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First charm bracelet - FINALLY done!

mrs-b

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I've set and re-set my charm bracelet over the years. I tried one combination of charms, then another, then a third, then a fourth - and on and on and on. I finally got what I thought was the perfect combination of charms...and then found - despite being evenly spaced - that I disliked the way they'd all hang to one side or another when I moved my hand, leaving me with what looked like large gaps - which weren't really gaps at all - and 'clumps' of charms where they'd land together. So it was never the effect I wanted. Or even particularly close.

But still, I collected charms and loved them. I had a bunch custom made and decided in the end to just persevere with a combination of gold charms and enamel charms. It looked like this:

Charm bracelet.jpeg

Pretty - but I felt as tho the styles didn't really match. So in the end, I decided to split them into gold charms and enamel charms and do two bracelets, very different in feel. But, still, that didn't address the problem of the drifting charms.

And then, one day I hit on *this* idea. I ran with it and, after a number of different line-ups, had a total 'AH HA!' moment where all my issues were solved in one hit and I had the charm bracelet of my dreams. And here it is - my collection of memories and significant events:

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I absolutely LOVE it. It's perfect! Interesting, individual, sentimental - a whole bunch of things! There are charms there that celebrate my beating cancer, my move to the US, becoming a US citizen, my time in England, my love for Australia - all sorts of big, significant things. I think it's the perfect way to set charms - more grown up and less dangly and annoying than the traditional method, and - to my eye - far more interesting.

In a week or two, I'll have my enamel charm bracelet (set the same way), and I look forward to adding it, as well!

And I should DEFINITELY thank the good folks at DKJ for persevering through what ended up being a marathon project with more iterations and changes than any jeweler should have to tolerate! Thanks, David and Amy! :wavey:
 
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rcjtraveler

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May 29, 2018
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So unique and beautiful. I love it. Can’t wait to see the second one. Enjoy in good health.
 

mommylawyer

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Jan 27, 2020
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Wow, that is so beautiful. What a great idea! Your charms are gorgeous.
 

Bron357

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Jan 22, 2014
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I love it.
Unique, stunning and meaningful.
What a beautiful way of displaying your wee beauties. Looking forward to seeing the enamel version.
I have a soft spot for charm bracelets having inherited my grandmothers one (we won’t talk about the relative who recently suggested that with gold prices being so high, now is a good time to melt it down :eek2::angryfire::naughty: ).
 

123ducklings

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Such a personal and beautiful piece!
 

pearaffair

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Your collection never fails to impress!

As someone who has recently reset the same gosh-darned diamond for the... I wanna say, fifth time- how do you reconcile yourself to the costs of changing and then changing again any one piece of jewellery? I find it very easy to berate myself for not getting it right the first time, but you seem to accept these twists and turns as part of the process. Perfection has its price, or something like that.

Hope you don’t mind the slight tangent! I love the uniqueness of this latest piece. Thank you yet again for sharing your collection with us.
 

nala

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This is brilliant!
 

acaw2015

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Love it! I agree that it looks much more wearable and interesting than the traditional charm bracelet. Cant wait to see the second bracelet!
:wavey:
 

Dandi

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Jan 9, 2006
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Oh how I have looked forward to this thread!! I had a hard time envisioning your bracelets when you said the charms will be end to end, but my goodness, it is perfect in every single way :kiss2:
 

Ally T

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Oct 24, 2012
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Absolutely nailed it :kiss2:

This has addressed all the things you were never happy with but couldn't quite pin point, and then some!

It's gorgeous - please post wrist shots on your lovely arm!
 

lissyflo

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Oh, this is gorgeous! A much better arrangement, visually and practically, than the traditional dangling charms. And I adore the fact that it’s so sentimental and personal - what could be better for touching the heart strings than wearing your memories in solid form?!
 

Sparkles88

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@mrs-b thanks for sharing your gorgeous charm bracelet. I love how each charm is dear to your heart and it must really make you smile to see this adorning your wrist. Like a snapshot of all the your significant life changing events in the form of jewelry.
I love this it so much :love:
I don’t usually associate charm bracelets as being elegant but this is stunning!
 

Rfisher

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Oct 19, 2013
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The loveliest conga line ever - it’s a beauty!
(:love: is that a manta?)
 

Luce

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Jun 1, 2015
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I love this! What a unique way to mount your charms. Please model this gorgeous bracelet!!!
 

rainydaze

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On a site where we get to see utterly fabulous things regularly, this rocks among the top! What an awesome way to display such beautiful, precious pieces. Naturally, the way you ordered them is gorgeous. Such flow and interest and delight!

I cannot wait to see the enameled version!
 

bling_dream19

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Feb 21, 2019
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This is beautiful! Glad you have found a way to wear and enjoy your beautiful charms :kiss2:
 

Mcgregor

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Jan 24, 2015
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Very unique and gorgeous! you have quite the ability to imagine and create your dream jewelry!
 

MakingTheGrade

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I love it! We need pics of you wearing it though!!
 

Catmom

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I really like them set that way. It makes so much more sense and no jangling. Beautiful and meaningful bracelet!
 

LemonMoonLex

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Awww, I personally loved the bracelet that you had before & the traditional shape of the charm bracelet. I thought that it was truly perfect & that the enamel charms fit in spendidly with your gold ones. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little sad to see it go as I'd never seen one so perfect!

Although you'll be wearing this baby & if you adore it this way then that is all that matters! I hope you have many happy years with this bracelet!
 

MRBXXXFVVS1

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Looks gorgeous! I love how you decided to arrange them!! Would be great to see some wrist shots. Can't wait to see the enamel one too!!
 

Elizabeth35

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Sep 24, 2011
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What a great idea! I love that it won't be so noisy, plus the charms will not bump against each other. I was worried about that pearl or the enamel charms getting nicked!
I think visually it is easier to see enjoy each charm this way as well.
 

mrs-b

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Aug 18, 2013
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Thank you, @rcjtraveler - I love it too! Enamel one will be another week or two till it's in my hand - I'm guessing no later than 2 weeks from today.

@mommylawyer - thank you! It was a real Ah HA! moment when I decided to lay them end to end!

Hi @Bron357 :wavey: "My wee beauties" - what an awesome description of something so precious! And...um...your relative...?!! Some people are born without souls, I think!!
 

mrs-b

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@123ducklings - this piece is *intensely* personal. I'm so glad people think it looks beautiful - it's very precious.

Awww - thank you, @pearaffair! :wavey: I've been working on this charm bracelet for 25 years, so the repeated outlay has been broken up by long periods of just wearing it as-is. The oldest charm on this bracelet would be 25 years old or older, so it's not like it's been a big rush or frenetic in any way. The bracelet to which the charms were attached is still around and will be used, so that's not lost, and, frankly, rearranging them end to end is probably the *least* expensive iteration. The charms I out-grew, or which had less-to-no meaning were sold or given away as gifts, and a number of the charms on this bracelet were gifts from friends of my husband, so even that wasn't as expensive as you might think.

The enamel charm bracelet, on the other hand, is a whooooole other story.... :eek2:

Thank you, @nala! I'm so glad you like it! How are you enjoying that gorgeous new rock on your finger?! It's a stone cold beauty for sure! After such a long, circuitous route, you landed *exactly* where you needed to be; it's really one of PS's best success stories, in my opinion! <3
 

mrs-b

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Thank you @acaw2015 - I'm VERY pleased to be rid of all that tickling on the back of my hand and bashing on table tops!

Thank you, @redsquirrel94! The inspiration came from a lot of thinking! :)) I'm sure I'm not the first person to do one like this, but I've never seen it, so it really did come just out of my head and from being unhappy with the regular, dangling design. And I have all sorts of ideas for creating engagement rings! If you start a thread in rocky talky asking for help and link me to it, we can work on it together if you like, plus you can call in the help of various folks on PS who are a highly knowledgeable bunch!

Aaahhhh @Dandi! I'm SO glad you like it! It's a bit out of the box, isn't it? I'll never do another one in the old manner; maybe a single charm dangle, but that's all. I like a large, single, dangling charm, but it's the way you get a bunch and then they separate and you get left with bare wrist that I don't like. And between you and me? I think it's perfect, too. :))
 

mrs-b

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Hallo @Alex T :wavey: It's currently still in transit (these are vendor shots) but I'll post arm photos when it gets here. It was meant to arrive by midday, but, sadly, it's stuck in Memphis, so I think it will be tomorrow, at best, before it gets here - more likely Monday. :(

@lissyflo - that nails it *exactly*! It's my memories in solid form. They're so precious - some even bitter sweet - but all of them references to events and people in my life - so seminal - that I want to be close to them and reminded of them all the time. Ah, life! Individual for all of us - precious for each of us!

@Sparkles88 - YES! I agree! I don't normally associate charm bracelets with elegance either! They're often scrappy, incoherent, messy, irritating, itchy, cheap, discolored and ill-looked-after! But even so - I've loved them since I was a child. I was OBSESSED with 'little things' when I was a little girl - miniatures of all sorts. And charms bracelets - with their weeny shoes and tiny teacups and miniature animals just rally DID IT for me! But then my adult aesthetic kicked in, and I wanted something more intentional, more beautiful, less crammed, more elegant. I wanted to SEE every charm, and on a really *good* charm bracelet (the jam-packed full ones) that's just not possible. So I pared down and pared down...until I came up with my 10 best memories. And here we are! :mrgreen:
 

mrs-b

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Hi @Rfisher - how are you? Let me just ay right off the bat - your new Sako / Finewater Gems spinel ring is just the bomb, baby! I love it! Your aesthetic is just so refined and individual - I love it!

Yes, it's a manta ray - reflective of my love of the ocean and sea life in all its forms. Here's the line-up:

1. Pearl in waves - pearls meaning long life and tears (as well as being my birthday gemstone) - this was made to celebrate getting my all-clear from cancer. 18kt, custom made by DKJ.
2. Manta ray - bought for me as a gift from a friend to celebrate my love of the ocean - 14kt.
3. Cherries - 9kt plated with 18kt and bought in England to remind me of my time there and the weeping cherry in my front yard.
4. Diamond set starfish - bought by my DH during my last vacation in Australia in the Whitsunday Islands - my all time favorite place in the world - 18kt.
5. Holly leaf - my name (close, not identical), Christmas, with the holly berries and their religious significance of the blood of Christ - custom made by DKJ - 18kt.
6. Daffodil - a gift from a very dear friend no longer with me - 9kt.
7. US passport - bought for my by some Pricescope friends to celebrate my becoming a US citizen! Yaaaay! It's engraved on the back with the date of my citizenship - 18kt and enamel.
8. Plumeria - I missed a trip to Hawaii with my god-kids and their dad one year because my heart issues started. The three of them bought me this flower charm as a little deposit for when we'd finally all be able to go. That rain-check was meant to be cashed in...this year for Thanksgiving! We had the whole vacation booked and paid for again, and the world pulled out the big guns to stop me by throwing together a global pandemic. :- / 18kt with a 3pt diamond.
9. Acorn - bought by my best friend in the US to celebrate my new life here - 18kt.
10. Gumnut and leaf - because, wherever I go, Australia is always in my heart - 14kt.

All links and clasps are 18kt as well and the whole thing was assembled for my by David Klass Jewelry.
 

mrs-b

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Aug 18, 2013
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Thank you, @Luce! Will do, as soon as it arrives. Was meant to be today but is now looking like Monday. Boooo!

@rainydaze - I'm so glad you like it and that it delights your eyes! I have to say, I will never, EVER, tire of your beautiful avatar ring - it's just e-ver-y-thing as far as I'm concerned: such beauty, originality and class!

Hi @bling_dream19 :wavey: Thank you! My precious charms have finally found their ultimate resting place. I absolutely love it and am pleased to have it in my collection; it definitely holds its own amongst some very precious and meaningful pieces. <3
 

SandyK

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Apr 9, 2016
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697
This is incredible @mrs-b !! I have never liked charm bracelets before but I am dying over this one -- you should seriously start your own line for completely reimagined charm jewelry. It's kind of boring to look at most modern jewelry lines because they don't actually have any unique ideas or designs - you could blow the competition out of the water :)
 
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