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. 

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. 

 

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. 

The Love Letter Charm Bracelet II

This bracelet sold a little while ago, but it was (and is) one of my personal favorites, so I couldn't resist making another similar one.

I found another vintage mailbox charm online (shown in the smaller photo) that has flowers on it rather than hearts, but other than that the bracelet will be the same as the one in the large photo above.  

 I'm not the kind of person who gets all mushy about the "good old days," with one exception: In the old days, people WROTE LETTERS, including love letters. 

Be honest now, when was the last time you received a love letter? Not an e-mail. Not a text message. An honest-to-goodness real letter written on paper with a pen and mailed to you through the U.S. postal service?

I will confess that the last love letters I received were written in the 1980s, and I still have them, tucked away. I treasure them, even though I no longer love the man who wrote them. 

 If you decide to give your sweetie this "Love Letter Charm Bracelet," give it with the promise of love letters to come in the future. I would also suggest that you pick up a copy of the book "Griffin & Sabine, A Extraordinary Correspondence," as part of your gift. 

The bracelet has two strands: a chain of carnelian rondelles (that's the shape) linked with jump rings, and a chain with tiny hearts as the links. The charm itself is "vintage," although I don't think it is all that old. it is sterling silver, and it opens and closes.

The bracelet is a standard 7 1/2 inches long. All the chain and wire, and the toggle, are sterling silver, as is the charm, of course. The bracelet is one of a kind. 

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

Please e-mail me with any questions: jeanne.sather@gmail.com

Photo: @ Monica Strasen 2010.  

Design and text: @ Jeanne Sather 2010.