Charm Beads

Charm Beads

When looking for a charm bead, there is a lot to consider. First of all, are you most interested in high quality charm beads using 14k or 18k gold? Sterling silver? Plastic, wood, Murano glass charm beads? Are you seeking a designer piece or simply something that represents you or someone you love? It all matters. There's no end to choice when searching out Denmark beads or charm beads, and you need to have a plan lest you become overwhelmed with choices.

For example, my main hobbies (I have a lot of them, but only a few that interest me most or all of the time) are medieval and Renaissance era history, Walt Disney World, jewelry making, and novel writing. So, my choices would be perhaps a charm bead recreated from a design seen in a medieval painting, or maybe a bead designed to look like a kilt or sporran. Most of my charm bead bracelet would be taken up with Disney beads, probably Chamilia Disney beads since they're the only company to have exclusive rights to Disney charm beads. Granted, I'm not too keen on their designs. I've always preferred unique jewelry, and even though they have Murano glass Disney beads, anything high end tends to not represent my individualistic taste. Plus, I'd probably pick a book bead, or better, an inkwell and feather quill bead if I could find one. I might settle for a typewriter, but I've only ever liked one typewriter in my life and that was my dad's old electric one. Sadly, he sold that years ago. Probably wouldn't work now anyway.

What Are Charm Beads

(also, what are Denmark beads, what are Pandora beads, what are Chamilia beads, or what are Troll beads)

Charm beads, aka Denmark beads, are simply creative beads that have large enough holes to be easily slid on and off of chains that are made specifically for this purpose. Troll beads were developed in Denmark as a sideline to the creator's silversmithing/jewelry business. The ability for customers to custom design their own jewelry (bracelets and necklaces, initially) and change the jewelry on a whim became very popular. Soon, Pandora beads followed suit and the charm bead popularity spread across Europe and into North America. Chamilia is a relatively new entrant in the world of charm beads, having launched in 2002, but as the exclusive producer of Disney charm beads, they certainly have made their mark.

There are a number of other charm bead designers and manufacturers in various price ranges and styles. The beads themselves are about the size of a pony bead, and can be found in every material and design imaginable.

Sterling silver charms beads are among the most popular. These are a highly desirable metal, denotes quality, and isn't nearly as expensive as the gold bead charms. Camilla charm beads are offered in a range of materials, but the most common in their collection are made of silver.

Bead Phone Charms

Even though it can be difficult to find bead phone charms from these designers, it's fairly easy to make them. All you need is a basic understanding of how to make jewelry, some string or necklace wire and crimp beads, or even some chain and jumprings. Pliers are necessary, of course, if using jumprings to attach the charms. The larger holes on charm beads make them ideal for making your own beaded phone charms- simply take a string that is thin enough to go through the opening on your phone, knot the ends of the string, pinch the string in the middle, so that the strands are doubled- push that through your bead or beads, push the doubled string through the hole in your phone, pull the beaded ends through the loop, and tighten. Voila! Easy peasy.

European Charm Bead Bracelets

If you're looking for authentic European charm bead bracelets, it's best to look to Troll beads and Pandora beads, since they both originated in Denmark and were also the first on the scene. Bead charm braclets are such a fun way to express yourself, and their current popularity mean that it's easier than ever to find all the designs that your heart could desire. In fact, beaded charm bracelets are often sold already put together! While this isn't any fun for someone who wants their jewelry personalized, it's a great way to start off your collection. Much like the power bead bracelets of old (er, 5-10 years ago), many people consider beaded charm braclets to simply be a fashion accessory.

Italian Charm Beads

Italian charm beads, however, are not actually beads. Rather, Italian charms are more of a rectangular box sort of thing, which snaps together end to end forming a straight line, or can be curved around into a bracelet. Italian charms tend to not lay correctly for use as a necklace. There is a large range of Disney Italian charms sold both in the theme parks and in regular retail outlets. At one time, they were mostly available only in gold and silver, but are now available in silvertone and silverplate as well.

Once you know what to look for, you can make the most out of your charm bead jewelry.