If you go into any second grade classroom today, you'll see little girls bedecked in charm bracelets. They covet them because somehow, they realize that charm bracelets are enchanting and glamorous. They feel grown-up and special with their fancy wrist charms, beads, and spacers.
Even though their wrists will grow as they get older, they can still save their charms to rethread on another cord or bracelet base later. Some charm bracelets are designed to be changed out easily.
Because each charm bracelet is unique, girls feel special with their own creation. Although sterling silver and Murano glass beads are luxurious, kids can be taught from early on about the value of some things. It's important to teach respect for valuable items like special birthstone charms, gems, and precious metals.
Some parents choose to let their daughters only wear their bracelets on special occasions, while other parents trust their daughters to decide when it's appropriate to slip them on their wrist. Once they're old enough to understand how to care for their special jewelry, they're probably old enough to wear them as often as they wish.
Some girls start out with only a few pricey charms, and then get more for their birthday or at other holidays as the years go on. The important lesson to teach is about quality, not quantity. Girls need to understand early on about the difference between costume jewelry versus sterling silver and gold. Let's face it: there are some things you'd be sad to lose and other things you could live without. A bracelet with your birthstone, Murano glass, or some precious stones is one of those things you'd be pretty traumatized to misplace.
In such a teachable moment, a girl can learn about protecting her valuables and how to clean and care for her bracelets and jewelry. She can come to respect things with lasting value and sentiment, as her charm jewelry can become a legacy to hold onto through the generations.
Girls are fascinated by charm bracelets the world over. Every girl wants something unique and one-of-a-kind, something that only she owns. It's the chance for her to feel, if only for a few moments, like a princess who has the world as her oyster. After all, she will grow up far too soon and have the world pressing upon her shoulders. A charming, disarming, bracelet is one thing a girl can admire and enjoy as she gazes longingly at every little facet, believing that the world is endlessly magnificent.