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Vintage English Fully Loaded Silver Charm Bracelet

Vintage English Fully Loaded Silver Charm Bracelet

$800.00

Description

DATE: Vintage, 1950 to 1970

20th century maximalism… while minimalism was more-or-less the prevailing current throughout the artistic and aesthetic landscapes of the 20th century (certainly post WW2), there are always exceptions, and this - with certainty - is one of them. A vintage silver charm bracelet fully loaded with over 40 individual charms dating from approx. 1950 to 1970. They cover various subjects/themes, including a ship in a bottle, bagpipes, bee hive, key to the door, various fish, crown, champagne bottle, whisky bottle, globe, fairytale castle, swan, diamond engagement ring, football (soccer), a pianist, bible with the lord's prayer inside, witch on broomstick, aeroplane, and, hilariously, an "IN EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS" charm where the 10 pound not has been removed... presumably there was an emergency. Also a range of town heraldic shields: Bolton, Worsley, Blackpool, Dorset, Bournemouth, Walkden. 

Charms have always been a unique way to express individuality, often passed down the generations to be enjoyed and added to by descendants. Wearing charms is thought to have begun in order to ward off bad luck / evil spirits - part of human culture since pre-historic times when charms were made from shells, animal bones, clay, rocks and wood. There's evidence of shells being worn on the body from as far back as 75,000 years, and in ancient Egypt charms were worn as symbols of faith and luck, as well as for identification of social standing. The first known charm bracelets were worn by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Hittites as early as 600 BC.

Since then they've come in and out of fashion. Queen Victoria inspired a charm bracelet trend among European nobles, and was said to have "loved to wear and give charm bracelets," and, "...when her beloved Prince Albert died, she even made "mourning" charms popular; lockets of hair from the deceased, miniature portraits of the deceased, charm bracelets carved in jet..." The next wave hit the 1920s, when the use of platinum and diamond was introduced by jewellers, and another in the 1950s and '60s when teenagers collected - or were given - charms to mark significant life events. Recently charm collections have had something of a resurgence once again, with companies such as Pandora showing huge growth since 2000 (Pandora is the third largest jewellery producer behind Tiffany and Cartier), but additionally an interest in sustainable shopping has sparked an enthusiasm for vintage and antique charms.

STONES 

Paste (glass)

MEASUREMENTS 

Wearable length: 7.5 inches

MARKS 

Most charms stamped SILVER or STERLING SILVER

CONDITION 

Fair, general wear/patina commensurate with age and use. A few of the charms are damaged - enamel loss, distortion, the "in emergency break glass" charm has had the currency removed

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