ITALIAN CHARMS

I thought I’d start with something small and simple: Italian charms. Relatively affordable - between $1 and $10 - and wearable, these charms come in a variety of sizes and are compatible with most Italian charm formats.

Italian charm: photo in silver -
A faithful representation, the makers have managed to fit the painting into the charm dimensions without losing too much of the detail or scale.

Italian charm: photo in gold -
My favourite. Absolutely stunning. The gold lifts the colours right off the charm. I’d have an entire bracelet of Van Gogh gold Italian charms if they made 16 different paintings (currently only 12 exist). Don’t think I haven’t considered an entire bracelet of just this charm either.

Italian charm: glow in the dark in silver -
The glow-in-the-dark treatment has made the image a little fuzzy in real life, but it’s a decent if not novel reproduction.

Italian charm: Pugster with gold border -
The photo doesn’t do this charm justice, but there’s not a lot of justice to give. The charm itself is far clearer in person, however, Pugster have seen fit to cut the average 9mm length down to 8mm. One millimetre doesn’t sound like much of a muchness, but with the thick gold edge it cuts out the majority of the moon and one star to the left of the cypress.

Pugster are the undisputed kings of the Italian charm world, flooding the market with their over-priced trashy, nouveau-riche designs. Based in southern California, they follow any purchase with aggressive marketing, so be warned if considering any purchase.

Italian charm: mega link (18mm?) -
I am currently bidding on this charm on eBay and the description is a little unclear. According to the seller it can hold two 9mm links, though it does not say how and it doesn’t give the dimensions of the charm. I plan to report back if or when I receive it.

Italian charm: large square (13mm) in silver -
Designed for the larger Italian bracelet links, the makers have decided to square the charm and cut off a good portion of the picture. It’s like watching a widescreen movie in pan-scan.

Italian charm: cloisonné -
I know I said that I’d stick to faithful interpretations, but you have to admire the effort in reproducing such a complex painting in the 9mm x 4mm dimensions. The cloisonné wire is gold with traditional enamel on a stainless steel band.

As always, if anyoner reads this and knows of other designs, feel free to contact me.