We take a look at the history of the accessory.
How fabulous are these?!! A range of pearl and crystal lucky charms, many of them made with Swarovski sparklers which have been designed to hang delicately from the straps, ribbons or laces of your Di by Diane Hassall wedding shoes. These divine little danglers are the latest addition to our Shoe Artistry accessory collection
These little charmers are details that should definitely be on your head-to-toe wedding outfit checklist – especially if they can be transferred to a bracelet or necklace after your wedding, to wear every day as a reminder of one of the happiest days of your life.
You just have to look at the phenomenon of the Pandora charm craze of the last few years to understand why collecting pretty charms has become so popular – it’s a great way to wear a bit of special sparkle every day, each charm with its own personal meaning.
Three ways to wear your charms again
- Thread your charm onto a piece of thin satin ribbon or silk cord and tie with a pretty bow at the back of your neck
- Add your charm to a thin silver chain and wear it as a necklace
- Add your crystal to your own charm bracelet or start a brand new one
Why we wear charms
The first record of charms being worn was in Rome where the persecuted Christians wore small fish charms, hidden amongst their clothing, to identify themselves to other Christians.
The Romans themselves, as well as the Greeks, also wore charms as jewellery for superstitious reasons, to ward off evil spirits and out of respect for their gods. They also wore lockets to keep important information and prayers close to their hearts. Men would often wear a locket containing a lock of their wife’s hair into battle for good luck.
The role of charms gradually became less associated with superstition and warding off evil and were worn purely as items of fashionable jewellery – notably during the reign of Queen Victoria in the mid-19th century. Queen Victoria’s love of jewellery and pendants made wearing pretty charms on bracelets and necklaces an extremely popular fashion statement amongst the gentry in Britain at that time.
Collecting multiple charms to wear as jewellery began during in the early 1940s during World War II. Soldiers fighting away from home collected mementos and trinkets they’d either bought or found and brought them home for their wives and sweethearts to wear as good luck charms.
As a result, the mass manufacture of charms and charm bracelets as items of jewellery really took off in the 1950s and ’60s and the fashion remains just as popular today.
