The Silver Charms Source

This week we bring you something sure to warm your hearts. A silver charm featuring Snoopy and Woodstock from the Peanuts. This adorable charm is brought to you by the crafty folks down at Zulu Moon. Take a look for yourself:

I love this silver charm because it brings back all of my childhood memoreis of watching Snoopy and the gang on their many adventures. They really got the likenesses down very well too. A nice touch is that you can connect the charm from both Snoopy and Woodstock’s heads, so that neither is dangling around. Overall this is nothing but a heartwarming high quality silver charm. And that’s why it’s our unique charm of the week!

Keeping your silver charms beautiful isn’t a hard task so long as you make sure to follow a few simple tricks. A silver charm or charm bracelet is a precious and personal joy, so be diligent in keeping it beautiful. Following a few tips in silver charm maintenance will guarantee that your silver charms will last a lifetime.

What’s Threatening the Silver?

Knowledge is power, as they say, and knowing what could go wrong with silver jewelry is the first step to preventing it from happening. So what’s taking the shine from your silver charm? The answer is tarnish. Tarnish is what happens when different elements in the environment react chemically with the silver. The very air itself is against you in this, specifically sulfur compounds.

Where Does The Sulfur Come From?

The sulfur tarnishing your silver comes from many different common sources, some you wouldn’t expect at all! Other than from the air, sulfur also can be introduced to your silver charms through the very foods you eat. The big culprits in this are eggs, onions, vinegar, broccoli, olives, fruit, tomatoes, and common table salt. Letting residues from any of these linger on your silver charm bracelet is just begging it to become tarnished.

Preventive Measures

You can make sure that your silver charms retain their shine by polishing them every once in a while. So what’s the best way to polish silver? Here’s a few tips:

1) Take off any dust which may be on the surface first by rinsing the silver charms in warm or hot water.

2) Buy some silver polishing solution and spread it over the silver with a warm sponge.

3) Gently rub away at any tarnished areas until the polishing solution has removed any visible signs of tarnish.

4) Rinse off the solution with some warm water - make sure you take it all off!

5) Dry the silver charms thoroughly. Any remaining water can make it easier for the silver to become tarnished all over again.

Everyday Diligence

Polishing away tarnished silver can be a chore, so try to make sure that your charms don’t become tarnished in the first place. The first trick in silver charm care is to keep them dry and away from liquids. Always make sure to store your silver charm bracelet in a safe and dry pouch when you’re not wearing it, too. With a little love and a little care, your silver charms will stay beautiful for a long, long time.

Making a silver charm bracelet can be a fun and exciting experience, no matter how old you are. There are so many different charms out there that it’s now easier than ever to make something truly unique. A silver charm bracelet is the ultimate in personalized jewelry since you can decide all the different charms that go on it. With a little forethought, you can make the perfect charm bracelet for yourself or a loved one.

Choose a Bracelet

The first step to making your silver charm bracelet is to find a good bracelet to start with. This can be a chain suited for either a wrist or an ankle, just make sure that it’s not going to be too long. A charm bracelet needs to be based on a chain that has big enough links for you to be able to hook the individual charms on. If the links are too small, you’ll be back to square one. Typically so long as you can see light through the link opening, it’s wide enough.

Pick Your Charms

This is where you get to go wild. There are literally thousands of different silver charms out there, so take your time and browse around. It’s a lot of fun to choose charms around a central theme of some kind. If you’re making the charm bracelet for a friend or loved one, try picking one of their hobbies or interests to base your charms on. From wizards to medical symbols to birth month specific charms, it’s probably out there. The only real limit is your imagination.

How Many Charms Is Enough?

This is one of those questions that doesn’t have any ‘right’ answer. The perfect amount of charms is whatever feels best for you. That being said, though, there are a couple of guidelines to keep in mind.

1) Symmetry is king. If the bracelet doesn’t look symmetrical at the end, it’ll look like something’s a bit off.

2) More is not necessarily better. Don’t keep on adding charms ‘just because.’ Once you’re out of perfect ideas for new silver charms, then you’ve probably put on enough.

3) Keep it simple, keep it elegant. Sometimes the best looking silver charm bracelets are those with only 5, or 3, or 1 charm on them! It’s about the significance of the charm, not the quantity.

Experiment!

In the end, the only way to get a good eye for how to make a great silver charm bracelet is to go out there and experiment. There are no wrong answers. That’s why it’s an art! So don’t feel intimidated, make your silver charm bracelet today!