Accessories collection part 2 (a) - charm bracelet
Finding charms turned out to be more difficult than I thought and I had to search a lot, sometimes even feared I had to leave the place without getting one. Pandora charms are lot more famous, at least in Europe, than clip on charms. However, I managed to find one from each country I been to💃.
Here is the list of charms which made their way into my bracelet and the story behind each one
Telephone booth one from London:
I had 8 months to decide on what charm to get to signify my first visit to London. I wanted to buy Tiffany's charm engraved with S. Then thought of finding a crown charm. However, the budget option from WH Smith took the crown🤔. Not only it added color to steel dominated ornament, but it screamed London better than anything else I came across.
Eifel tower charm from Paris:
The very first one I got in the bracelet after 2 days of searching. (In the movie Monte Carlo, from where I got the inspiration, the charm just hangs out in the display when Leighton Meister finds it 😐). Finally, in one of the souvenir stores lined up in front of Louvre entrance, I got this iconic charm 😍.
Swarovski Crystal clover flower from Spain: this I got from Barcelona but later found out is a symbol of Ireland. My wish to get a bull charm immediately changed when I learnt about the controversy surrounding bull fights and I started checking for a flemenco charm. But Swarovski is the only place I could find selling clip on charms and there are only three options - none of them symbolizing Spain. Since, it is called country of flowers, color and sunshine, I stuck with the flower. Maybe I can visit Ireland and get a flemenco 😁.
Scotland flag:
This I found without even looking for it, in the famous wedding chapel at the very entrance of Scotland!! I casually remarked how they find charms so easily in movies while in real life we had to struggle a lot. Then, almost immediately, found this one 😄.
Thomas sabo snowflake from Switzerland:
By now, I understood the reality of finding charms and did my research when I went to Lucerne. However, it still wasn't easy to find out the Thomas sabo store which is tucked away inside corner street in the main shopping area. I also checked few other jewellery stores on the way without any result. Anyway, I was quite happy with the charm.
Gandola charm from Venice:
Needless to say, I was determined to get a charm from Venice when I visited Italy. By then, I got enough charms to show the shopkeepers what I want, instead of trying to gesture my requirements 😝. Again, none of the stores got any. Finally a Bangladeshi merchant customized a pendant to add a clip 😀 and even reduced the price a bit. I was stuck between choosing Venetian mask and gandola. But it is the ride I want to remember 😊.
Champagne flute charm from Brussels:
I was quite tired by the time we reached Brussels and not in mood to search. Again, just like in Scotland, I found charms in the very first store I went in and I picked up a grand place charm. However, my card was as tired as I was and stopped working. Then I had to start searching for an ATM, when in another souvenir store I got another charm bracelet for 3€ which got manneken pis and few others. But I chose the glass to indicate the summer festival we attended - the glasses there were similar to the charm. After all it's the experiences that matters more than the place.
Fish charm from Bali trip:
Couldn't find a charm in Bali either. But it didn't bother me much as I saw few Balinese mask charms in the flight catalog. Unfortunately, they were out of stock and I gave up. Then in Kuala Lumpur airport, I came across Thomas sabo store and picked up the fish charm to indicate the ocean walk.
That's the story behind my beloved charm bracelet. I am hoping to get a Taj Mahal in marble to add👼.
Telephone booth one from London:
I had 8 months to decide on what charm to get to signify my first visit to London. I wanted to buy Tiffany's charm engraved with S. Then thought of finding a crown charm. However, the budget option from WH Smith took the crown🤔. Not only it added color to steel dominated ornament, but it screamed London better than anything else I came across.
Eifel tower charm from Paris:
The very first one I got in the bracelet after 2 days of searching. (In the movie Monte Carlo, from where I got the inspiration, the charm just hangs out in the display when Leighton Meister finds it 😐). Finally, in one of the souvenir stores lined up in front of Louvre entrance, I got this iconic charm 😍.
Swarovski Crystal clover flower from Spain: this I got from Barcelona but later found out is a symbol of Ireland. My wish to get a bull charm immediately changed when I learnt about the controversy surrounding bull fights and I started checking for a flemenco charm. But Swarovski is the only place I could find selling clip on charms and there are only three options - none of them symbolizing Spain. Since, it is called country of flowers, color and sunshine, I stuck with the flower. Maybe I can visit Ireland and get a flemenco 😁.
Scotland flag:
This I found without even looking for it, in the famous wedding chapel at the very entrance of Scotland!! I casually remarked how they find charms so easily in movies while in real life we had to struggle a lot. Then, almost immediately, found this one 😄.
Thomas sabo snowflake from Switzerland:
By now, I understood the reality of finding charms and did my research when I went to Lucerne. However, it still wasn't easy to find out the Thomas sabo store which is tucked away inside corner street in the main shopping area. I also checked few other jewellery stores on the way without any result. Anyway, I was quite happy with the charm.
Gandola charm from Venice:
Needless to say, I was determined to get a charm from Venice when I visited Italy. By then, I got enough charms to show the shopkeepers what I want, instead of trying to gesture my requirements 😝. Again, none of the stores got any. Finally a Bangladeshi merchant customized a pendant to add a clip 😀 and even reduced the price a bit. I was stuck between choosing Venetian mask and gandola. But it is the ride I want to remember 😊.
Champagne flute charm from Brussels:
I was quite tired by the time we reached Brussels and not in mood to search. Again, just like in Scotland, I found charms in the very first store I went in and I picked up a grand place charm. However, my card was as tired as I was and stopped working. Then I had to start searching for an ATM, when in another souvenir store I got another charm bracelet for 3€ which got manneken pis and few others. But I chose the glass to indicate the summer festival we attended - the glasses there were similar to the charm. After all it's the experiences that matters more than the place.
Fish charm from Bali trip:
Couldn't find a charm in Bali either. But it didn't bother me much as I saw few Balinese mask charms in the flight catalog. Unfortunately, they were out of stock and I gave up. Then in Kuala Lumpur airport, I came across Thomas sabo store and picked up the fish charm to indicate the ocean walk.
That's the story behind my beloved charm bracelet. I am hoping to get a Taj Mahal in marble to add👼.
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