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Charms were first used to ward off evil, like an amulet or talisman. We no longer have those superstitious beliefs about evil but the charm bracelets have stuck around as revamped tradition. Much like lockets, chastity belts and hope chests, charm bracelets are a way of marking the events in a young woman's life. Charm bracelets had a peak in the 1930's and 1940's and then again in the 1970's when a lot of women's traditions and crafts were brought back and revamped with that 70's style. Currently, silver charms are used to celebrate hobbies and interests, weddings, birthdays, and holidays. Silver has become the standard but charms have been created out of any precious metal, minerals and stones. Anything that can dangle from a tiny loop attached to a bracelet will work. When buying a charm bracelet make sure it is strong enough to hold a lot of charms and has plenty of loops to dangle them from. You can find some which look like three standard linked bracelets braided together. Mine is like that. Though it still has room for many more charms I haven't added one in quite awhile. Most of mine came from my Dad's business trips. He would pick me up a silver charm and send a postcard home when he went somewhere even slightly exotic. My Mother got me one when I turned 'of age' too. I didn't add a charm when I married but a divorced charm would be more in tune with things now. I'm sure someone has one for sale online, somewhere. Like most jewelry charm bracelets don't require a lot of care and feeding. If they should get a bit tarnished (from dampness and chemicals in the air) use a polishing solution and cloth to wipe it off. If you aren't wearing your bracelet often keep it in a cool dry place, wrapped up in something like a felt bag. Never wrap silver in plastic or something that won't let it breathe. But, the felt bag limits the air exposure and will prevent it from tarnishing as easily. Sterling silver will tarnish, those who say otherwise have never worked behind the counter at a department store.
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