The charm bracelet is most likely my first encounter with jewelry. My mother used to wear one on her wrist and I recall how fascinated I was by the multitude of charms adoring the chain, playing with it as she cradled me in her arms, when I was a little girl. My sister, I recently realized, has exactly the same recollection, giving my new bracelet a special meaning as it bridges two generations and redefines the bond between sisters.
The wearing of charms is an ancient tradition and may have begun as a form of amulet to ward off evil spirits or bad luck. During the pre-historic period, jewelry charms would be made from shells, animal-bones and clay and there is evidence from Africa that shells where used for adornments around 75,000 years ago.
Thus wearing mine also connects me symbolically to all the prehistoric sisters of my past.
