Samira, thanks for writing in. The idea of attaching magical amulets to a bracelet is an ancient one. The symbols on the charms were mainly used, in the ancient times, to ward off evil spirits.
In modern times, I believe, the pieces on the Monopoly board were inspired by the charms that had been on the inventor's Charles Darrow's, wife's charm bracelet, including a top hat, flat iron and a battleship.
The charm bracelet we know today, was first worn in the late 19th century by Queen Victoria, who, on the death of her Prince Albert, began wearing a chain with miniature lockets that opened to display portraits of her family.
Victoria's charm bracelet, was deeply personal, and far from being a general folkloric talisman of good luck. The Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson wore the Cartier Diamond Charm Bracelet on her wedding day, at the Château de Candé on the 3 June 1937.
In the late 1940s soldiers returning from the war in Europe brought trinkets for their sweethearts, such as small coins and other souvenirs, that were drilled and attached to a chain, reviving this antique jewelry form.
By the 1950s charm bracelets had become a ritual in American girlhood with the gold or silver chain commemorative of her entry into teenage years and charms added at significant moments throughout her life, such as sixteenth birthday, high school graduation, her wedding a birth of any children.
