Charmed Bracelets

1940s Lawn Mower Charm

This sterling silver lawn mower charm was made in the 1940s. It's a mechanical charm, which means it has moving parts.

Recently, I've been collecting sterling silver charms from this era that seem to symbolize a kind of retro, 1930s and 1940s domesticity--women wore aprons and cotton house dresses, canned their own fruit and vegetables, and decorated their kitchens with fabrics printed with lush fruit and flowers.

They also wore charm bracelets (with as many as 20 to 40 charms on one bracelet) with beautifully detailed charms of vacuum cleaners, toasters, bug sprayers, sewing machines, and more.

I wondered if women picked these charms as a not-so-subtle sign of domestic bondage ... but I've concluded that wasn't it.

Rather, they were in love with the new labor-saving devices--vacuum cleaners and pop-up toasters, for example--and that made them want these charms. 

For a true story that supports my thesis, see: 1940s Vintage Vacuum Cleaner Charm

The lawn mower has blades that turn and is less than an inch long. It is valued at about $30. I am happy to make you a bracelet or necklace with this charm: E-mail me and let me know what you'd like, bracelet or necklace, and we'll go from there. 

Note: I do not resell charms. I search for unusual charms to use on my one-of-a-kind bracelets and necklaces. 

 Read more: Retro Domesticity

See all the jewelry for sale in this group: Domesticity 

Also: Mechanical Charms

Photo: @ Monica Strasen 2011. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2011. 

 

Victorian Doll Charm

This adorable Victorian charm of a child's doll was made in about 1895.

It is a "puffed" charm, as opposed to solid silver, and has marvelous detailing, including a sweet face. The joints are part of the detail but don't actually move.

Valued at $75.

I haven't decided yet whether she should go on a necklace or a bracelet, alone or with other charms of the period such as a Victorian love token. See: Love Tokens

If you know that you want this charm, e-mail me fairly soon and that way you can have input on the necklace design. 

jeanne.sather@gmail.com

Note: I do not resell charms. I search for unusual charms to use in my one-of-a-kind bracelets and necklaces. 

I love these doll charms, but they are expensive, so I don't keep more than one in stock at a time. Here's another Victorian doll, this one with moveable joints, that I used on a bracelet: Victorian Jointed Doll

Let me know if you'd like me to watch for a jointed doll for you, or one in another metal than silver. Sometimes these charms are brass, and sometimes brass with gold plating over the brass. 

Photo: @ Monica Strasen 2011. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2011.

 

Cat in a Garbage Can

The last time I found a charm like this was 18 months ago. They don't appear very often, even on Sandy's wonderful site, Sandy's Vintage Charms, which is where I bought this one. 

This "mechanical" charm was made in the 1960s and is valued at about $45. The rare charm has an alley cat trying to get into a garbage can. When you open the lid, a fish skeleton pops up. 

This is what I made with the last charm like this that I bought: Animal Talk Rescue Auction

Animal Talk is the rescue that "gave" me Constant the Wonder Dog. I fostered him from the age of 3 weeks, bottle-feeding him at first (around the clock, pretty much). Once I'd had him a week I knew he was mine and I formally adopted him from the rescue at 8 weeks.

I've also fostered more litters of kittens than I can remember, or count, over the past nine or 10 years. I plan to get another litter of "bottle babies" soon. See my other blog: Kittens 

Most likely my first litter of the year will be two young kittens (not bottle babies) who need a foster home until April 3. I responded to an e-mail from the rescue asking for foster homes, but haven't heard back yet. I didn't have time to call Missy at the rescue today as I was busy with a variety of things, like teaching Japanese to my new neighbor, Sage. Sage is the most delightful 6-year-old, and he is really into learning Japanese. A little sponge, that's this boy's brain. 

I'm going to make a necklace for him with one of my old Japanese coins. He is going to love it. It will be a 5-sen coin from the 1920s, like the one in this photo: Asian Influences. The sen coins in any denomination are no longer made, not since WWII, I believe. 

Oh, I have one more sweet cat charm. It's like this charm of a mother and baby rabbit, except that it's a cat and kitten in the same cuddly pose. I waited a long time for this one, but they do pop up once in awhile on Sandy's site. And sell almost immediately. 

However, since Sandy's a friend (We met when I went to London with Younger Son last spring), she lets me know when she gets a charm she knows I want. 

See: Mother & Child Bracelet

I'm going to make a similar bracelet for the cat/kitten charm, except that I will use amber-colored vintage glass beads. I don't have a photo of the beads on my site yet, but they are very cool. Vintage, but somehow modern again.

Please e-mail me if you would like me to hold this bracelet for you. You don't pay anything until you see a photo of the finished bracelet and then commit to buy it.  

Are you new to this site? Please see: 

How to Use This Web Site

 

 

@ Jeanne Sather 2011.  

1940s Vintage Vacuum Cleaner Charm

This well-made little vacuum cleaner charm made me laugh when I first saw it.

Why, I wondered, would women want to wear charms of labor-saving devices on their wrists? 

Well, I seem to have figured out the answer to that question, with some help from Sandy, a vintage charm dealer in the UK.

We have concluded that women in the 1940s and 1950s loved these charms because they loved the labor-saving devices that they represented. 

Here is a story that perfectly proves my point: 

Recently, I was talking about my jewelry with a young woman named Abigail at Fusion Beads. And she told me a great story about her grandmother. 

Abigail said that her mother has been reading her grandmother's diary from when the grandmother was a young mother with three small children, and one day the grandmother wrote:

"Today is the best day of my life. Leon has bought me a vacuum cleaner."

 This sterling silver charm dates to the 1940s and is valued at about $30. I believe it was made in the U.S. 

The charm is not for sale on its own (I don't resell charms). But I am happy to design a bracelet or necklace for you using this charm. E-mail me and we can talk about your ideas for the design (and mine, of course): jeanne.sather@gmail.com

 

Photo: @ Monica Strasen 2010.

 

@ Jeanne Sather 2011. 

 

Custom Orders

The advantage of ordering a piece of jewelry before I make it, is that you get more input--exactly how long do you want the necklace to be? What kind of clasp do you want on the necklace or bracelet, and what kind of ear wires on the earrings?

All of that is negotiable.

Generally, a custom piece doesn't cost more than my other jewelry--it depends on the components you choose. Some of my charms are rather expensive, others are not.

Sterling silver chain and wire are getting more expensive all the time, so that affects the price as well. I just paid about $45 (plus tax) for an ounce of sterling silver wire. Not all that long ago, it was less than $30 an ounce. 

Faith, Hope, and Charity Bracelet

This bracelet in black onyx has been one of my most popular designs. 

I can make you a bracelet similar to the one in the photo. I have a "faith, hope, and charity" charm identical to the one pictured here, but I would have to use a different silver charm on the end of the extender chain. To order this bracelet: Faith, Hope, and Charity Bracelet

Here is a similar bracelet: 

Cat in a Trash Can

Queen Victoria Wore Garnets

Here's another very popular design. I've made several similar bracelets, and the price will vary slightly depending on the cost of the love token and also the Thai silver used in the cones and the toggle clasp. Price ranges from $140 to $150. To read more: Queen Victoria Wore Garnets

E-mail me to order: jeanne.sather@gmail.com 

Photos: @ Monica Strasen 2010.

Designs and text: @ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

More Vintage Shoe Charms

I've been collecting vintage shoe charms for almost two years, and I have a couple of design ideas in mind, which I will be proceeding with now that I have more than a dozen sterling silver shoe charms of all types. Most were made in the mid-1900s.

I plan to make a charm bracelet on a handmade chain with five or six shoe charms, and also some gemstone bracelets with just one shoe charm, and maybe one or two on simple sterling chains. 

Most of the charms above came from several different dealers on Ruby Lane, and others came from Sandy at Sandy's Vintage Charms

See also: Shoes

Photo: @ Monica Strasen 2010.

Text and designs: @ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

Coming Soon: Vintage Shoes

I've been collecting vintage shoe charms for about as long as I've been making jewelry, which is almost two years, and I have had a couple of design ideas in mind, which I will be proceeding with now that I have more than a dozen sterling silver shoe charms of all types. 

The charms are with my photographer this week, but I should have photos to post soon, and then individual pieces of jewelry after that. 

The boot with two mice above came from Sandy in England, Sandy's Vintage Charms, and I will be making a necklace with it, because it needs to be showcased a bit. Also, it's on the larger side among this group of shoe charms. 

If you know you are already interested, e-mail me and I will give you first rights of refusal on the pieces once they are done. There will be a charm bracelet on a handmade chain with five or six shoe charms, and also some gemstone bracelets with just one shoe charm, and maybe one or two on a simple sterling chain. 

Contact: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

 

Photo: @ Monica Strassen 2010.

@ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

 

 

Victorian Love Tokens

Most of the English love tokens that I've used in my jewelry are 3-pence coins, thin silver coins with portraits of Queen Victoria.

Now, Victoria reigned for decades, and it's fun to watch how she aged--and got plumper--as new coins were minted with updated portraits.

(I have a double chin now too, at age 56, so I identify with the older queen.)

My friend Sandy, my main source for vintage charms and love tokens, explained to me that there were three "Victoria heads."

The "young head," Sandy says, was used until 1887, but a bun was added to the design in 1860, which is useful in dating a love token if the date has been polished off the coin, as often happens.

Next came the "Jubilee head" which Sandy says was a middle-aged looking Victoria and used until 1893. Then came the "old head," which was used until the queen's death. 

Of course, the coins remained in circulation and continued to be used to make jewelry, as were coins with King Edward's portrait. I've had a few of these, but I don't find them as appealing as the Victorian love tokens.

Two of the four love tokens in the photo above is spoken for, both of the "young heads." The other two are available. E-mail me if you would like me to make you a bracelet or necklace with one of these. I think garnets or amethysts look wonderful with these coins, but crystals in a subtle shade are another possibility, as are pearls. 

I ORDERED ABOUT SIX MORE LOVE TOKENS, SOME OF THE YOUNG VICTORIA AND SOME OF THE MORE MATURE QUEEN. SO SPEAK UP IF YOU WANT A PIECE OF JEWELRY WITH A LOVE TOKEN, ESPECIALLY THE YOUNG VICTORIA ONES GO QUICKLY. 

This pearl choker would look beautiful with a love token added at the center: Megan Models the Pearl Choker.

Here are two other pieces that I made with love tokens that are for sale:

Romantic Love Token Necklace

Classic Love Token Necklace

I've made several similar garnet and love token bracelets, and they always sell very quickly. If you'd like a bracelet similar to this one, send me an e-mail:

Queen Victoria Wore Garnets

I've also been wanting to make a choker-length necklace with five or six strands of garnets and a love token. It would look pretty much like the bracelet, but longer, of course. Here's a necklace in that design with jade and agates: 

Romantic Necklace 

Feel free to start a conversation with me about how you want your jewelry to look, and also to fit. I enjoy working with my customers to give them exactly what they want. Women who have bought several pieces of jewelry from me seem to be very comfortable telling me exactly what length they want a bracelet or necklace to be, what kind of clasp they want, and so on.

I enjoy that give and take with my customers. Also, if the piece isn't quite right after you receive it, send it back for adjustments: Repairs and Adjustments 

The only thing I can't do for free is replace a vintage charm or love token, so if a charm should happen to come off, please keep track of it and mail it back to me for repairs. 

Here's the link to Sandy's Web site: Sandy's Vintage Charms

Photo: @ Monica Strasen 2010.

Designs and text: @ Jeanne Sather 2010.  

 

Two More Vintage Bible Charms

 The first vintage Bible charm that I had sold the very first day I posted it to my site, so I asked Sandy, at Sandy's Vintage Charms, if she had any more. 

She sold me three more, all slightly different, and of those I have two left. 

They were made in the 1960s by Nuvo, the well-known English charm maker, and are sterling silver. The Bibles open and have paper pages inside with the Lord's Prayer. 

I can make you either a necklace or a bracelet with one of these charms. I think the black onyx looks especially well with these religious charms. Here are a couple of examples:

Faith, Hope, and Charity Bracelet

Faith, Hope, and Charity Necklace

For a more feminine look, I could make a bracelet or necklace with rose quartz.  

Rose Quartz

Photo: @ Monica Strasen 2010. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2010. 

And Here's the Baby Carriage

 This tiny charm is a handmade sterling silver baby carriage, the latest addition to the jewelry that I'm calling the "Love & Marriage (& Baby Carriage)" line. 

Each piece is one-of-a-kind, and the charms--all vintage and all sterling silver--include baby shoes, a heart with an embracing couple inside, a baby cup, a mailbox meant for love letters only, and more. 

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

If you'd like me to make you a special necklace or bracelet with this sweet charm, just e-mail me: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

See more: Love & Marriage (& Baby Carriage)

Photo: @ Monica Strasen 2010. 

Text: @ Jeanne Sather 2010.