I've been having a great time searching--both in the real world and online--for very special charms to make jewelry to sell at the Cattlemen's Ball in Nebraska on June 5 and 6.
Here's one of my favorites: A tiny cowboy hat charm that opens up to reveal an even-tinier six-shooter! I've made a bracelet with this one using turquoise and sterling silver chain and wire. That bracelet will be for sale at the Ball.
The auction item that I donated to the ball is a sterling and turquoise bracelet with a similar opening cowboy hat charm, but that one has a horse and rider inside. See:
My Auction Item 
I found this little covered wagon charm at an antique store in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood, and it seemed appropriate for Nebraska's pioneer past. I haven't made a bracelet with it yet, but it will be among the charms that I'm taking to the Ball for women to choose from when they special-order a bracelet.
The covered wagon charm is probably 1960s or later, and is sterling silver.
These little
huaraches, or Mexican sandals, are sterling silver and were originally hung from a pin, as you see in the photo. But I'm going to take them off the pin and put them on a turquoise and sterling silver charm bracelet. These are handmade, which adds to their charm.
I found a number of charms that seemed to fit the Cattlemen's Ball theme. But I'm not assuming that women who come to the Ball are only interested in jewelry with a Western or ranching theme.
I've also found some Asian charms that are very special. These include a couple of little abacuses with beads that move and a Japanese fan with images of Mt. Fuji and cherry blossoms. Also a turtle, a symbol of long life and protection in Japan.
This abacus is labeled "sterling" and also "Japan." I am guessing it was made in the 1940s or 1950s, because of the workmanship.
I put the fan and the turtle together on a bracelet made with green jade beads and sterling silver. See:
Jade and Japanese Charms 
This little sand dollar is pretty special. It's a vintage sterling charm, and I'm guessing it was made in the 1970s or later. I haven't designed a bracelet for it yet, and I'm thinking it may look better on a necklace, maybe choker-length.
Here's another special one: A Mexican sombrero with a design of flowers and leaves around the brim. (Click on the photo to see a larger image.) It is just exactly the size of a nickel and I'm pretty sure it's handmade, which would make it mid-1900s, say 1940s or 1950s.
It's hard to date charms, because the same design was often made for decades, but the handmade charms are generally older. Same for charms that have a lot of silver in them, because silver has become more expensive over the years.
I have a great reference book: Charms and Charm Bracelets, by Joanne Schwartz.
Contact me: jeanne.sather@gmail.com
@ Jeanne Sather 2009.
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