Charm bracelets have always been a popular item of jewellery, particularly because of their immensely customizable nature. Very few pieces of jewellery offer the kind of infinite customizability that gold bracelets do. This aspect is particularly important for people who value the opportunity for creativity in their jewellery; for example, a person who travels all over the world can buy single gold charms in every city or country that they visit, in the process creating a piece of jewellery that not only reflects an embrace of global culture but also the sophistication of the wearer. This kind of opportunity is unique to charm bracelets; you cannot, for example, customize a gold ring in the same way.
Of course, there are further options for personalization. An important thing to note is that there are many variations on charm bracelets. There is the classic link bracelet, which caters to the traditional and the kinesthete; on the other hand, for those who value the visual aesthetic of their gold jewellery, there is the Italian charm bracelet, with its flat charms. These are only the two most popular – there are other styles as well.
Another way to personalize the design of your bracelet, excluding the charms, is to have the bracelet itself made from an unusual material. The white gold charm bracelet, for example, are a more subtle and understated take on the classic charm bracelet, and can also look stunning in the Italian charm bracelet style, since the luster of white gold lends itself very well to smooth flat charms.
Some people, however, do not like white gold – this is not an issue, as there are many other kinds of gold available. In particular, 9ct gold charm bracelets are very popular. They are preferred to purer kinds of gold, in fact; this is because any higher purity than 9 or perhaps 14k gold charm bracelet stands a risk of suffering damage from regular wear, as gold is a very soft metal, particularly in its purer incarnations. As a result, a 9ct gold charm bracelet will last longer than, say, one made of 18 carat gold.
An unbelievable thing that people often overlook is the incredible variety of charms available. There are practically an infinite number of charms in circulation – things ranging from national flags to countries to an infinite variety of hearts and other shapes, cars, horseshoes, animals, landmarks and pretty much anything else you can think of. The Italian style is a particularly lovely innovation – Italian charms are tiled, forming a flat bracelet that stretches around your wrist. These are a bit expensive, but most people consider them worth the price – not only because of the outstanding craftsmanship and warranties/assurances you get from jewellers, but also because of the absolutely fantastic visual impact that they portray.
However, some purists find the Italian style too oversimplified. These people turn instead to classic bracelets, and augment them with gold charms instead. Gold charms for bracelets are seldom seen in real life, but are quite a lovely sight. Gold is a very visually pleasing metal; it gleams, and the charms gleam as well, meaning the movement on your wrist will catch the eyes of everyone in the room. A very overlooked item, gold charm bracelets have recently started coming back into fashion. Already, the magazine world has started advertising them in droves, and they are making a visible appearance on the wrists of ladies from New York to Milan.
Charm bracelets are not limited to a particular karat, in the U.K. for example you will find mostly 9 carat (not the difference in spelling for hallmarks in the U.K.), this includes Ireland, Scotland and England. Italy uses a wider variety of gold i.e. 10k, 14k and 18k for their items. Most Italians prefer 18k, the rest is normally exported. In North America 10k, 14k and 18k are seen but 10 & 14 are more common place.