America's Modern Charm Bracelet: Chamilia's Sterling Silver Starter Bracelet & Bible Bead

Charm bracelets are a wonderful way for women to express our passions, personalities, and treasured memories. But in today's world, many women find traditional charm bracelets to be unpractical, out-dated , or simply aggravating to wear. If you fall into this category know that you are not alone, many women find these aspects to be true myself included. Thankfully jewelry designer Killian Rieder is working to change this by offering practical modern charm bracelets with a broader selection of charms to fit any taste. With over 600 charms to choose from Chamilia charm bracelets can truly be personalized to reflect your personality. Like its predecessor the traditional charm bracelet, Chamilia's charm bracelet is designed to be built overtime, resulting in sentimental bracelet that carries the memories and personal tastes of the wearer.

Starter Bracelet: Chamilia's "Silver Snap Bracelet" is simple yet stylish with a design that draws attention to the beads making the beads the focal point of your design. The bracelet is hand-crafted from genuine sterling silver and features a snap clasp which blends in with the beads once the bracelet is full, creating a seamless appearance. The bracelet featured in this review is 7 inches in length and is very comfortable to wear. Chamilia offers a broad selection of starter bracelets that includes leather, sterling silver bangles, and standard bracelets in sterling silver or 14k gold with a variety of clasp options that include the traditional lobster claw, toggle, and snap clasps. Each Chamilia bracelet is designed to be practical, and tasteful giving a clean appearance so your beads outshine all other aspects. Prices for starter bracelets begin at $30.00 dollars for leather bracelets, $55.00 for sterling silver and up to $1500 for solid 14k gold bracelets.

Bible Bead: Chamilia's "Bible Bead" is hand-crafted from genuine sterling silver, and features a simple yet skillfully detailed design. On the front and back of the bead is an oxidized cross. Personally I really like this aspect of the design as it allows the cross to always be visible (the cross is also pointing in the right direction as the bead rotates on the bracelet). Another aspect which I appreciate is the skillfully oxidized pages along the top, side, and bottom of the bead. This aspect really adds a special touch to the design making the bead look like a little Bible. Careful attention to detail and skillfully placed oxidization showcases the designer's skill and attention to detail. Inside each Chamilia bead are internal threads that are threaded onto the bracelet to prevent loss and make putting the bracelet on easier since the threads prevent the beads from falling off the bracelet. Chamilia 's line of beads is an impressive collection that is always growing. Currently the collection offers 600+ beads and includes an exclusive collection of authentic Disney beads that are not available anywhere else. The collection also offers more spiritual designs than other brands with beads that fit a wide range of spiritual backgrounds (which is refreshing to see). Chamilia also supports communities and causes across the globe by introducing limited edition beads and donating a portion of the proceeds to support causes like Breast Cancer, Autism and world peace programs. The price of each bead varies, from $27.00 dollars for simple sterling silver designs, and up to around $399.99 dollars for solid 14k gold charms.

About The Company: Chamilia was founded in 2002 by Killian Rieder and Jeff Julkowski on the premise of helping women express their personalities through the medium of jewelry. Ms. Rieder, a former designer with fashion icon Polo, designs her line with personalization in mind. Her goal is to allow women to change and customize their jewelry to fit any mood, moment or occasion- the way a chameleon changes its color to match its environment. Chamilia is a privately held, American based company, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

About The Designer: Killian Rieder co-founder and lead designer at Chamilia graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked as a designer with Ralph Lauren Polo. In 2002 she founded Chamilia on the premise that women have a fundamental need to hold onto special friends, family, memories and experiences as well as to express their sense of style. Her desire was to create a way for women to capture the stories and inspiration of their lives through her creations. She chose beads as the channel for that expression. Today, through her vision, Chamilia's beads are inspired by the lives of the women who wear them. Ms. Rieder has hand drawn the concepts for over 600 unique beads in five years and with her design team, continues to create hundreds of new beads each year. Her success has helped to make Ms. Rieder the only woman at the helm of a custom jewelry design company. " The best part of my work at Chamilia is to see other people's creations," says Ms. Rieder . "The beauty of the design comes not just from the beads, but from the meaning associated with them. Every bracelet, necklace and earring takes on meaning for the person who is wearing it."

Jewelry Care: Chamilia's silver and gold beads are treated to resist tarnishing, but from time to time they will need a quick touch-up. It is highly recommended that you only use a jewelry polishing cloth for cleaning and polishing your Chamilia jewelry. Never use a liquid silver jewelry polish (or tarnish remover) as it will remove the detailed oxidization from the jewelry. It is also important to take off your jewelry before getting into a hot tub or swimming pool to protect against exposure to harsh chemicals, which can alter the appearance of your Chamilia jewelery.

My Personal Opinion: As many of you know, I have acquired a passion for modern charm bracelets with only those worthy of taking note getting rave reviews. Chamilia is defiantly note worthy, as the quality shown in both the bead and the bracelet are impressive. A variety of design options is also a fresh change, as I have yet to find any other brand offering so many options on both starter bracelets and beads. While other brands do have impressive collections, Chamilia's collection is set apart because of their broad base of designs that fit any taste. For me what really sets Chamilia's collection above other brands is their spiritual themed beads (which even includes a St. Christopher bead) and their exclusive Disney collection. As a side note I have yet to snag this bracelet, despite wearing it for almost a month, which showcases its practical design. Personally I find this bracelet to comfortable with lots of room for adding more beads. If you have a passion for modern charm jewelry this brand is worth checking into.

Where to Buy?:
Check out Chamilia's official website http://www.chamilia.com/ for more information and to find a dealer near you.

Check out my review blog- Review Time at http://reviewtime365.blogspot.com/ - for more detailed reviews.