History of Italian Charms
July 12th, 2006 by MaryBeth
The modern Italian charm trend has its roots in Italy in the 1990s, but the history of this concept of jewelry extends back far beyond. Its lineage links today’s Italian Charm fashionistas with World War II soldiers, Egyptian pharaohs and English monarchs. Modernized charm bracelets may be considered a fashion trend but perhaps they are a part of the evolution…
Did King Tut Wear a Charm Bracelet?
Italian Charms and charm bracelets have a rich history, dating as far back as Ancient Egypt. It was during this age that elaborate jewelry emerged as identification and symbols of faith and luck. This included charms and charm bracelets. Due to their short life expectancy - thirty or forty years - the people of ancient Egypt spent much time and effort preparing for the afterlife. Charm bracelets and necklaces played an important role in this preparation, as protection and signs of status and identity in this life. Charms also served to identify the wearer to the gods in the afterlife.
Dark and Superstitious Ages
The role of the charm in the dark ages was loaded with superstition. Knights wore charms for protection and strength in battle, and to bring harm to enemies. Charms were also worn as expression of personal identity, representing family origin, profession, religious and political beliefs.
Charming Queen Victoria
This British Monarch sported charm bracelets purely as decorative adornments. This use represented a drastic shift in purpose in the collection of charms. Entering into the sphere of fashion, charm bracelets became a trend that spread throughout the British aristocracy. Popular charms featured family crests, glass beads and small lockets, set to dangle from bracelets.
WWII Brings Back European Charm
Upon their return to the US, soldiers leaving Europe purchased charm trinkets to bring home to their sweethearts. These adornments were hand-crafted from pieces of metal into shapes of items common to the local area.
Charm bracelets and Poodle Skirts
Charm bracelets became a must-have accessory for girls and women in the 1950s. A sort of jewelry-hope-chest, girls collected charms to commemorate rites of passage. Graduations, birthdays and weddings would be represented by individual charms. In this fashion, charm bracelets told a life story of the wearer and became a special personal keepsake.
Antiquing the 80s
In the 1980s vintage charms from decades before were again in vogue, hunted by antique dealers, collectors and flea marketers. These old charms were available at low cost and quickly became popular enough to inspire a new wave of charm bracelet styles. Dangling charm bracelets became the rage.
Born in the 90s: Italian Charms
An Italian jewelry company designed a new style of charm in the 1990s. No longer dangling with charms, the modular style charm bracelet is sleek and stylish. Soccer players in Europe were spotted wearing bracelets featuring their national flag. The craze ignited and spread across to the United States, where men and women are both still finding endless ways to express personality through Italian Charms.
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