Women, young and old, are again discovering the nostalgic lureof charm bracelets.
Charm bracelets returned to the fashion landscape after thecatastrophic events of Sept. 11 and remain a growing trendtoday.
"They are like a scrapbook you wear on your wrist," said BethLambrecht of Lambrecht's Jewelers Inc. "They tell a story, andthere is always a new chapter."
Sept. 11 reminded people about the importance of keepsakes, saidJennifer Hillman, communications director of Rembrandt Charms, acharm manufacturer in Buffalo, NY.
"Ever since the tragic events of Sept. 11, people have beenlooking for gifts that are sentimental, personal and affordable,"Hillman said.
In fact, sales in 2002 were up 36 percent, according toRembrandt Charms.
It is believed that the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians andHittites sported the first charms, made of rock crystals and othergems, in 500 to 400 B.C., according to Elizabeth Florence, thepresident of the Jewelry Information Center, in an online articleat Rembrandt Charm's company Web site.
They believed charms, like figures of gods, helped guide thegods to watch over them in the afterlife and bestow upon them indeath the same prosperity that they enjoyed on earth.
By the 1890s, Queen Victoria of England wore a charm bracelet ofsmall lockets containing family portraits, further popularizing thetrend as a fashion accessory.
At the end of World War II in the 1940s, charm jewelry explodedin popularity after many American soldiers leaving Europe purchasedthese gems as gifts to bring home to love ones.
During the late 1940s through the 1960s, and again in the 1980s,girls and women discovered charms as fashion accessories tocelebrate stages of their lives.
Charms can represent the rites of passage in every woman's life-- friendships, interests, vacations, hobbies, weddings and thearrival of children.
"There is something for everyone," said Kathleen Oldford, authorof "My Mother's Charms: Timely Gifts of Family Wisdom."
"I had one woman looking for any charm that was related togambling because she loved Las Vegas," she said.
Many women also buy charms for sentimental reasons and toexpress their feelings, said Timothy Downey, vice president of USAOperations.
"Women can compose a bracelet selecting whatever charm expresseswhat is near and dear to their hearts," Downey said.
Charm bracelets appeal particularly to junior high and highschool girls and to mothers and grandmothers who are now wearingtheir bracelets again or passing them on to their children.
"I have two boys, but I hope to have a granddaughter, and I'llstart one for her at birth," said Marilyn Burchett, 49, who startedcollecting charms at the age of 16.
Some of the most popular charms today are Italian charms,vintage charms and photo art charms.
Other popular charms include personalized and theme charmsrepresenting hobbies, animals, sports, music, patriotism, travel,gardening, sun and stars and nautical activities.
Instead of rock crystals and plastic, charms today are made ofsterling silver, gold plate, karat and karat gold. Prices rangefrom $5 to several hundred dollars.
Because of their popularity with children, charms and charmbracelets sell at a reasonable price, $2 to $5 at Dara Michelle's,a jewelry store at 4465 Poplar Ave. in Memphis, said Jessica Burke,the assistant manager.
"Eight to 12-year-olds come in here all the time looking forcharms," she said.
Hillman expects this trend to continue.
"The best thing about charms is that they are a collectableitem, which attributes to their popularity and longevity," Hillmansaid.
