It’s not hard to discover the history of charm bracelets because they are in and of themselves artifacts of someone’s personal history. From carved mammoth tusk charms to thousands-of-years old African shell charms to the fish charms that Christians would hide in their robes during the Roman Empire, charms have been signifiers of what means most to us throughout the ages. As Leland Little Fine Jewelry Director Nancy Blount notes “There’s not another piece of ladies’ jewelry that so documents a life lived like a charm bracelet does. From sweet sixteen charms, to high school diplomas, to travel, wedding, and hobby charms - these bracelets take us on a journey through the life of their original owner.”
In our
Important Spring Auction, we offered a
diamond and platinum charm bracelet that is an exquisite example of the style of the first decades of the 1900s. Its unique appeal evokes the many charm bracelets worn by fashion icons through the ages - the personal nature of a charm bracelet was the perfect outlet for the individual tastes of these famous trendsetters. Read on to learn the story behind the charm of some of the most well-known stylish women in recent history.