| By :
Iain Jones
From the very earliest history, Charms are believed to have their origins in ancient pagan and religious practice, where they were worn with a view to helping enter the afterlife or to fend off evil spirits. For example hunters would start to carry various trinkets in order to bring good fortune to the hunt. The earliest examples from archaeological records of people wearing charms as a bracelet goes back as far as 1600 years ago to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Here the driving force was similar to that for the ancient hunters in that they are believed to have been placed in tombs to keep away evil spirits and provide protection in the afterlife. Later on, in around 700 BC, the Babylonians are understood to have started to have worn charms on a bracelet for altogether more decorative reasons. The Romans and Greeks are also known to have worn or carried charms in order to show respect their gods. During the middle ages, Knights would wear charms as a way of making visible their particular ranking. However, it wasn't until during the reign of Queen Victoria that charm bracelets really started to become popular amongst the mainstream western European population, although primarily limited to the more wealthy classes as only they could afford to have specially made decorative charms made from precious materials such as gold and silver and containing gemstones. Later on, it was during the Second World War that collecting charms really took off. Servicemen serving on the front line would collect small items that reminded them of their fellow comrades that they had lost and as presents for family and friends back home. As a result, charms slowly became a common means of keeping treasured memories very much in mind. In the decades following the end of the second world war, charm bracelets started to become particularly popular amongst girls who often received them as presents or gifts when they reached particular birthdays, engagements or even weddings. They would then begin to build upon these initial gifts and add further charms to the collection themselves in order to mark other significant memories in their lives, for example, the birth of a child or perhaps a significant anniversary. Now we are seeing that charm bracelets collected over a lifetime are very important not only to the original collector, but also their immediate family and it is not uncommon for a charm bracelet collection to be passed down from one generation to the next, from mother to daughter. In addition, not only are charms used to remember significant events in their owner’s life, but their adoption has grown further into pure fashion. Coloured glass beads coupled with interesting silver trinkets really are suited to making up highly individual bead charm bracelets that suit the wearer's tastes, outfit, and even express their mood on a given day. Especially popular today are bracelets that are made up from collections of brightly coloured glass beads such as that from Murano, sometimes mixed with contrasting engraved beads made from silver.
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