Simply
Charming
Sara Etgen-Baker
©
Copyright 2023 by Sara Etgen-Baker
|
Photo by the author. |
Long
before life’s memorable moments were documented in photo albums
or posted on social media, they were embedded in charm bracelets.
Charm bracelets have been around for centuries and existed long
before written history with the first ones dating back to Ancient
Egypt. Evidence suggests that later ones were a part of European
culture as early as the 1400s.
Most
of us find charm bracelets, even the modern-day ones, irresistibly
‘charming.’ Why is that? Is it their tradition and
millennia-long history? Is it the jingle-jangle a charm bracelet
makes when the wearer is in motion? Is it the fascination of getting
up close and personal to examine each charm hanging from the links
and hearing the story behind the individual charms?
Whatever
the reason, charm bracelets were in their heyday in the 50s and 60s
and were a big craze for young girls and teenagers like me. A
multitude of charms were available for us girls representing
friendship, birthdays, graduations, hobbies, summer vacations, school
supplies, sweet sixteen, going steady, and much more. Owning a charm
bracelet was a rite of passage for us, and receiving one was cause
for much celebration.
So,
imagine my delight when Dad gave me my first charm bracelet on my
16th birthday. It boasted two charms: a “Sweet
16”
charm and a 4-leaf clover “Happy Birthday” charm with a
tiny red garnet (my birthstone). On my 17th
birthday he
added a “You’re An Angel” charm to my bracelet. On
my 18th birthday he gave me another “Happy
Birthday”
charm, one that contained an even bigger red garnet.
Many
of my teenage friends added to their bracelets as they grew into
womanhood adding charms chronicling their graduation, engagement,
marriage, honeymoon, anniversaries, birth of children, travel,
hobbies, and careers. Unlike my friends, I never added charms to my
original “Sweet 16” charm bracelet. I’m not quite
sure why. When I ventured off to college, I wrapped my charm bracelet
in tissue paper tucking it inside my jewelry box, safe and secure.
The years hence rapidly unfolded, and I rarely thought about my charm
bracelet. It was truly out of sight and out of mind.
Yet,
somehow my teenage jewelry box and original bracelet miraculously
survived, accompanying me through countless moves over the past 50+
years. I recently found the vintage jewelry box and discovered my
“Sweet 16” charm bracelet inside, untarnished and neatly
wrapped in the original protective white tissue paper that had now
yellowed with age. I gingerly placed the bracelet around my wrist and
locked the clasp, remembering Dad and revisiting the experiences we
shared and the memories we made.
At
this point in my life, I wish I had added to my ‘Sweet 16”
charm bracelet, for there is no other piece of jewelry that acts as a
time post and records a woman’s life quite like a charm
bracelet. Charms are tokens of treasured moments that reveal the
passage of time and the journey a woman has taken. Call me
sentimental, but I liken them to wearing a photo album full of happy
memories swinging from my wrist. They’re certainly far less
cumbersome than retrieving my photo albums from my closet shelf and
revisiting some of my most precious memories.
Fortunately,
charms and charm bracelets have experienced a resurgence in
popularity meaning a host of charms are available that would allow me
to add charms to my “Sweet 16” bracelet, charms depicting
my life’s journey. But my life has been abundantly full, filled
with so many experiences making it difficult to choose the charms. So
for now, I choose not to add to my original charm bracelet. I
occasionally wear it. When I do, someone invariably notices it
jingling from my wrist, enchanted with the uncluttered bracelet with
its four simple charms, and strikes up a conversation.
Despite
its age and simplicity, my charm bracelet remains my favorite and
most enchanting piece of jewelry. It’s simply charming.
(Unless
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Sara's
story list and biography
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