Victorian Lucky Charm Bracelet
Cute antique charm bracelets with six enamelled lucky charms: a ladybird, four-leaf clover, ace of hearts, tortoise, mushroom, and cat. The charms hang from a fine fetter-link chain that fastens with a bolt ring clasp.
Let's break down the charms, because they're not all necessarily recognisable as lucky these days...
Ladybirds (or ladybugs) are still considered lucky, especially if one lands on you. The number of spots indicates how many months until a wish comes true. They've been lucky omens since the Middle Ages in Europe, associated with delivering good harvest. Farmers would pray to the Virgin Mary, and the little red-and-black beetles that arrived to eat pests like aphids were seen as a divine gift, becoming known as "Our Lady's beetles" and eventually ladybirds. In Italy, ladybird charms are a staple for good fortune, and in Norwegian folklore if a couple see a ladybird together they will soon fall in love.
Four-leaf Clover (not to be confused with a shamrock, which has three leaves): a rare genetic mutation of the clover, approx. 1 in every 5000 to 10000 clovers have the extra leaf - and some even have five or six. The four leaf clover's significance as a luck-bringer pre-dates Christianity; the ancient Celts are said to have assigned the four leaves to the elements - earth, wind, fire, water - while later European folklore linked the leaves to hope, faith, love and luck.
Ace of Hearts: in cartomancy, the ace of hearts represents love, joy, and happiness, representing an "overflowing heart."
Tortoises live for a really long time, centuries in some extreme cases, and are thus associated with longevity and good luck. The ancient Chinese believed the tortoise was an animal sheltered by divinity, and the pattern on its shell was through to represent the truth of nature. They used to use tortoise plastrons for ritual divination, associating the tortoise with divine knowledge, stability, and the ordering of time. These divination patterns are said to have evolved into Chinese characters.
Mushroom: historically, in Germanic folklore, the fly agaric or Glückspilz, the iconic red and white spotted toadstool Amanita muscaria, is celebrated as an omen of good fortune and prosperity. It's also associated with Christmas (which the Germans are pretty good at) because they tend to grow at the roots of fir trees. In Scandinavian culture it's known as the flugsvamp or fluesvamp, and is traditionally exchanged at New Year as a token of luck, prosperity and protection for the year ahead.
The Cat with raised fur and back arched is a symbol of either protection and good fortune, or dark omens and witchcraft. Pick your poison. In Celtic mythology, the arched back cat is related to the cat-sìth, a legendary fairy creature resembling a large black cat with a white spot on its chest. Around Samhain, it was custom to leave out a saucer of milk for them. If you did, your household would receive good luck for the year.
Era: Victorian, circa 1900
Length: 7 inches
Marks: None, tested as base metal
Condition: Good antique condition; some minor enamel loss to the ladybird - see images.
Full appraisal document provided with each item.
This includes a valuation for insurance purposes, item specifics, date, and origins (where applicable).
Gemstones are tested by an accredited gemmologist (Cert GA, Gemmological Association of Great Britain).
Shipping
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Tracked and insured with signature on delivery
RM Special Delivery (UK domestic)
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[Last updated: 28th February 2026]
Resizing
Ring sizing is available on most rings
£55 flat fee
Resizing takes 7-14 days
Leave a note at checkout with your desired size
Note: sizing may remove some of the patina (although we take every care to reduce this where possible)
Layaway
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Condition
We offer detailed and accurate condition reports on each listing. These pieces are antique, vintage, or pre-loved and often over 100 years old so they're going to have lived a life. A healthy patina and the odd scuff or scrape is quite normal... it's part of their charm! Everything we present has been checked over by our jeweller and should be good for wear for many years to come (unless otherwise stated) but please remember to treat them with appropriate care and consideration for their age.
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