Customer Reviews

Charms and Charm Bracelets: The Complete Guide

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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I have every book there is on collecting charms and charm bracelets. This book is the best written, contains the best history, best advertisements, etc. The book has over 300 color pictures of charms, bracelets and advertisements. Unlike other books, this one gives equal time to both gold and silver charms and bracelets. You get a wonderful history of charms, charm bracelets and how they are made - decade by decade.

What really sold me on this lovely book is the fact that it has lots of additional information. There is an appendix explaining metal markings and one showing pictures of actual metal markings with explanations. You also get a nice glossary of frequently used terms, a bibliography, and a wonderful index.

If you want to know the history of charms and charm bracelets, their metal markings, and you can only get one book - get this one. This is great for collectors and for people who actually sell charms and bracelets. The author has done an outstanding job of compiling a lot of useful information and photographs in a wonderful, easy to read guide to the world of charms and charm bracelets.

Charms & Charm Bracelets: the Complete Guide is well researched and entertaining. This book gets it right! I read plenty of jewelry books and Charms & Charm Bracelets avoids most of my pet peeves. It is well organized and includes an accurate glossary, bibliography, and index. The photos are clear and well composed. Missing are photos that show more background than jewelry. You know the pictures I'm talking about. "Gee, is that an earring, bracelet, or waste processing plant?" Helpful information including measurements, prices, and circa dates is included in the captions. This is a fun and useful book.

Charms and Charm Bracelets: The Complete Guide is a price guide to charm bracelets from the 19th century to the present, illustrated with over 300 color photographs and featuring jewelry ranging in composition from gold to plastic. Written by an enthusiastic collector of antique jewelry, Charms and Charm Bracelets discusses techniques in making charms, trends in charm and jewelry making throughout the decades, factors to consider when evaluating and appraising specific pieces of charm jewelry, and much more. A "must-have" resource for serious collectors, and a treasury to page through for art lovers interested in this unique form of adornment.

A thorough reference book on charms as art, momentoes and talismans around the world and through the ages. Beautifully photographed, this book shows you that charms are not just decorative bits of silver and gold but also cultural tokens which remind us of people, places, things and significant events. It is clear that the number of charms that you can collect is limited only by your imagination!

This is an extremely useful resource for any one who collects charms. The coverage of the subject is comprehensive and the illustrations are exquisite.

This book is a great resource on English charms and charm bracelets. Very informative and interesting. If you like charms you will enjoy reading this all inclusive book.

I am a vintage jewelry dealer, collector and designer and I absolutely love this book! All the photographs are of highest quality and the information contained in the text is spot on. There are charms that are incredibly rare but a joy to see and there are ones that a collector can see on a daily basis if they look to a site like Ruby Lane. My only gripe is that there has never been a Volume 2 as there are so many more charms out there to showcase.

This book is the essential guide for serious and casual charm collectors alike. The author, Joanne Schwartz, and photographer, Robert N. Schwartz have done a brilliant job of packing the book with charm bracelet history spanning the 19th century to present time. They also discuss the makers, styles, and current values, and included over 300 stunning color photographs of bracelets and charms.

The technical advisor for the book was Joan Munkacsi. She also provided many of the beautiful bracelet examples from her extensive personal collection to be used in the photographs throughout the book. Sadly Joan passed away, however her legacy lives on for charm collectors through her contributions to this book, and in the vintage charm ebay discussion group.

I believe this book is a collectible in inself, equally suited for a coffee table specimen and a research guide. You'll want to have a separate copy for research though because I assure you the pages will appear heavily used within a short time. It's considered by many to be the charm collectors "Bible" and is a great resource for jewelry collectors everywhere.

This is a very informative book about the history of charms. The photos are wonderful and fun to look through. Great coffee table book at my house!

I have become a serious collector of vintage and antique charm jewelry and I've also assembled some themed bracelets for family.
This book was pointed out to me, I did not know of it, and after reading it I knew some of the girls would love and need it too, to discover how charms came about and from where some originated, although population from The Year Dot have always had their talismans and voodoo symbols to hold on to.
This books goes some way towards telling that story: photographic wonderful examples are displayed.
I have five books on vintage/antique charms, this is certainly the largest in format. Thankyou for this book it's wonderful reference book, coffee table book, picture book, history book, treasure book, feelgood book.
If you don't want to buy the jewelry, you can buy the pictures.
Recommended.