Charm bracelets?

[ShowOfHands]

4yo dd has been saying since mothers' day last year (and at Christmas and on my birthday) that she wants to buy me a charm bracelet so that she can add to it over the years. This is her decision entirely. Obviously what she means is she wants her Dad to get one for her and she'll give it to me. DH said this morning that he has tried but is utterly baffled. They're all ££, just the basic bracelets without the charms added in on top are prohibitively expensive. He can't work out if certain charms have to go with certain bracelets and is floundering but wants to try and do it.

I, as always, have no idea.

Money isn't in great abundance and I don't like gold or gaudy. I like sort of quirky stuff. Mainly beads and ethnic type jewellery. Just a couple of links would help.

Lots of quirky stuff on Folksy very reasonable prices I think.

Some of those are lovely and reasonably priced. But they seem 'done' iyswim.

I think the main thing we need to know is what you buy to start out with. I know dd and she likes the idea of picking out a charm as a gift so we need to start with a basic bracelet I think with maybe a single charm. But then I've seen charms that clip on and charms that thread on and all manner of permutations. I don't know what's most wearable or what I'm least likely to lose or catch on door handles and where dd could go to choose charms that will fit whatever bracelet.

v. reasonable leather bracelet if gaudy isn't your thing.

beads to fit lots of bracelets

I would have thought slip on rather than clip on is more practical.

maybe make a bracelet together? Then she could just buy the beads as and when she/DH sees them.

If you get an unbranded bracelet it shouldn't be too expensive - a thick silver plated snake chain bracelet should be affordable. There are loads of charms and beads on ebay too. If you search 'tibetan silver' they are loads cheaper, and look in the crafts section where they are often sold in packs of 5 so she could swap with her friends.

An example - but there are loads on there.

Also if you buy a packet of jump rings and two pairs of small needle nosed pliers it is easy to make other trinkets into charms.

As long as you avoid the branded products (Pandora etc) she should be able to afford to get you little charms with her pocket money.

Ooh dd would love the idea of making one. DH would break out in a cold sweat.

I very much like the leather one. And a Tilly turtle bead! (DD is Mathilda, she is obsessed with ninja turtles to the extent that ds is named after one of them). I'm going to show dh and dd...

Snake bracelet to put your charms on!

Thank you btw Pascha, this is really helping.

Cuppa, I do like the leather ones but I suppose silver plated might be more durable. Especially if dd is wanting this to be an annual thing.

PS DD doesn't get pocket money, she fully expects dh to help her in her quest.

Snake bracelet is very nice. Not that you probably need it but how to make leather bracelets here

I can't believe i'm actually giving opinions in S&B!

I would also worry a bit that a £1.01 bracelet will break. But the £75 ones in the local shops are taking the piss. That's 3 weeks worth of food shopping.

I like very bright, multi-coloured stuff too. Think old hippy in patchwork and clashing monstrosities. So just silver wouldn't work for the charms. Am showing some links to dd right now and she's asking if they do spiderman charms. I've locked her in the cupboard for the time being.

Could you not start with a leather one for now, and as they are cheap, keep a spare one for best and just change the charms over as and when?

I know Pascha. They don't let me in S&B usually. I signed a contract. It's the weekend though, nobody's cottoned on yet.

£75 for 3 weeks food? . here seems to have more exciting charms. Maybe though, once you have one started, half the fun for your daughter will be the finding of the beads in random shops and markets etc? Perhaps you could start one for her too and you could grow the collection together?

Yup. Food budget is £100pcm. Of course we live mainly on potatoes and dust.

I LOVE some of those beads. I was actually thinking about getting a bracelet for dd for her birthday in May but might just get one for her as a thank you present on mothers day. She's been pretty brilliant just lately, working hard at school, coping well with me being away from her while ds was ill in hospital etc. I might just do it.

Oh yes do it! Cute childrens charms here bit more pricey though

and send me your shopping list, £100pcm is ridiculous!

how great are some of these?

potatoes dust gingerbread earl grey

Oh I could spend some serious money on a charm bracelet for dd. To encompass her tastes I need a turtle, several marvel characters and a hydrangea.

hydrangea?

Ok theres this here but you would have to starve for a week, (or cut back to dust and tea).

tilly turtle bead

drawing a blank on spiderman et al.

What a shame about the lack of spiderman.

She is obsessed with hydrangeas. That charm she would beg for

My nieces wanted charm bracelets for xmas so I bought these bracelets and one of the charms each from the same website (got them their initial each as the first charm - solid silver with a diamond for about £15.) I bought the bracelets for about £15 (might have been £17) for the pack of 3. I find they are a really good company (got my e ring from them a few years ago and it is valued for replacement at over 5 times what dh paid for it) - if you think that you like something from their website then email them and ask them what their best price would be - they usually discount the web price (they do reverse auctions which you can watch online/on the tv).

They do two types of charm - milano (which clip on with a lobster clasp) or karma (which thread on to the bracelet). My nieces really like that their charms have real gemstones in them (after birthdays and easter etc they will have diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, citrines, tanzanite and rubies - not bad for a 4, 7 and 10 year old!!!!).

I think the bead ones are naff, but the hanging charm ones are due a revival.
I got one of threse for mothers day last year

They have them really cheap in Dorothy Perkins, and then your DD can make some beads with Fimo Clay? :)

Cookson Gold is website that I use a lot to buy jewellery supplies, but they also sell some finished bracelets and beads.

bracelets

silver beads

glass beads

If it the description says Sterling silver, that means that it is solid rather than plated (sorry if you knew that). Word of warning, as it's a trade site the prices look very cheap, but you will need to add 20% on for vat, but they are still very reasonable and their p&p is cheap and fast!

Can't believe I didn't notice the OP is SOH! I thought they let you loose in S&B once a year - 2010 was the puddle dress, last year was some kind of skirt iirc........