Regular charm bracelets have been circulating around the United States for quite a while. In the 1990’s another type of charm bracelet appeared on the doorsteps of the United States, and our fashion was never going to be the same again. It’s called the Italian charm bracelet, but do you realize how these two types of charm bracelets differ? What in the world do Italian charm bracelet charms look like anyway? We will be giving an overview of this subject, and we hope you like our little tour. Welcome one and all…
Italy started the craze for these delightful little pieces of jewelry. From a humble beginning the popularity grew and grew until even soccer stars got into the act. They started to wear Italian charm bracelets with charms depicting the Italian flag. When American tourists spotted these on the streets of Italy, they bought them, and brought them back to the United States. Their popularity has caught on here as well.
Each of the links on the Italian charm bracelet is made from an Italian charm face soldered onto an Italian charm link. These faces can be either a design or an image. An Italian charm differs from a normal charm in that they are flat, modular links that hook together. There are approximately over 5000 different charm designs offered through the various jewelry retailers. These charms will range in price from about $3 to $50 per charm.
The size of the Italian charm bracelet will depend on the size of the person’s wrist. Children usually require between 13 – 15 links. Women require about 16 – 19 links. Men, especially those with large wrists, may require 20+ links.
A starter Italian charm bracelet will usually consist of blank links. These links are “place holder” links, and they do not have a design or an image. In order to personalize the bracelet for your own particular tastes, each link is replaced with an individual Italian charm.
How is it possible that all these charm link together? This is because there is a standard sizing across every brand of Italian charm. They are all compatible with each other and interchangeable as well. Links can be taken out, and others put back into place, to portray the statement you would like to state, or suit your particular mood.
Since Italian charm bracelets are so flexible, charms can be grouped together to portray various themes. Themes vary, but some of the more popular ones are: hobby, flowers, career, animals, travel, special events, or even specific colors. To make up these various groupings you can choose from photo Italian charms, authentic licensed Italian charms, deluxe Italian charms, hand-painted Italian charms, laser Italian charms, and dangle Italian charms.
Stainless steel backing is the most popular choice of materials for Italian charms. They will then have either a gold-plated or 18-karat gold charm face. Solder or glue joins the face of the charm to the stainless steel link. Sometimes a gemstone is added to the design of the charm.
We hope you liked this little summary of Italian charm bracelet charms and their associated bracelet. They made their debut into the consciousness of the United States back in the 1990’s, and there is no sign of their popularity letting up any time soon.