Charm Bracelets vs Charm Necklaces
Joanne's Charm Necklace in Gold Shows Each Individual Charm
The good, the bad and the ugly of charm bracelets. Charm bracelets are so full of love and memories and cute little jewelry treasures. That's the good news. The bad news is they catch on things, rip your nylons, wreck your sweaters, (the ugly!) scratch your key board and get in the way. What's a girl to do?
In this post I'll show you why charm necklaces are cool and share a wonderful way to get versatility from your charm necklace in the length department. I'll also just celebrate the awesomeness of charm bracelets and necklaces.
Three Reasons You Might Convert to a Charm Necklace
Debbie's Beautiful Charm Necklace From Two Charm Bracelets
1. People can see your charms more easily and enjoy them more
2. As a necklace you leave behind the negatives of wearing a charm bracelet
3. You are more likely to wear and enjoy your charms if they are on a necklace.
The Classic Charm Necklace
In the classic charm necklace I remove the close together charms and redistribute them in a more spaced out way, along the longer length of the charm necklace. See Joanne's charm necklace at the top of the post.
A very popular length is to make your charm necklace is 24" which generally hits above the mid point of the breast.
A Very Versatile Charm Necklace!
Notice the Little Clasp at the Center, Which Hides When She Wears the Necklace
When I visited my client Mindy she was wearing a very cool charm necklace. She showed me how she shortens it. I loved it and had to share this great idea with you.
She combined two charm bracelets with no change in charm position to start with. She just used her lobster clasp to connect to the second bracelet. That's a very easy thing to do.
Wearing a Charm Necklace Long or Short, Your Choice!
Using a thin long chain and a large end ring that allows the chain to come back through it, you have a recipe for versatility in necklace length for a beautiful charm necklace.
Lengthening or Shortening a Charm Necklace the Mindy Way
The Long Version of This Charming Necklace
Having choices with the length of chain you wear opens up the possibilities for what clothes you can wear that necklace with.
Using Mindy's long chain that connects to the combined charm bracelets this charming necklace gets twice as many opportunities to be worn.
When the Lengthening Chain is Doubled, It Halves the Length of This Charm Necklace
The great thing about Mindy's necklace is its versatility. If she decided she wanted to wear one of the charm bracelets as a bracelet only again, she can do that by removing the long chain where it connects to the charm bracelet clasp.
How Mindy Cuts the Length in Half.
Do You Have a Charm Bracelet You're Not Wearing Enough?
It may need new charms to liven it up and add to its cuteness or it may need to be more comfortable and convenient to wear. Here's what EHow has to say about charm bracelets.
What is So Special About Charm Jewelry?
Joyce Collected Persian Seals for Her Daughter While Living Overseas. They're Now a Beloved Charm Necklace
Charm bracelets and charm necklaces are the most personal statement of your likes, your loves, your favorite places and things.
A charm bracelet or necklace can be one of the most cherished family heirlooms as it reminds family members of trips and milestones in a life well lived.
Charm Necklaces Are Fantastic
If you're not wearing your charm bracelet enough....think about the idea of converting it into a charm necklace. "Wear it Don't Warehouse it!"
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla Gold
I never thought of wearing a charm bracelet as a necklace. Or even of wearing a charm necklace, for that matter. I envisioned it to be very gaudy, but you’ve proven me wrong. It looks great as a statement piece while also, like you said, making a statement about yourself. I love thinking about other unexpected ways to wear my accessories, so thank you for this!
Hi Lisa,
It makes my day to see someone consider a new viewpoint about jewelry in general, but especially charm necklaces!
Calla
This is such a clever way to turn an otherwise unnoticeable, snagging, noisy and outdated piece of jewelry into a trendy, cute, eye-catching, conversation-starting sparkle to wear around the neck! Absolutely CHARMING! Such a great idea!
Lisa,
I love your CHARMING comment! It is much appreciated! You make me so glad I wrote about charm bracelets and charm necklaces!
Calla
My mom wants to buy a gold necklace for my sister’s Birthday next week. I like the second charm bracelet picture you shared the flower looks cute on it. Thank you for the advice on gold necklaces. I’ll share these pictures with my mom so she can have an idea o what type of necklace to gift my sister.
Hello Jay,
Thank you for helping your mom find the right gift for your sister. Flowers are always a great motif in jewelry to give as a gift. Because it’s like you’re saying that having that person in your life is a special as a flower. And I don’t know about you, but I love flowers.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla
I have tried to think of a way to do this with my charm bracelet for decades. I had several costume charm necklaces from the early 2000s. My real 14k bracelet is chunky, big and the Eiffel tower has sharp edges that are very uncomfortable. Plus I constantly worry about breaking it. It just kills me to think of a jeweler lopping off the clasp to my beloved bracelet although I have to admit I don’t even love the clasp all that much. It is the very typical slide clasp with side locking arm you see on most double loop… Read more »
Dear Kathy,
Your idea of finding another chain and putting on the male or female clasp parts to mate with your chunky bracelet is a good idea. You’ll find it will look more seamless if you pick a chain that’s not too thin. If you’ll put charms onto the connecting chain, I think you’ll be pleased with the look. Knowing you can wear it as a bracelet alone on the holidays or special occasions would probably give you the freedom to go for it. I hope you love the result.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla
Calla, It is Kathy T again. I still haven’t done it yet but I am going to start hunting down the right anchor chain. I am usually not attracted to them but I must admit that the bracelet conversion on the top of the page is gorgeous. I could take charms from my bracelet and add it to the top part or buy news ones which would be fun too.. Would it be difficult to find a slide clasp that would be compatible with mine? That is the expense that frightens me the most. I live in the middle of… Read more »
Hi Kathy, Thank you for explaining what you’d like. I’m not sure what you mean by slide clasp. Chances are that a good jeweler could order that clasp style if it is a normal stock clasp, attach it to your new chain and then you could put on your charm bracelet. That would convert it to the length of a necklace. Having the same clasps would allow you to then remove it and wear it again as a charm bracelet when you felt like it. I’m sorry to hear that your carved coral ring was damaged. Chances are that the… Read more »