Many of us have one or more things we like to collect. Often we have a favorite collection within a collection. Mine is the single trinket charm bracelet mainly from the 1950's. They can originate from the pre or post 1950's as well. These pieces are unique and beautiful. Besides being lovely in design, many have very practical uses.Along with the abundance of rhinestones and faux pearls, many charms provide a variety of useful functions. Often, the fifties adornments mimicked antique accessories of years gone by. Among these are address charms that slide open sideways and fan out to sport a mini address book. Another address book charm opens up to reveal a rolodex of pages used to record a favorite friend's name, address, city, and phone number. How handy is that! Especially if you don't have your iPhone with you. The dime holder was another popular charm; dimes could be readily available by either screwing off the lid from the container or pushing up from the bottom to store the coins. [see above pic above - the bejeweled coin dispenser has two rhinestones replaced.]
Photo charms were valuable for holding those treasured photos. The one shown in the pic above opens up like an accordion and has over-lapped edges to hold the pictures. Another bracelet charm opens as a locket to hold pics behind clear plastic windows.
Then there are the trinket box charms such as the heart container above left. These were wonderful for any small items one might need to carry with them. Many were used as pill boxes. The rhinestone or faux pearl adorned boxes open up on hinges and tightly snap closed. Some of these box containers are created in the form of cute objects such as a vintage wall telephone, a treasure chest, or a heart with a piece of cotton inside. Another favorite of mine is the perfume bottle charm bracelets. They were decorated with an abundance of colorful, sparkling, prong-set rhinestones. They come in different shapes such as long rectangular, square, round, and heart shaped. They have daubers that unscrew for a quick dab of perfume on the wrist. There were also containers that held solid fragrances as well.
Music box bracelets are very popular. A weighty rectangle shaped music box dangles from a heavy link chain. Encased is a music mechanism that when wound up from the ba
ck of the piece, plays melodic music from the past. I particularly admired a music box that I saw which played "Let me call you Sweetheart." It was decorated with an adorable poodle and rhinestones marked "Lador, Inc." Besides having a wind-up mechanism, it also had an on/off switch. This music box charm bracelet is adorned with an embossed design of a "Fred Astaire" type black top hat upon a clear rhinestone music note. [top hat has been re-painted as shown in pic] It is Swiss made stamped "Switzerland" and plays "Anniversary Waltz". Another kind of music box charm plays music by turning a crank, which is a wonderful accent to the vintage appearance. All kinds of sequined rhinestones bedeck the front of many these fascinating bracelet music box charms; they come in all kinds of decor such as hearts, music clefts, animals, ballerinas - and the list goes on!
One of my very favorite kind of bracelet charms is the ones shaped as objects. These are limitless! The stoplight signal below and the fruit salad shown on the right have colorful rhinestones. The fruit salad in the basket charm is stamped "Germany". I particularly took a liking to an design that replicated a tiny camera with a flash and bulb. It had rhinestones and a faux pearl for the bulb.
Most of the charm bracelets that I collect are unsigned such as the wishing well on the right. However, there are lovely signed creations such as the "Marvella" bracelet with a wishing-well charm on a faux pearl link bracelet.
There are also single large medallion bracelets that were were popular in the thirties and forties. They came in many shapes such as circles, hearts, and clovers. They were made in gold-tone or silver-tone metal, 14 K yellow-gold, or a rhodium plated silver, which created a bright mirror-like surface that was popular in the 1950's. From colorful rhinestones to gems, marble or cultured pearls, these bracelet discs depicted objects such as flower baskets, gardens, and palm trees. They were designed by Coro Jewelry in 1949.
The chains used for single fob charm bracelets are usually heavy, such as a double link chain or an overlapping, single link curb design. I am particularly fond of the 1950's faux pearls link chain, such as the bracelet below with the be-jeweled cash register.
Many large charms have a fine chain attached that loops around a ring so that it has quite a lengthy drop from the bracelet chain itself. Although gold-tone and silver-tone charm bracelets with rhinestones are popular, they can also be in 14k yellow-gold or sterling silver with gemstones.Of course, there are many more varieties of these darling charm bracelets from the 40's, 50's, and 60's. That is one reason that collecting them is so enjoyable. Besides their beauty and singularity, I am amazed at how well-made these jewelry pieces were. I think about the creative detail that went into crafting the single trinket charm bracelets. In addition to the creativity in design, the use of shiny rhinestones, faux pearls, and mother of pearl embellishments made these special bracelet charms fascinating and beautiful. Often the charms had a useful purpose besides being decorative. Many were gaudy, almost impossible to wear. Others were comfortable, giving the wearer a feeling of pride; boasting of its uniqueness, yet practicality. ~By Lori F.
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