Charmed I'm Sure (back to Jewelry!)

Okay, I'm not going to mince words. The primary reason I began this blog was for the blatant self promotion and networking of The Family Jewels. Yup...when I first began my business, the internet wasn't around yet, so now, I want to take full advantage of how small the world wide web (do we even call it that anymore?) has made our world.

Somehow, though, I got a bit sidetracked the past few days with reflections on yoga and philosophy and such...I guess the passing of another year can do that to a person. Well, enough of that...for now! At least for a minute or to I am getting back on track.

This evening finds me going through jewelry and collectibles as I decide on things to list on my website.

Sifting through my "keeper" boxes, I found myself drawn to all the charms that I have been collecting for the past 25 years or so. I realize that I have HUNDREDS of charms. Ok, now, don't start accusing me of being a hoarder. I've seen the Oprah and Dr. Phil shows on people who hoard...that's not me. OK, maybe a bit. But hoarders just stash...I sell. And stash. A little.

There is something about charms that make me want to have them all. At least for a little while. Most new charms being made today are fairly boring; I'm talking about vintage charms from the mid 1900s and earlier.

So I perused through my little personal stash, deciding what I may sell and what I would keep. Read on to click over to some of the ones I have decided to sell. Listed are some amazing chunky bracelets, mostly sterling silver charms, many of them movable ones with little wheels that turn, hinges that open, even a Victrola with a crank that works.

Here is one of my favorite bracelets ever...it has ornate baubles and a lovely carved bone elephant, but maybe one of my favorite things about it is the jangly sound it makes when worn.

I remember finding this bracelet many years ago at an antique show. It's a heavy bracelet with lovely 3D charms, most of them a circus motif. My son, now 19, was not born yet. Back in those days, I practically lived to go antiquing, leaving no stone unturned as I found all sorts of treasures.

Maybe one of the coolest bracelets I decided to part with is this one, an ornate Victorian style bracelet with mythological and 3D charms. I'm not sure, but it may be a rare designer piece by Peruzzi.

Of all my charms that I viewed this evening, the ones that bring up the most memories are on a charm necklace that I actually assembled myself. The photos above are of this piece.

I remember sitting up one night several years ago, and while watching sappy Lifetime movies, I took my jump rings, needle nosed pliers, and loose charms I had collected, and made a necklace. I picked charms that had significance in my life, like an ornate Menorah, a gift and a reminder of my heritage. Other charms were symbols of places I had been...like New York, Las Vegas, West Virginia, Georgia (my home), Washington DC, a Statue of Liberty, the Atlanta Stadium (which was demolished to make way for Turner Field several years ago), a glass bottom boat from Silver Springs Florida (one of the coolest places I ever took my son Alex), a roulette wheel from Vegas, a pirate head from the Pirate's House in Savannah where the waitress kept reminding us that "if we left hungry, it was our own damn fault". It was a buffet....ahh, the days of southern cooking and eating it...lots of it. A black enamel kitty charm reminds me of Shiva, rest his little kitty soul, and a trumpet from New Orleans. I didn't actually find most of the charms when I was at the places, but it doesn't matter.

Seeing the Washington Monument charm brings back instant memories of my son and I when we visited DC for the first time. He was about 8 years old on the first visit, and we had an amazing time at all the museums and walking around Dupont Circle, Georgetown. A couple of years later, we went back and marched with Walter in the Gay Pride Parade when he sang with the Atlanta Gay Men's Choir. Nothing like strolling down the streets of DC with hundreds, maybe thousands of people, singing Dancing Queen with a group of beautiful gay men...and your little heterosexual 10 year old son (and yes, he told me he was hetero, even at that young age!).

It's hard to pinpoint a favorite when each one has its own beauty and memories, but one that I doubt I will ever part with is a graduation cap with a peace sign on it. I remember back in the day when my son's father and I were first in love, and we used to drive all around the countryside looking for quaint little antique stores and flea markets. He was from West Virginia, and on one outing, while driving through the mountains we decided to get a little bite at a little bed and breakfast/cafe. We walked in to find not only the most delicious homemade pies, but all around the cafe were little art deco curios filled with things for sale. It was like a dream...homemade pie AND vintage jewelry! I bought a few things that day and that cap was one of them. It hangs proudly from my little homemade necklace.

I now have 2 great nieces and I decided to start them each a charm bracelet. They may not have as much fun with them now, Tickle Me Elmo being a much more compelling attraction, but one day, they will have a little keepsake with tiny mementos. Little reminders of the snapshots of life that make up our memories and make us smile.

I have pages of lovely silver charms if you click HERE, and if you prefer gold, then click HERE. What a fun way to document the memories today for the future.