Lot 264 in The Pedestal’s February auction was an impressive English curb link and diamond padlock bracelet, from which over 20 gold charms were suspended. It was fascinating to attempt to piece together the stories behind these charms, which dated from the late ‘50s to the early 1960s. The slippers, cat, acrobat couple and clown seem to evoke personal memories, whereas the passport, rickshaw and camera hint at overseas travel, with the chequebook, treasure chest and half sovereign possibly symbolising good fortune.
The wearing or carrying of small personal objects can be traced to the earliest of times, and were perceived as guarding the individual against bad luck, wild animals and enemies. In the prehistoric era such items could be made from shells, animal bones and clay, and later on gems, rocks and wood are seen. In Ancient Egypt charms were used for identification and symbols of faith and luck, and also helped to identify the wearer to gods in the afterlife. The faience ibex showing here, dating from 1550-1295 BC, might be caught as if crouching behind a bush during a hunt, he seems to be focused on listening for and sniffing out a hunter and his dogs. The ancient Egyptians considered the ibex to be a good-luck charm and a symbol of renewal, and ibex figures often decorated New Year’s gifts. The ibex is pierced horizontally and would fit into a ring.
Medieval knights carried charms into battle, they were also worn in the Middle Ages to denote family origin, along with religious and political convictions. Up until the mid-1800s charms would have been handmade but with the developments in manufacturing seen in the Industrial Revolution, a wider audience had the chance to purchase a diverse range of affordable jewels and decorative charm bracelets became a reasonable, everyday item of jewellery.
The powerful influence of Queen Victoria’s personal style is well recorded, and she played a significant role in shaping and setting fashions throughout her long reign. Victoria wore her gold charm bracelet constantly, it would been visible during her official and private engagements as well as being captured in paintings and photographs. It features sixteen oval and heart shaped lockets, enamelled in black on gold, some of these are set with jewels and others are engraved and several bear inscriptions, one piece is a miniature photograph of male head. It was a deeply personal item and Victoria left instructions that on her death it was not to be passed down through the family but should be placed with other jewels from her personal collection in the ‘Albert Room’, the room in which Prince Albert had passed away in 1861 at Windsor Castle.
A couple of decades after Queen Victoria’s death Art Deco’s ground-breaking designs were weaving their magic through much of the world’s creative output, and diamonds and platinum were increasingly used in charm bracelets, as they were also seen in much of the fine jewellery produced at the time. This fine bracelet by Cartier, circa 1925, is designed as a series of curved links, each set with four brilliant-cut diamonds with circular link spacers, from which thirteen gem-set charms are suspended. Whereas charm bracelets typically and captivatingly feature charms in various sizes and designs, invariably collected over a number of years, this piece is by contrast noticeably harmonious and looks to have been created with a final design in mind. Some charms are set with diamonds only, and others feature precious stones and materials to highlight a detail, as with the diamond rabbit nibbling on a coral carrot, or as with the diamond horse whose eye is picked out with a red ruby.
The Duchess of Windsor’s platinum chain bracelet set with diamonds and strung with nine gem-set crosses by Cartier is perhaps one of if not the most famous charm bracelet of the 20th century. Of all the pieces in the Duchess’s remarkable jewellery collection it is the piece she probably wore most often. It is seen in many photographs and of course was worn on the day of her wedding, at the Château de Candé in 1937. Wallis chose a pale blue ensemble for the headline-grabbing event, a subtle backdrop for the precious stones set in the crosses, notably sapphires, emeralds, aquamarines, rubies and amethyst, so allowing them to shine. Along with an impeccable provenance the bracelet traced key events in the early years of the couple’s public and private lives, each cross is inscribed with a few words and dated, the first of these reads ‘WE are too 25-XI-34’. The bracelet has been much admired, the singer and actress Madonna being one of its most high-profile fans, she commissioned Cartier to create a copy for her film W.E (released in 2011) given the importance of the piece in the life of the Duchess.
Mamie Eisenhower (1896-1979), the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, was known for her pearl chokers, button earrings and charm bracelets, and the bracelet showing here combines not only notable milestones in her own life, but also those in 20th century history. A heart commemorates the time the couple first met in 1915; a relatively simple gold circle engraved ‘June 6, 1944’ bears a cut-out ‘D Day’, recognising the role Eisenhower played in giving the order to commence the mass invasion of Europe, and a gold rectangle engraved with the New York Herald Tribune masthead bears the headline, ‘Eisenhower Landslide’, and is dated November 1952. It is quite remarkable that these charms representing such significant events are in gold only, not a single one features gem stones. However, it could very well be that although she was partial to designer clothes, Mamie Eisenhower understood she was living and needed to be seen to be living in an era of prudence and personal sacrifice and so she commissioned her charms accordingly.
The charm bracelet was firmly back in the spotlight in the 1950s and 60s, when it was the jewel of choice for Hollywood actresses. Global media was dominated with coverage of the stars’ glamorous lifestyles, their couture wardrobes and notorious liaisons, and the stories behind their choice of charms fuelled further intrigue and speculation. In the 2011 auction, The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor: The Legendary Jewels, five charm bracelets owned by the actress were offered, with the one showing here realising 10 times its pre-sale estimate. The polished and textured circular-link bracelet would have stood alone itself as a fine item of jewellery but it was almost obscured by the twenty charms it carried which brought its total weight to over a quarter of a kilo. Charms with messages from Raymond Vignale, Taylor and Burton’s Private Secretary, and Gaston Sanz, the couple’s bodyguard, chauffeur and confidante feature alongside a ball-shaped locket with the names and birthdays of Taylor’s four children, with a gold director’s slate for her 1967 film The Taming of the Shrew in which she starred with Richard Burton. In early 1959 Taylor had converted to Judaism, and several charms reference her faith.
In the 1980s, the decade known for big hair and oversized shoulder pads, Chanel produced this large, five-logo gold plated bracelet. Ironically, Chanel turned the idea of a bracelet furnished with personal charms on its head, the wearer might be demonstrating their love for Chanel, but they’re also advertising the brand, albeit with a nod to the historic opening of Chanel’s first boutique on the fashionable Rue Cambon in 1921.
In more recent times, charm bracelets are often to be found residing in drawers, rather than worn on the wrist. But, unlike most other items of jewellery, charm bracelets are totally unique and incredibly flexible, as antique examples can be updated with charms of greater relevance to the current owner. Individual old gold charms are also in demand, and can be worn as single pendants or in groups on gold chains. The designer Annina Vogel ‘re-imagines’ vintage charms in many forms of jewellery, in addition to the bracelet, and the forthcoming auction on 30 April includes a group of individual charms (lot 265, est. £200-300 +fees) which could be worn in a variety of ways, as well as a charm bracelet with ten charms from the 1960s (lot 264, est. £500-700 +fees).
We would be delighted to provide an auction valuation for your charm bracelet and for groups of individual gold charms.
Contact us: valuations@thepedestal.com | +44 (0)207 281 2790
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Fine & Decorative Interiors including Jewellery & Silver, Tuesday 30 April, 1pm | View the full auction catalogue here | Browse the page-turning catalogue on issuu.com