Charmed Bracelets

Love & Marriage & Baby Carriage

The wooden doll you see here is the very first doll I ever owned. (She never had a name.)

Somewhere, my mother has a black-and-white Kodak snapshot of me holding the doll upside down and chewing on it. I think I was less than a year old.

The doll came back to me not all that long ago (maybe 15 years ago), when my mother was cleaning house.

She usually hangs from the knob on my bedroom door, and sometimes she models for photos, like this one. 

The jewelry she is draped in is from a group I call "Love & Marriage & Baby Carriage." Two of these bracelets are still available. I snatched the baby mug off the bracelet on the left to make a necklace for a new mother. 

If you suddenly want that bracelet and no other, e-mail me and I will see if I can find a similar baby cup. These were a popular charm in the 1950s, when women got all domestic.

Regardless of your feelings about the 1950s, it is a very cute charm.

See: Newborn on a Doctor's Scale

Baby Shoe Bracelet

Baby Carriage

Photos: @ Monica Strasen 2010.

@ Jeanne Sather 2011.  

Newborn on a Doctor's Scale

 This is the most unusual charm in my entire "Love & Marriage (& Baby Carriage)" collection--It's a sterling silver "mechanical" charm of a newborn baby on an old-fashioned doctor's scale. 

"Mechanical" means that the charm has moving parts, and this scale tips back and forth between the weight of the baby on one side and the weights on the other. 

 The charm is sterling silver and was made in England in the 1960s. It would be the perfect gift for a new mother, or for a pediatrician, or--even better--a new mother who happens to be a pediatrician. 

The bracelet has two strands: a string of rose quartz beads and a sterling silver chain with heart-shaped links. It closes with an adjustable toggle clasp and should fit most wrists. 

It is one of a kind. 

Price: $140. The price includes taxes, postage, and insurance to U.S. destinations. 

Questions: E-mail me: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

Photos: @ Monica Strasen 2010. 

Design and text: @ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

Baby Shoe Bracelet

 This one-of-a-kind bracelet with its delightful sterling baby shoe is the perfect gift for a new mother. 

I've always loved baby shoes. There is something so tender and appealing about their chubby shape and small size, and this little shoe is very well made, right down to the laces! 

The baby shoe is a vintage charm that dates to the 1940s or '50s, when such charms were very popular. 

The bracelet has two strands, one is a length of sterling silver chain, the other is a chain that I made with peach moonstones, jump rings, and sterling silver wire. 

It closes with a toggle clasp, and has a peach crystal for a little extra sparkle. 

The bracelet is a standard 7 1/2 inches long, but let me know if you need it either longer or shorter as I can adjust it for you. 

Price: $130. The price includes taxes, postage, and insurance to U.S. mailing addresses. 

Questions? E-mail me: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

Photos: @ Monica Strasen 2010. 

Design and text: @ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

More Charms: Love & Marriage (& Baby Carriage)

Here are some of the charms in my new "Love & Marriage (&  Baby Carriage)" series of jewelry. 

The baby's sterling silver mug is a tiny version of the classic new baby gift. It is a beautifully made charm from charm maker Beau Sterling. 

As I searched for charms that fit the theme, I focused on finding ones that were whimsical and playful, but also sweet.  

I've always loved baby shoes. There is something so tender and appealing about their chubby shape and small size. 

This little shoe is very well made, right down to the laces! 

I'm working on these pieces of jewelry now, and expect to have several bracelets and necklaces up on this Web site by early next week.

I'm using turquoise, peach moonstones, and rose quartz in the various pieces. 

See also: Love & Marriage (& Baby Carriage)

Photos:  Monica Strasen. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

Love & Marriage (& Baby Carriage)

 I've been having fun recently designing jewelry around various themes. I'm calling this series "Love & Marriage (&  Baby Carriage)" and I've found some very special vintage charms that fit the theme.

The charms include a beautifully made baby shoe, a heart that opens to show an embracing couple, and a sterling baby cup with "BABY" on the side. All of these vintage charms are sterling silver. Most are 1960s or older. 

The baby carriage charm in the photo was handmade in the 1940s, and it has moving parts. Both the cover on the carriage and the tiny wheels move. 

The most unusual charm in this group comes from England. It is a baby on an old-fashioned doctor's scale. The tiny baby is on one side of the scale, the weights on the other. The 1970s sterling silver charm is a "mechanical" one, which means that it has moving parts. In this case, the scale tips from side to side. 

One of these pieces would be the perfect gift for a new bride or a new mom ... or a gift for yourself, if you happen to be a mom!

See also:

Newborn on a Doctor's Scale

For a Proud Mother

The Love & Marriage Necklace(s)

And Here's the Baby Carriage

More Charms: Love & Marriage (& Baby Carriage)

Even More Charms: Love & Marriage (& Baby Carriage)

Photo: Monica Strasen.

@ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

A Gift for a New Baby

I put this post at the top in honor of my friend Ute's new granddaughter, Greta. I'll be making Greta a bracelet like this as soon as I get home from London. 

 I am old enough (55) that when I was born the hospital gave me a baby bracelet of pink beads with ABC beads spelling out my name. 

My mother kept that bracelet, as I'm sure most mothers did. It was a cherished keepsake. 

Well, these days babies get plastic wrist bands, and it's just not the same. 

I met a young couple recently who have a new baby, a sweet little girl only five weeks old, and I wanted to give them a gift for the baby, so I made a baby bracelet. 

It turned out well, I think, and they seemed pleased when I gave it to them today, along with a baby hat that I had knitted. 

It's just pale pink seed beads with the letters of the baby's name, and a heart-shaped sterling silver clasp. I had to guess at her wrist size--I kept holding up my thumb for comparison--but I think I got it pretty close. The construction is very sturdy and shouldn't break easily, but if you do put jewelry on a baby only do so during times you are with the baby. I wouldn't put a baby down to sleep with jewelry on, for example, just in case. 

If you'd like a baby bracelet for a new baby, or for the baby's mom, e-mail me and let me know if you want pink or blue and give me the baby's name: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

Price: $35, which includes taxes, postage, and insurance to U.S. destinations. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2010.