Telling the Quality of Italian CharmsYou have
probably seen that the price of Italian Charms varies considerably from charm to charm.
Why is this? Are you really getting more for your money with the more expensive Italian Charms?
In general, the answer is yes. Here are the issues you should be aware of when trying to determine the quality of Italian Charms:
1) Branded vs Non-branded Italian Charms. This is probably the
most important distinction you should be aware of. There are
high-quality branded Italian Charms from companies like JJ Kent, Zoppini, Nominations, Boxing, Casa D'Oro, and so on. Their Italian Charms
are made using a high-quality base charm, top quality materials, and are soldered, not glued. (More about this later). The name
of the manufacturer is stamped in the metal on the back of the Italian Charm. These are the Italian Charms that
generally sell for $15 - $20. They are beautiful, sturdy, and top-quality pieces of jewelry that will hold up over time.
They should always come with a money back guarantee and a warranty. I know JJ Kent does, and you
should check whoever you do business with as well.
Then, on
the other hand, you have mass-produced unbranded Italian Charms. They are generally much less expensive.
$3 - $10 on average. They are probably blank on the back, but if they have a company name
it is not one you have heard of. The designs are usually kind of "blobby" for lack of a better, word, they don't have much detail. The
are also glued together, which is much less expensive in the manufacturing process, but unfortunately, the enamel on them has a tendency to fall off.
They also sometimes turn a wrist black.
I don't want
to sound here like I am against the inexpensive unbranded Italian Charms. I'm not. For someone on a tight budget who
wants a lot of charms and doesn't plan to wear their Italian Charm bracelet for a long time, they
are just fine. Some sites sell both and you can compare screen shots of the charms to get
an idea for the difference in quality. Once again, I am familiar with JJ Kent so I know they
carry both kinds (and mark them branded
and unbranded so you know what you are buying) but other sites do this also, so shop around.
2) Gold vs Other Metals?Are Italian Charms made of gold better? The
suprising answer is "sometimes yes, sometimes no." Gold
is certainly a mark of a quality
Italian Charm on things like letters which are cast or stamped from the gold and attached to the charm. Dolce Oro and Talexia,
for instance have great lines of solid gold letters - finer charms are not made on the face of the earth. However, in other
cases, it would not be wise to use gold. Many enamel Italian
charms these days have a great amount of very fine detail. This detail is stamped into the metal before the enamel is applied, to
create very tiny "pools" to hold the enamel. If this very fine stamping were done in gold (a very soft metal), it
would make the Italian Charm wear away very quickly. So many top manufacturers use much harder metals for the Italian charms that
require great detail, such as the one pictured below.
3) Guarantee & Money BackGood
companies stand behind their products. Most of top manufacturers of Italian Charms offer guarantees on their Italian Charms: that they will not break, fall off, or
turn your wrist some strange color. JJ Kent offers a 1 year guarantee. Other companies offer guarantees as well. Check for
that if you are worried about quality.
4) Designs Win in the End
In the end, buy designs that you like. That's
what it is all about, really. Plus, people who have the best designs with the most detail are making the best Italian Charms. For instance, look
at the incredible amount of detail on the "jack" on this Blackjack Italian Charm made by JJ Kent:
All of the painting (I am told) is done by hand on an area the size of the fingernail on your pinky finger. The craftsmanship is just incredible. Other manufacturers who make charms
to this level of quality, like Casa d'Oro, adhere to the highest standards of quality, and you can see it in their designs.
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