A Tradition for Your Family with a “Charming” New Angle

Friday, May 7th, 2010 at 9:12 am

A sense of family history is important. Some families have a great-grandmother’s engagement ring, a silver tea set a grandad’s brother found at an estate auction or a plastic chip and dip set in the shape of platypus your mother received as a wedding gift. Perhaps your family isn’t blessed with the cherished objects or those that might even become a running joke generation after generation You don’t have to fight through the spider webs in your dad’s cellar trying to find something worth eventually passing along to your children, grandchildren and so on through the future generations. Instead, decide to start your own tradition beginning with the current generation. Begin to collect Italian charms.

These charms, personally assembled by you into an Italian charm bracelet are much sturdier than fragile old china and can become a much more interesting conversation piece. And, they can continue to add meaning as literally every member of the family can add meaningful charms that represent their own identity.

Discover the three easy steps to begin the process of inventing an heirloom:

1) Get started with an Italian charm starter bracelet.

You can start your tradition inexpensively with starter bracelets. Starter bracelets are often simple, 14 link bracelets with links that are easy to link and unlink. The importance of the starter bracelet is that it will allow you to add in personalized charms over time without running the risk of loosing loose charms; it also makes a bracelet-in-progress wearable long before you have collected all of your charms. This is a valuable way of going about creating an Italian Charm collection because you want to be patient and collect your charms over many years, not all at once.

2) Buy charms over time that reflect meaningful events or stages in the lives of each family member.

When there is a new addition to your family, choose a charm with the appropriate birthstone. Perhaps add a charm that reflects, in some way, the community of the birth. From then on, notice what the children enjoy, their favorite toys or, as they grow older, the sports or hobbies. Choose an Italian charm that represents each of those interests, accomplishments and milestones.

3) Give the bracelets to your children or other family members.

This may be the hardest step! After years of collecting and caring for the Italian Charms, you might grown somewhat attached to them. But for the tradition to continue and grow, you must pass the bracelets on. Select an occasion that is momentous, a transitional moment in the life of the bracelet’s recipient. Find a time just before a wedding or after a graduation celebration when you can have some quality, unrushed time together. Tell them about the importance of their new heirloom, the meaning behind every charm and how each charm should remind them of an important chapter in their lives. Stress the importance of keeping the tradition going, and encourage them to continue adding charms until the time comes for them to pass the bracelet along to the next generation.

Don’t search the attic or cellar for something that you hope might have some meaning to future generations. Instead create something that will inherently serve that purpose of providing a continuing family tradition.