The wearing of Charms was used as a form of an amulet or talisman to help ward off evil spirits andmisfortunes. During the pre-historic period, jewellery charms were made from shells, animal-bones, rocks, and clay. As time past, charms were then later made out of gems, rocks, and wood.

Ancient Egyptian Amulet

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/550931

Charm bracelets have been the subject of several waves of trends. The first Charm Bracelets were worn by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Hittites and began appearing from 600 – 400 BC.

The Babylonians are believed to have made wearing charm bracelets fashionable the first time around in the Bronze Age (700 B.C.). Their charms were made with precious stones and many of those stones were carved with designs that were said to have magical capabilities.

Later on, charms became very important in religion. During the years of the Roman Empire (27 B.C. - 476 A.D.) charms served important roles. At that time there were secret worship services going on that were forbidden. To make sure only those who were involved with the activities were showing up, Christians would have to show a small fish charm, which they called an ichthys, which was hidden in their clothing to be allowed into the venue.

In the Middle Ages (476 A.D. - 1450 A.D), Charms were less charming and more to show class or curse an enemy. If a charm was worn on a belt, it was often to show that someone belonged to a particular family or has achieved an important status. When knights and kings wore charms, they often had spells cast on the charm that were meant to let them overpower and dominate their enemy.

At this point, charms disappeared from the jewelry radar for a few hundred years until they were brought back into popularity with the help of Queen Victoria. She had a liking for charm jewelry in the mid-1800's and started the trend to charm wearing again when she wore a bracelet that had small lockets with a lock of her husband's hair and portraits of her family. This sent charms right back into popularity. Everyone was coming up with bracelets with various beads and charms and dangles. As with all fashions, this look eventually waned and charms once again went out of style.

In the 50's part of every girl's outfit would be a charm bracelet! These bracelets represent memories and they would add a new piece for every milestone of their life. Not only girls wore these, but also adult women wore charm bracelets, showing off new pieces for each child and to symbolize other important life moments.

The market for charms has remained steady for the past 15 years or more. While they are not always the most sort after jewelry item, they are still very popular and making their appearances in more venues and more markets every day.

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