whitby''s charm bracelet - photos

[whitby_2773]

i thought i''d start a thread for this as it''s a lovely piece. the charms have been collected over the years and come from my parents (now deceased), my husband, my friends and my travels. it''s one of the most special and treasured pieces i own.

 

[whitby_2773]

and here are some close ups... you can see the mix of yellow and rose gold. the shared prong seed pearl charm is a small heart, given to me by my father when i turned 22.

 

[whitby_2773]

this photo shows the middle of the bracelet. i''m a big fan of enamel, so a number of the charms are enameled. a number of them have tiny diamonds, and you can perhaps see, 2/3 of the way along to the right, a charm with red and white dots. that''s a pave heart with tiny rubies and diamonds that tim bought me in england one year for Christmas. the faceted yellow ball to the right of that is a topaz - very pretty!

 

[whitby_2773]

some of the charms are very old. you can see, on the extreme left, the underside of a charm which is a miniature iron! it''s from the 1920''s. you can also see my tribute to my own sweet tooth; a pearl ice cream and an enamel cup cake

 

[whitby_2773]

last photo! here you can see a better shot of the ruby and diamond pave heart, and next to that a seagull, wings spread. that''s the very first charm i bought when i was 18 years old. and on the extreme right, tucked under the cupcake, you can just see a gum leaf and - attached to that - you can see a gumnut - my remembrance piece of australia.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I love it Whitby, what a truly special piece of jewelry

 

[innerkitten]

It''s very pretty, Great collection of charms

 

[Luckyeshe]

Beautiful charm bracelet, whitby! It''s great having all of your special memories strung together on your bracelet. I have a charm bracelet as well but my collection isn''t quite as big or as nice as yours yet, but I''m working on it!

 

[daleysmom]

WOW!!!

That is a fantastic charm bracelet, Whitby!

 

[yssie]

It''s beautiful, Whitby - what treasures

 

[ringthings]

Ooo more photos. I know I commented on it already, but I''m going to again! This is really pretty... I can see why you treasure it so much! I would too.

The details are drool-worthy. 1920s.. did family/others give you their old charms for it, or did you look in antique stores? Such a classic look.

My mom''s bracelet (probably from the 60s) has those huge gold coins.. it''s cool because it''s hers, but it''s not exactly pretty. My old one''s are mostly just silver, too. Do you usually look for charms in souvenir shops, or were they mostly gifts?

 

[princessplease]

What a great piece, whitby!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AGBF]

I really love it, Whitby! It is the kind of charm bracelet that I dream about having. Maybe when you get back to New York you can take some close-up pictures of individual charms that you mentioned and add them to this thread. (If it has closed by then the administration will reopen it for you.) It would be great to have everything on your charm bracelet pictured clearly in one thread...and asking Tim to do it long distance is a bit of a pain, I am sure. I am in the mindset of photographing charm bracelets since I photographed my own yesterday (and tried to get photos of one of my individual charms). I won't be able to start a thread for my bracelet until I get new software onto a computer, though.

Thank you for posting all these photos. They are really wonderful.

PS-Yesterday I took the Tiffany cupcake charm off my wishlist. (I had it on there for years.) You are making me reconsider that decision. Maybe I need a cupcake on my charm bracelet!

Deb/AGBF

 

[Catmom]

Oh whitby, what a treasure. I love it!!! I''d love to see more close-ups of the charms if you would.

 

[whitby_2773]

Thanks for the kind words everyone

Diamond*Dana – I’m glad you like it! It’s given me much pleasure over the years. Lots and *lots* of years...

Innerkitten – thank you! I’ve tried to go with charms that were well made and not too…kitsch.

Luckyeshe – this collection has taken (so far!) 31 years. A great charm bracelet is a lifelong project. Well, it was for me, anyway!

Daleysmom – awww – thank you! (and hallo! We’ve not met I’m whitby – welcome!)

Yssie – yes – treasures – the right word exactly. When I hold this bracelet in my hand I’m reminded of so many of the things I love – all at once – it’s almost overwhelming. I see both parents, all the stages of my life, all the people who’ve loved me most – all of it – in one piece of jewelry. Not many things you can say that about…

Ringthings – most were gifts. None were from souvenir shops, tho at least 3/4 are from countries other than the one of my birth (Australia). But ringhtings, I gotta tell you, this is an expensive pursuit! The cheapest charm on that bracelet was $200, and the most expensive was well over $500. And if I ever replace the center stone in my engagement ring (.83ct) for something larger, I’ll have the original bevel set and added to this bracelet. I’m not sure how many charms there are on it at this point – 40 perhaps? And room for about 10 more…

Princessplease – hallo there Thank you – I love it.

AGBF – thanks Deb – both for your comments here and also on the ‘traditional charm bracelets’ thread. When I get back from Australia, I’ll try to get some individual shots for you. The charms have been permanently soldered, so it’s a bit tricky. Will give it a shot tho. And girl – put that cupcake charm back on your wishlist! I know the one you mean and it’s GORGEOUS!

Catmom – I’m so pleased you like it, Michelle. I have always thought that your jewelry taste and mine are similar. The only difference is…your tiny little fingers!! I’ll never stop being jealous of you ‘size 4.75’ girls! As you might see from my post above to Deb, I’m off to Australia for 2 months, but when I return, I’ll ask Tim to indulge me with a photo shoot. The man is an angel, I swear…

 

[daleysmom]

Lovely bracelet!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Very beautiful.

I''d also love to see more close-up shots.

Which one is your favorite (lol - guess that''s an impossible question to answer)? Okay, your top five?

 

[Rachel9]

Oh whitby, you have no idea how much you have insipired me

There''s o-n-e charm that is talking to me, maybe a purse? with diamonds and rubies? am I dreaming here.....lovely!!!!!

 

[packrat]

It''s beautiful and so meaningful-I love it! Do you wear it often? I''d be scared one of the charms would come off or be damaged.

 

[D&T]

Whitby! I love the charm bracelet! sooo many stories to tell and the memories that these charms behold. What a fantastic piece you have sweetie!

 

[whitby_2773]

Hi ladies! Thanks for your comments

MC – my favorite 5 charms are…hmmm. Definitely the cupcake. The yellow and purple pansy with the pearl center (I paid a ridiculous price for that!). The gum leaf and nut (yay Australia!) Probably the yellow gold and rose gold daffodil. And lastly the ruby and diamond pave heart, tho there’s a beautiful little gondola in there and I also love the silver and gold sun/moon I have.

Rachel9 – that’s the pave ruby and diamond heart. Tim, my husband, bought it for me in England one Christmas. The man is a gem.

Packie – I do wear it regularly, tho not often. Despite all appearances to the contrary, I’m not really a jewelry girl (on the wrong site, I know! lol) so I don’t wear anything all the time except earrings and a wedding band. But if I’m going somewhere nice, and wearing yellow gold, I’ll wear this and a large rose gold bangle together on the one wrist. One is so detailed and the other completely plain – it’s a good contrasting look.

Thanks D&T! But can anything compete with that gorgeous new ring of yours?? I think not! So pretty

 

[Gayletmom]

Whitby, thanks so much for sharing all of the details on your beautiful bracelet. I love hearing the stories behind the charms.

Do you have any sources for charms that you can share? I''m going to be working on a wishlist!

 

[Rachel9]

Ditto Gayletmom, I''m crrently looking for a computer charm and a diamond heart just like whitby''s LOL

 

[oddoneout]

What a great bracelet. I like how each charm seems to have a memory attached to it.

 

[whitby_2773]

thanks gayletmom, rachel, and oddoneout

my sources are...all over the place! i''ve bought 2 from QVC, one from ebay, some i have had specifically made, but most are from jewelry shops wherever i find myself to be at the time.

re the ruby and diamond heart...i found that in a very old jewelers in epsom, england. it was hand made, and tim gave it to me for Christmas about 8 years ago. i''m sure it was a one of a kind.

i definitely want a diamond charm - like - a solitaire diamond - and there''s a passport charm i want from gumps, plus one from tiffany (which i cant remeber right now). i''ve bought 2 also from Von Bargens - they''re online if you want to look them up. i have the maple leaf and the acorn - gorgeous! - and i''ve bought a couple from Clogau, who are also online.

but this is the fun, of course; one accumulates them as one travels through life.

happy hunting!

 

[Gayletmom]

Thanks for the tips. I can''t wait to browse online!

I''d love to hear about your idea for a solitaire charm. How would you set it? I''m hoping to upgrade my solitaire in the next few years but am attached to my current stone so I''ll be thinking about something to do with it.

 

[loriken214]

How beautiful....I love your bracelet Kareyn!!!

Lori

 

[gardengloves]

Hey there Whiby,

Haven''t signed in and congratulated you yet on this thread on your amazing charm bracelet. It''s amazing. What a treasure trove of lifetime memories. That''s the thing about charm bracelets- they take us back to people and places.

That blue ball looks interesting.. please tell us about that one.

 

[whitby_2773]

thanks gayle, lori and rachel

gayle, i''ve been thinking about a solitaire, bezel set in yellow gold. simple. just a tiny little elegant dangly

 

[chiquitapet]

Oh, Whitby! What a precious collection of memories! It`s beautiful!