When my mother was in high school the trend was, not just charm bracelets, but a specific charm bracelet. The girls exchanged silver hearts. My mother had two of these charm bracelets, both full of hearts, no two alike except for one heart of which there are three. Most of them have the giver’s name or initials engraved on the back. I tried in vain to get a picture of the back of one with the name but no luck.
After our mother died Pam had Mother’s charm bracelets and her own charm bracelet, since they were still a thing when we were growing up and even when my daughter was in middle school so I suppose they still are a thing for girls, arranged in a shadowbox that she hung on the wall. Several months after Pam died I began to wonder what had happened to our mother’s charm bracelets. I didn’t recall seeing them after she moved into the house across the street which made me try and remember when the last time was I had seen them. I don’t remember seeing them in the yellow house where she lived before she moved over here. So I started asking her daughters and granddaughters if they had them as I would like to have at least one of them. No one had them or had any idea what had happened to them and so I gave them up for lost. And then about three weeks ago I got a text from Denny with a picture. She had put something in her safe and poked around to see what all was in there and she found one of them. Her mother had sent her one and she had completely forgotten she had it or even when she received it. So she sent it to me and we assumed her sister had the other one and had also forgotten she had it.
I had been planning on doing a post about the bracelet but just hadn’t yet so when Linda Sue did her post on Saturday about her mother’s charm bracelet I went in search of the one I had in middle school and high school. When I opened the box it was in, there was the other silver heart bracelet. I had completely forgotten I had it and also when Pam gave it to me. So now I have both my mother’s charm bracelets.
This is mine.
All but a few were given to me by my parents. The scissors (they open) because I was very into sewing and making my own clothes, a dollar bill folded up in a box so that I will never be broke, a heart with a pearl, a bull for the summer my sister and I spent 3 weeks in Mexico with friends of our parents, a Christmas stocking that opens and Santa pops out, a little cameo from a pair of earrings that I lost one of, a heart with a key that maybe a boyfriend gave me, an ivory elephant because ?, a circle with 13 for my 13th birthday, a drunk leaning on a lamppost for the summer I spent 2 weeks in New Orleans with friends of my parents when I was supposed to be getting painting lessons from the artist father that neither of us were interested in doing, a paint pallet because art (all but two of the enameled colors are gone), and a Texas Tech charm that I guess my sister gave me from the year she went to college there.
The charm bracelets are wonderful. I have my two from the Fifties and Sixties and one of the two my father gave my mother. The one I have has charms that refer specifically to their courtship in the early Forties, while the other, in my sister’s possession, is more general. That second bracelet has a mad money box like yours, that I found endlessly fascinating as a child; it was a gift from my grandfather who didn’t live to see my parents married. Margaret
ReplyDeleteBoth sets of bracelets are simply incredible, and the hearts especially so. There are 34 different charms, so possibly 34 girls were involved. I am boggled at the inventory that had to be made available for these youngsters to indulge in this exchange.
ReplyDeleteSweet bracelets! I am so glad that they were found- so worth keeping safe! Thanks for posting them! Lovely to see.
ReplyDeleteI love the hearts! I never had those kind of friendships in highschool. I got married when I was 15 for reasons too complicated to get into (not pregnant) and that man was an abuser and manipulator. I have formed close friendships in my adult life, but I sometimes feel like I missed out. When my mother died, Daddy gave me all her jewelry. Nothing of great monetary value. I think the only piece she had that had value was a string of pearls that I gave her for a birthday. She gave them away to make sure I wouldn't have them when she was gone. We had a very strange relationship. Before my dad died she gave me all of the wedding ring sets he had given to my mom over the years and I treasure them. I gave one set to my daughter-in-law when they married. My son had to translate into Spanish how special the token was and we both cried. I like her that much!
ReplyDeleteI love all of it, the stories behind them must be wonderful. Treasures all of them.
ReplyDeleteIn my childhood family, especially by my mother and grandmothers, these bracelets were considered trash and so we didn't even dare ask for it or get involved with other girls who had them. The same opinion was pushed about earrings - common - and basically anything sparkly or shiny, the good stuff in other words. These memories make me shake my fists.
I remember these charm bracelets. My starter wife had one and since I used to travel fairly extensively on business hers was filled with mementos representative of the places I visited. I think they must have gone out of style, for I know of no one who wears one now. Perhaps they would feel dated if they did.
ReplyDeleteMy mother had the hearts too! And in fact, I have a few of them on my own charm bracelet and a necklace that has charms on it. I should polish them both up and wear them.
ReplyDeleteSo sweet that you found these, Ellen.
What fun! I have a charm bracelet somewhere but I lost interest in the whole thing pretty quickly. I'll have to see if I can track it down.
ReplyDeleteThose heart charms are so sweet! I mentioned on Linda Sue's post that I have 2 charm bracelets but haven't worn them for years and years. I will have to leave some info on the charms so my daughter will know the stories behind them...
ReplyDeleteThis is shoreacres - I'm waiting at the tire place and can't remember my google password. Your bracelets are so cool. I had one and can't remember what happened to it. I remember it had a clarinet, a tiny globe from the 1964 world's fair, and a little wooden shoe . Now I wish I had it again, even though I haven't thought of it in years!
ReplyDeleteGreat story about the bracelets. I'm glad you finally tracked them down. Now just don't forget you have them! :)
ReplyDeleteI have mine from when I was younger. My grandmother always wore one; I would love to have had it. No idea where it ended up when she passed. Makes me so sad. But when I hear charms making that tinkling sound, I think of her even more.
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