Charms And Charm Bracelets by Joanne Schwartz (2005, Hardcover)

This book is the essential guide for serious and casual charm collectors everywhere. “Charms and Charm Bracelets The Complete Guide” is a hardback book published by Schiffer in 2005. The author, Joanne Schwartz, and photographer, Robert N. Schwartz have done a brilliant job of packing the book with charm bracelet history spanning the 19th century to present time. They also discuss the makers, styles, and current values, and included over 300 stunning color photographs of bracelets and charms.

On the dust jacket inside front cover there is a brief biography of Joanne Schartz. The first paragraph reads: “Schwartz is an avid collector of antique and vintage jewelry. Her personal library includes more than 100 vintage jewelry catalogs, and she is a member of the Society of Jewelry Historians.”

From her vast knowledge and library she has pulled together this comprehensive and entertaining guide that was my first “must have” jewelry reference, and still my favorite. Reading through the table of contents gives an overview of the wealth of information contained in the pages that follow.

Part one examines the manufacuring processes of various vintage charms including the materials used, the manufacturing processes, and embellishments. Part two chronicles the history starting from the 1900s when chatelaines and watch fobs evolved into bracelets, up to the 1960s and beyond. Part three takes a look at special categories of charms such as stanhopes, hearts, travel souvenirs, and those with mechanical moving parts. And part four, my favorite, is the charm catalog, which is loaded with many more “drool over” photos from some premier charm collections. There are also several appendices in the back that help identify various makers and types of charms.

The technical advisor for the book was Joan Munkacsi. She also provided many of the beautiful bracelet examples from her extensive personal collection to be used in the photographs throughout the book. Sadly Joan passed away last year, however her legacy lives on for charm collectors through her contributions to this book, and in the vintage charm ebay discussion group.

I believe this book is a collectible in inself, equally suited for a coffee table specimen and a research guide. You’ll want to have a separate copy for research though because I assure you the pages will appear heavily used within a short time. It’s considered by many to be the charm collectors “Bible” and is a great resource for jewelry collectors everywhere.