Silver Charms

Sterling Silver Charms : a Full Range

There are thousands of sterling silver charms to choose from online and it can be difficult to know what to pick for the best. This guide aims to outline the various choices you have so that you can pick the best charms for you. Here are the key factors :-

1. The Look You Want

Do you want to hang a couple of charms from a bracelet or necklace or a whole collection of charms. If you are using just a couple choose quality charms which mean a lot to you with higher end pricing. If you want to build your bracelet “en masse” you will probably need to go quantity over quality. Just make sure you choose a few special charms which will “stand out from the crowd” to give your bracelet or necklace a unique look.

2. Color

You can buy charms which are totally made of sterling silver or you can buy those which have a coating or pattern of colored enamel. You can also buy silver bracelet charms encrusted with colored stones. You can either go for the plain “go with anything look”, choose a bohemian multi-colored look with different colored charms and stones or choose a mixture of plain slver and one color to go with a particular set of clothes. If you add colored charms you may be wise to have a way of easily detaching them. That way you can wear your bracelet with any color when you choose.

Silver Italian Handbag Charm (Click image for details)

Silver Italian Handbag Charm (Click image for details)

3. How You will Use Your Charms

Designers have started to use silver charms not just as jewelry attached to a bracelet but also on many other items. The main innovation here has been the creation of charms with clips which can be hooked on anywhere and as a result you will find them attached to cell phones, key rings, earrings and bags as well as bracelets and necklaces. If you are going to use your charms like this make sure they are fitted with the necessary clips (or buy the clips separately).

4. Traditional or New

Traditional sterling silver charms come in all sorts of shapes and you will get tons of choice if you shop online. (My local jewelry store was able to offer a choice of 8. Five minutes online and I swear I saw 800 silver charms to choose from). Alongside the traditional charms, there are also those mentioned previously which have pretty enamel coating or which have been encrusted with precious or semi precious stones. And now there are some completely new types of silver charm :-

Silver Bead charms

Bead charms are an interesting alternative to clip on traditional charms. They are threaded onto a thin chain bracelet rather than dangling from links yet you still choose individual silver beads to make up a totally unique bracelet. The beads are different shapes and sizes and are decoarted in different ways. Some are enameled. Some are encrusted with stones and some are just plain silver. A great choice if you’re looking for something a bit different from a normal charm bracelet but like the idea of your bracelett being different from every other one. The main brands to look out for with these bead type charm bracelets include Pandora Beads and Troll Beads.

Silver Italian Charms

Italian charms are also very different in the way they link together from the traditional style of silver charm. They first gained popularity in Italy and Europe hence their name. Italian charms clip onto an expandable bracelet rather than dangle from it. But again you choose each charm individually and make up a bracelet which is just for you.

How Much Should You Pay For Silver Charms?

You can buy charms for all kinds of prices but how much should you really pay to get value for money? You can buy cheap silver charms for just a few dollars but take care that you are buying sterling silver and not fake silver charms. If you are looking for something you’ll want to wear forever you don’t want to fall in love with ones which will peel or go dull and fall to bits in no time.

Sterling silver charms can be purchased for very reasonable sums online so there is no need to go for fakes. The price of the charm will depend on how much silver has gone into making it and how much detailed work there is on it. Just take the time to compare a few different silver charms and you will see the differences. Most charms cost around $8 to $20 dollars online and a lot more in stores so it’s worth doing a bit of digging around on the web.

Also look at the way the charms fasten to your bracelet or necklace or other items.

Sterling Silver Four Leaf Clover Charm (Click Image for Details)

Sterling Silver Four Leaf Clover Charm (Click Image for Details)

Do they need additional sterling silver jump or split rings so that they can be attached or do they come with an integral clip so that they can be easily attached to any item? It’s nice to be able to move your charms around different items of jewelry such as pendants and also use them as bag and mobile phone accessories or dangles. Some stores (online and off) will charge more for the attachments. You need to remember to add these into the cost.

If charms are encrusted with gemstones or crystals then you are also going to pay more as there is the price of the stone and also the work that goes into setting it. You have to take all that into account in the final price.

And, of course you will usually pay more for big name type charms. You can buy Tiffany silver charms and Pandora beads. There are branded charms too from Links of London. If you buy these make sure that they are genuine. For example, Links of London charms will be stamped with the brand. If you are paying more you want the real thing.

I think the best way to decide how much to pay is to shop around until you find a store or website you trust which has a good selection of silver charms you love at what seem to be reasonable prices and then to pay for charms which you think are worth the money after having done your research. A charm is only worth the money if it is worth it to you. You are not going to melt your silver charm down and turn it back into a block of metal. You want the charm itself after all. So just check that you love the design, its from a genuine site and it seems to be value for money and go for it.

You will find a huge selection of silver charms here on Amazon. Take a look at their selection.