The charm bracelets originated in Italy. Those bracelets used a high quality stainless steel for the charm link bases, usually with 18K gold charms soldered on top.
Manufacturers around the world began to produce similar bracelets, but often use lower quality components.
There are three basic sizes of starter charm bracelets:
- Small bracelets have 17 charm links
- Medium have 18 links
- Large have 19
You can add or subtract links to make any size, but most women fall into one of the three basic size categories.
Zoppini and Nomination are two popular makes of Italian charm bracelets. Disney has a line too, made by Reflorence. Most charms are interchangeable with bracelets made by different manufacturers.
Pricing varies. You can expect to pay more for Italian charms made with high quality stainless steel and 18K gold--in the range of $15 to about $50. Most retailers offer a free starter bracelet if you purchase a certain number of charms.
Forzieri has an easy to use "bracelet builder" page. Choose the number of links you want on your bracelet then select charms to see exactly how the finished bracelet will look.
