.

I know, I know, how much thought could a guy really have put into a gift if you’ve already told him what to get you? But, if the alternative is “Hangdog Harry” for two weeks after Valentine’s, it may be worth the compromise. I mean, after all, he at least needed to think about which items on your wish list he thought would mean the most to you. And, of course, while he’s looking at the things in your wish list, he may find other things that you would like too—so even guy number 1 (the guy who always knows just the right gift) can be helped by a wish list.

As you know, my favorite jewelry store is Pugster, and I think their wish list is pretty cool. You just click on the “Add to Wish” list button in the product description, and when you’re done you can email to whoever you want. To demonstrate, let me show you what’s on my Pugster Wish List for Prince Charming this year:
A couple of months ago, I started my first European beads bracelet, and boy, am I addicted! They’re just so cute! And they’re so easy to slip on and off and rearrange. And they’re good for, literally, any occasion. I can wear them to dinner with grandma, or to a dinner party, or anywhere, and people are always commenting on my bracelet.

I love how this charm bead sparkles, with its Austrian crystals.

Again, I love how this little red heart is surrounded by sparkling crystals. And a little bit of color is always welcome.

I like my earrings dangly, and these pink heart-shaped Murano glass earrings are just gorgeous. And the thing I love about Murano glass is that it’s so versatile—it can be dressy or casual, and it looks great either way.

If Prince Charming is really feeling nice this year, this is what he’ll get me! I love how delicate this pendant looks hanging from its shiny white sheer ribbon. And it’s perfect for the spaghetti strap dress I want to wear out on Valentines.

More Murano glass earrings—actually, I think these would be great for wearing to work, or out to lunch with a friend. Casual and fun.

Sterling silver is great for Valentine’s Day, and I love how this cute heart outline kind of hangs at an angle. And while CZ is no diamond, it looks just as good when your man doesn’t quite make the big bucks yet.

This ring is sooooo cute! I love how feminine it looks with the dangling heart charm. I think I’m going to get this for one of my best girlfriends (we’ve been friends since preschool), but I’ll be jealous if I don’t get one too.

I met a friend of mine for coffee last weekend, and she was wearing this incredibly cute clasp charm bracelet, with all kinds of cute little charms, so I’ve been thinking about starting a bracelet myself.

As you know, I love Italian charms, and these deluxe charms are a really fun way to make a classier Italian charm bracelet.

I know it’s kitschy, but something about Valentine’s Day brings out the third-grader in me. Remember making “Be Mine” cards out of construction paper? I sure do, but Italian charms are easier.

What else needs to be said? Well, besides “I love it!”

Italian Charm Bracelet

Every year it’s the same drill: the Christmas decorations go up ever closer to the Halloween decorations just barely coming down!

The next thing you know, it’s Thanksgiving.

Then it’s the time for good cheer, for gathering our family and friends together and for celebrating the many joys of the season.

That’s when the morning paper weighs a ton because of all the sale circulars for the mother of all shopping days, Black Friday.

Sure, there are good deals to be had, but oftentimes getting to those deals requires dragging yourself out of bed at oh-dark-thirty so you can join the rush for the much-desired loss leader at your local retailer when it opens before the birds even start chirping.

Of course, the Internet has changed all that. It’s now quite possible (and even feasible) to make it through your entire shopping list without leaving the comfort of your warm, toasty home. You can even find some excellent deals that way.

But there’s still one problem with this comfy scenario: what do you get for that person who seems to have everything? What do you buy, other than clothes, for that person who is into fashion? What do you get for someone that really loves something personal? All these, and more, are where Italian Charms come in quite perfectly.

Italian Charms make great gifts for moms, dads, friends, and more. There are literally thousands and thousands of designs to choose from – and with many priced under $10, you’re sure to find something to fit your budget (OR, you can afford to get a few!)

As far as styles, you can select one designed for the person that collects a particular theme, like elephants, cats, angels and many more. Even better yet, you can get a Custom Laser Italian Charm or a Custom Photo Italian Charm!

These custom Italian charms allow you to choose your own name, phrase, or picture and have it placed on an Italian Charm – what better way to give a fun, fashionable, and most importantly, a thoughtful gift!

Italian Charms?

Ok, here’s the “brief” in case you’re new to the Italian Charm craze. Charms and keepsakes have been around for thousands of years, but it was not until the 20th century that charms became decorative fashion jewelry.

In 2001, fashion industries made it popular once again to wear charm bracelets. Since then a huge flood of styles and brands have entered America and most all of them have been accepted with open arms. Walk thru a crowd of people and you are almost sure to see a few bracelets, most of which have precious memories captured inside.

While traditional charms dangle, Italian charms feature individual pieces soldered flat onto the surface of a charm link. These flat, modular pieces form an Italian charm bracelet when they are hooked together.

Here’s the best part: since Italian charms have standardized sizing, they are compatible across brands!!

Building a Bracelet

The standard sized Italian charm is 9mm, which is measured diagonally across the piece. However, Italian charms are also available in small (5mm), large (13mm) and mega (18mm) sizes. Usually it takes around 16-18 charms to build a full bracelet.

When looking into purchasing Italian charms, you will come across the term starter bracelet. You will need to begin with a starter bracelet, which consists of eighteen blank links. In order to create a personalized Italian charm bracelet, these blank links are replaced, one by one, with selected designs of Italian charms.

The best bet is to replace around 3-5 of the blank links with Italian Charms – this will make a nice-looking Italian Charm Bracelet. Or, just start with 1 or 2 as a gift, and you’ve given someone a new collectible hobby!

Getting Started – Choose a Theme!

Italian charm collecting is similar to creating a wardrobe that is thoughtfully put together to reflect your personality and taste. Before you begin purchasing individual charms it is a good to decide on how the pieces will work together. You will want to choose a theme for your bracelet. This theme could be anything – a list of family names, pictures from a vacation, animals, hobbies, or anything that you think fits!

You may want to focus on one color or even color combination. With so many choices available in charms, you can get as specific as you’d like with your theme. Another idea is to make a keepsake bracelet that tells your life story. With this kind of a theme, your charms can be selected or even custom made to commemorate achievements, and various aspects of your personality and life.

Where to Buy?

Purchasing Italian charms on eBay is exciting because there are thousands from which to choose. Often times you’ll find quick-selling auctions that start as low at $0.99, at the same time, finding some of the most beautiful and high-end Italian Charms on the market.

And with that, Happy Holidays and Happy Charm Shopping!

Getting Creative with Italian Charms

Buying birthday gifts is tough! We want to give the perfect gift. Sometimes we just don’t know what to buy. This is what I faced this year as my long-time friend Amy’s birthday approached. What to get her? What to get her!

Amy’s favorite thing in the world is her little pug, Fluffy. She loves that dog! She also loves Italian charms. I thought to make her a Fluffy-themed Italian charms bracelet with custom and pre-designed Italian charms. As I was choosing Italian charms for Amy’s bracelet though, I had an Italian charms epiphany: Amy would love an Italian charms collar for Fluffy!

I picked Italian charms with doggies, ordered Italian charms with Amy’s pictures, Italian charms with Fluffy’s pictures, Italian charms with Amy and Fluffy together. I also bought standard Italian charms to fit the doggy theme. The collar was packed with photo Italian charms, laser Italian charms and painted Italian charms. It was beautiful! It was a blast!

By the time I put the Italian charms collar together I was really excited. The Italian charms looked great! What’s better, Amy loved Fluffy’s Italian charms collar and Fluffy did too. She said it was the perfect gift! Ooh the things you can do with Italian charms: the possibilities are endless!

In a perfect world life would be easy. We’d all get along and there wouldn’t be fighting. Yes, I’m being a little more serious than my normal column about fashion, jewelry, and celebrities. But…it’s around this time of year that I always think a little extra about my uncle and friend, David, who passed away in 1991.

Our family has always been pretty tight-knit – and Jenny (my aunt) and David, being only about 12 years older than me were more like close friends and mentors than your standard aunt and uncle. They dated forever and got married at the ripe-old age of 18, and were always smiling and laughing together. I remember learning all kind of things from both of them. Jen taking me showing me the “right” way to put on my lipstick. David calling that bad 6th grade “boyfriend” a jerk and making me feel better. Just all-around good memories.

Well, the “big D” (as his buddies used to call him) joined the Army right out of high-school and always told me just amazing stories. He got injured pretty bad in the first Gulf War, and…he was sent home. Seemed like he was going to recover, but things got pretty rough in the next few months. I was still pretty young (don’t want to totally give away my age!), and unfortunately, he passed away on November 11, 1991 – coincidentally enough, on Veteran’s day.

Yes, a sad story, but the years have passed, and Jen and I and the rest of our immediate family always spend Veteran’s Day together. We exchange little gifts, share some quiet times, a couple of tears and a bunch of laughs together. I like to give her a little gift every year…nothing too extravagant. Sometimes a little trinket, a charm, an Army pin. Something she can wear with pride.

The best part, is that on the 11th every year, she wears the gift I gave her the year before. So this year, she’ll be sporting a US Army watch I found at a surplus store last year. But, I think I’m running out of ideas!

I’m hoping some of you out there will give me some input. I’ve been thinking of maybe a little locket with an old picture, or even an Italian Charm bracelet that I can get customized with names and photos, or ….who knows?

So, please don’t hesitate to post a comment below with your ideas or stories. I was thinking about some kind of jewelry - I know someone out there has the perfect idea. (not too pricey, too!)

–MaryBeth

Jewelry which is termed ‘vintage’ includes many decades or eras. Each era has many different designs. These eras include Georgian, Early Victorian, Mid-Victorian, Late Victorian, Arts and Crafts era, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco and Retro.

Georgian Jewelry (1714-1837)
Georgian jewelry is handmade, making the quality of each piece variable. Needless to say, Georgian jewelry is very rare. Often featuring nature-inspired designs such as leaves and birds, Georgian jewelry frequently includes precious stones.

Early Victorian, Romantic Jewelry (1837-1850)
Like jewelry of the Georgian era, early Victorian jewelry features nature-inspired designs. Frequently, these designs would be delicately and intricately etched into gold. Lockets and brooches were popular everyday jewelry during the early Victorian era whereas colored gemstones and diamonds were worn during the evening.

Mid-Victorian, Grand Jewelry (1860-1880)
Because the Grand or Mid-Victorian era corresponded with the death of Queen Victoria’s husband, many jewelry pieces have solemn, grave designs. Known as mourning jewelry, the pieces feature heavy, dark stones. Jet, onyx, amethyst, and garnet are frequently found in jewelry from this period. The jewelry also became especially creative during this period. More colorful designs were born featuring shells, mosaics and colorful gemstones.

Late Victorian, Aesthetic Jewelry (1885-1900)
During the Late Victorian or Aesthetic period, jewelers used diamonds and feminine, bright gemstones such as sapphire, peridot, and spinel. Star and crescent designs as well as elaborate hat pins were also popular.

Arts and Crafts Jewelry (1894-1923)
Due to the Industrial Revolution, many jewelry designers rebelled during the Arts and Crafts era, returning to intricate jewelry designs and handmade craftsmanship. It was common for jewelry of this era to be simple in pattern, made of colorful, uncut stones.

Art Nouveau Jewelry (1895-1915)
Designed by Rene Jules Lalique in France and other jewelers in America, Art Nouveau jewelry features natural designs such as flowers and butterflies.

Edwardian Jewelry (1901-1910)
The Edwardian era was born when Queen Victoria died and her son Edward became king. During this period, expensive gemstones such as diamonds, emeralds and rubies and elaborate designs were the fashion.

Art Deco Jewelry (1920-1935)
Influenced by African, Egyptian and Japanese themes, Art Deco jewelry is famous for its geometric designs, sharp lines, and bright colors. Bakelite, celluloid, enamel and doublets were used frequently during this era. Necklaces were long and bracelets were worn many at a time. Amber, Venetian and glass beads, and amber were worn as well as chokers.

Retro Jewelry (1940s)
Inspired by Hollywood, Retro jewelry is colorful, bold and elaborate. Commonly worn were large cocktail rings, bracelets, watches, necklaces and charm bracelets.

Whatever vintage jewelry you choose, whatever era you prefer. Vintage jewelry is a great way to spice up your style and get creative!

On September 5, 2006 Pugster Inc. was featured on the front page of the Pasadena Star News. Co-Owners Vanessa Lee and Wen Chang were interviewed for the piece.

Specializing in Italian charms and Murano glass jewelry, Pugster also carries a full line of trendy fashion jewelry, including brooches, rings, pendants, watches, earrings, bracelets, and more. Pugster is consistently ahead of the trend, providing what’s hot now to fashion jewelry lovers nationwide.

Lee began selling Italian Charms online in 2000. They were a hit. In 2002, Pugster was officially founded. The company became so successful that Chang quit his job to work Pugster as well. Business has thrived. With over 10,000 Italian charms to choose from Pugster now has obtained contracts with corporations including Pepsi-Cola and Disney. Pugster even offers it’s own, one of a kind charms.

Pugster (eBay ID: pugster888) continuously ranks as the number recipient of positive feedback on eBay with over 1.2 Million positive reviews since June 2004, according to Novato Technology.

For more information about Pugster Inc., visit http://www.pugster.com/.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/entertainment/ci_4290562

Once you get comfortable with assembling an Italian charm bracelet, the process is quick and simple.  To begin, you may want to use a tool to hold the links open while adding an Italian charm to your Italian charm bracelet. Tools designed for Italian charm bracelets are available, but a nail file or another strong, small tool will also work well.

Begin with either a starter Italian charm bracelet or a partially assembled Italian charm bracelet. The Italian charms are attached to a loop on the back of the Italian charm bracelet. In order to add the Italian charm, you need to expand the Italian charm bracelet links outward, pressing down with your thumb to keep it in place.

First, hold the Italian charm bracelet in the palm of your hand leaving your index finger and thumb free. Grasp the opposite end of the Italian charm bracelet with the other hand and pull to stretch the links. The links will not break! This exposes the hooks to which the charms are attached.

Press down firmly on the Italian charm bracelet with your left hand to hold the links open. For a first time starter Italian charm bracelet you’ll begin at the last link on the right side. The link opening is on each Italian charms left side. Slide the Italian charm onto the end of the Italian charm bracelet while holding the link open.

Italian Charm Bracelet: Removing Links

To remove links, hold the Italian charm bracelet in your left hand. Allow your index finger and thumb to remain free. Grasp the opposite end of the Italian charm bracelet and pull outward.  Your hands should be horizontal. Loops on the back of each charm link allow you to hook charms on or off.  Using your right hand, slide the charm to the right then push the right link toward the bottom to remove it. The charm will slide downward and then off your Italian charm bracelet.

Rearranging Italian charm bracelets is fun.  Have a blast!

While considered a “standard size” Italian charm, Super Link Italian charms are twice as wide as standard 9mm charms. With the same height as standard charms, super link Italian charms are a long horizontal piece. Super link Italian charms are also easily linked with standard charms. In contrast to double link Italian charms which feature two separate pieces creating one design, super link Italian charms are one solid piece the size of two charms links.

Super link Italian charms are a great way to spice up your Italian charm collection!

The sizes of super link Italian charms allow for more detail and design on the charm as well as a varied look for your bracelet. Super link Italian charms are an eye-catching way to display your birthstone or zodiac sign. Their shape is also perfect for license plate Italian charms, showing off your home state!

If you love Italian charm bracelets as much as I do, you’re sure to love super link Italian charms too!

Pugster Inc. contributed custom made jewelry to celebrity gift bags at the NBC/Universal 2006 Pre-Emmy party hosted at the Beverly Hills Spago at 8PM

Pasadena, CA, August 26, 2006 — Pugster Inc., a fashion jewelry company, took part in the NBC/Universal’s Pre-Emmy Party for the 2006 Emmy Awards.  Pugster brand products were included and distributed to celebrity performers and presenters in the annual, nationally televised film event. The Italian charms and pendants that were featured at the event are all available on the Pugster web site at http://www.pugster.com/.

The Pre-Emmy party began at 8PM at Spago’s in Beverly Hills.  Although the party is a newcomer to the Emmy scene, it’s become the place to be the night before the Emmys according to Variety.  Attending the party was NBC head honchos and stars including winner Mariska Hargitay, nominee Glenn Close as well as Eric McCormack, Hugh Laurie, CCH Pounder, Zach Braff among other celebrities.

In recognition of excellence within the various television genres, the Emmy Awards are administered by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.  Over 12,000 members of the Academy cast a ballot in their field of expertise.  Emmy awards are a symbol of peer recognition.

Conan O’Brien hosted the 2006 Emmys.  Winners included Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Julia Louis Dreyfus of The New Adventures of Old Christine, Keifer Sutherland of 24, Tony Shalhoub of Monk, Jeremy Irons of Elizabeth I, Alan Alda of West Wing and Megan Mullally of Will & Grace.

About Pugster® Inc
Founded in 2002, Pugster is the number one online retailer of Italian charms at http://www.pugster.com/. Pugster (eBay ID: pugster888) continuously ranks as the number recipient of positive feedback on eBay with over 1.2 Million positive reviews since June 2004, according to Novato Technology.  Pugster also carries a full line of trendy fashion jewelry, including brooches, rings, pendants, watches, earrings, bracelets, and more.

For more information about Pugster Inc., visit http://www.pugster.com/.

Since I just made my own traditional charm bracelet, I thought I’d make my own charm ring too!

A charm ring is a great way to accentuate a charm bracelet or charm necklace (yes you can make a charm necklace). A charm ring is also quick and easy to make.

Lets get started!

Charm Ring Supplies

You’ll need some supplies before you begin making your charm ring. These include one spool of 18- or 24-gauge wire, needle nose pliers with cutter, small jump rings, assorted charms, beads or buttons and a ring sizer if you want that perfect fit. Although sterling silver wire is preferred for your charm ring, it isn’t necessary.

Directions for Making a Charm Ring

To begin, cut off an 18-inch piece of wire. To shape the charm ring’s base, you can use either your finger or a ring sizer. Wrap the wire around four or five times to create a charm ring band.

• For a thicker charm ring band, use a longer piece of wire.

Next, straighten the end of the extra charm ring wire. Position the raw end of the wire at the top of the charm ring’s base. Wrap the extra wire around the band of the charm ring to cover the raw wire end and pull it tight.

Straighten the remaining wire of the charm ring tail. If you want dangling charms on your charm ring, feed the wire through the small jump ring. Secure it to the top of the charm ring so the jump ring stands upright.*

• Make sure the wire end is wedged between wire layers so you don’t get pricked while wearing your charm ring.

Your almost there! You can already see how pretty your charm ring is going to be!

Finally, add beads or charms to small head pins. Attach the head pins to the jump ring by bending the wire over the jump ring with needle nose pliers. For a wilder charm ring look, add lots of charms. For a cleaner charm ring, use fewer.

There you go girls. You just made your own beautiful, homemade charm ring!

• If you don’t want a charm ring dangle, just feed the wire through a bead, button or charm of your choice.