Okay, I'll admit it: this book is NOT a must-have for either the professional jewelry-maker or the hobbyist. Its actual how-to sections are minimal and its focus is on the collector more than the assembler of charm bracelets.

(COPYRIGHT: I'm so sorry to have to put this here, but I've had trouble with online content theft. Readers are welcome to print my articles for their personal use, but I do not allow my text or photos to be copied to anyone's online site. No one may use my content without written permission from me.)

However, it is a gorgeous little hardback that I reach for again and again in my library. I think that jewelry makers could rejuvenate their creativity and design skills by examining the exquisite photographs, and for those who love charm-bracelets, this book is essential reading material.

Charmed Bracelets is a 96-page hardback published by Stewart, Tabori, and Chang. Right away you know that it's intended more for your coffee table than for your workshop table. It has an art-book look done in miniature (the book's dimensions are 8.5 inches by 8.5 inches). Underneath the lavender book-jacket with its splendid photograph of a gold charm-bracelet bristling with gold and enamel charms, the book itself is a lavender hardback with Easter-egg blue end-papers. Pretty!

Author Tracey Zabar is a renowned jewelry designer known for her quirky bracelets sold through Barneys New York and Kate Spade. Her credentials also include creating jewelry for movies and television shows. She takes us through an Introduction (The Appeal of Charms) and four chapters:

Chapter 1 – A Charmed History
Chapter 2 – Famous Charmers I Have Loved
Chapter 3 – Charm School
Chapter 4 – Beyond the Bracelet.

Chapter 1, A Charmed History, gives us a breezy and witty timeline of the evolution of charm-bracelets, which arose out of the medieval ages' obsession with amulets, picked up even more popularity in the Victorian Age, and then hit an all-time "Golden Age" with the 1950s and early 1960s. Then came a dead stop until recently. Find out why!

Chapter 2, Famous Charmers I Have Loved, examines with close-up color photos and captions the striking and unique charm-bracelets of celebrities. In Lucille Ball's family, she and her daughter and her mother-in-law all wore unusual charm-bracelets. Don't miss the symbolism of each charm on Phyllis Diller's bracelet, including a tiny devil that pops out of a martini shaker.

Chapter 3, Charm School, is where you find out the basics on making a charm-bracelet, including choosing the right metal for you and the right type of charm. You mean there is more than one type? You bet. Charms can be container charms, figural/3D charms, mechanical (moving) charms, flat charms, or even a vintage type called Stanhope charms. This chapter also tells you about composition, theme, and where to find charms.

Chapter 4, Beyond the Bracelet, gives you clever ideas of what to do with charms once you've (inevitably) collected too many to fit on your bracelet. Use charms for zipper-pulls, shoelace decorations, on your pet's collar, as party favors, and other quirky ideas.

The photographs, however, are the selling point of the book, and the reason I never tire of paging through it. Zabar features both old-style charm-bracelets (charms match the bracelet and are evenly spaced out for maximum viewing) and new-style charm bracelets (many mismatched charms bristling over the bracelet's surface). The new-style bracelets show some outrageous mixing of metals, colors, and themes.

Other photographs are more subtle. A gold, old-style bracelet over the book dedication features charms that are all little people, including a kachina, a devil with a pitchfork, and a deep-sea diver. On page 89 is an exquisite line-up of six tiny silver chairs done in ornate designs. There is an absolutely gorgeous silver bracelet on page 82 that features colorful enamel charms from the 50 states.

Charmed Bracelets may not be an overtly how-to jewelry-making book. But it's beautiful enough to inspire you or delight a friend if you intend it as a gift. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves charm bracelets.