Charms are everywhere—it’s hard to remember a time when they haven’t been.
During the pandemic, a new audience of charm collectors blossomed—customers wanted something tangible to express their hopes, dreams, longings, missed moments, loved ones, you name it. If we ventured out, and if the stores were open, we might go to a local jeweler to have new additions soldered to a bracelet. Or we’d procure a charm catcher—a single piece that made it easy to slide on our newest treasures, hung from a precious chain.
I don’t like to dwell on the sorrow and confusion of those days (who does?), but the jewelry is still here, to serve as both a reminder and an inspiration—jewelry holds such profound power.
In a post-pandemic era, charms have a decidedly different vibe. Playful and fun, nostalgic, cool. We love charms so much, we’ll hang them everywhere: earrings, rings, and the zeitgeistiest place—our bags.
Bag charms aren’t revolutionary, but their recent (re)explosion onto the scene has caught me completely off guard. Maybe it’s because the most fashionable carryall I have is a diaper bag (read: not fashionable at all). Maybe it’s because I carry one of those cross-body phone cases with a built-in wallet, so frankly I don’t see much reason to carry a purse at all (though, now that I consider it, my phone case would very much benefit from some added bling).
Regardless of my understanding of the current trend, I totally support finding more ways to sport jewelry—on our bags, on our phones, on our bodies, and anywhere else it makes sense to do so.
These are some of the latest bag charms to market.
Top: Enamel bag charm with crystal accents, $195; Martha Calvo
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