A Short History of Charms and Charm Bracelets

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If you’ve been asking how much are Pandora bracelets, the cost ranges anywhere from as little as $30 on up to $1400 and beyond depending on the style and the number of charms you add to the piece over time. 2014 Pandora Charms vary widely in style and price, adding personal excitement to the idea that can make your own Pandora bracelet.
The concept and history of charm bracelets dates further back than you might imagine and is quite rich. The original purpose of a charm is thought to have been as a sort of amulet, helping the wearer to avoid bad luck and repel evil. In pre-historic times, charms were fashioned from the bones of small animals, clays and seashells. Later, folks began making them with wood, natural gemstones and rocks. Looking back at African history we see that shells were worn as jewelry nearly 80,000 years ago. The Germans wore charms from mammoth tusks, and in Egypt, charms took on spiritual significance, as a means for identifying one’s faith after they pass on.
Christians were known to hide charms shaped as fishes within their clothing during the Roman Empire as a means of declaring faith, while Jews took written passages of their own laws and scriptures and tucked them into amulets to be worn around the neck. By doing this, they kept their faith close to their hearts.
Bracelets for charms began to crop up between 600 and 400 B.C., worn by Persians, Babylonians and Assyrians. Queen Victoria made fashion of charm bracelets, a trend that caught on with the noble classes.
Tiffany and Co., known the world over, introduced their prototype for their enduring line of charm bracelets in the 1880’s, selling their first “dangling heart” charm in 1889. Moving into the early to mid 1900’s, diamonds and platinum became frequent additions to charm bracelets.
The second World War saw an influx of stylized, international charm designs brought home by soldiers for family and friends, and eventually a teen craze took off in the 1950’s, fueled by movie and pop stars of the time.
The question to concern yourself with isn’t really “How much are Pandora bracelets?” so much as “How much sentimental value will the bracelet have for someone after they add charms to it for several years?”

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