Jewelry web blog

JACKIE RICE CAN AFFORD a solid-gold Rolex or a Harry Winston tennis bracelet (she’s married to football’s legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice, after all). So what’s she wearing on her wrist these days? A sporty leather band with interchangeable, slip-on charms, including a diamond heart and a peace sign. “I definitely plan on buying more,” says Mrs. Rice, who’s already ordered six straps. “They’re fun.”

And, the $40 billion jewelry industry is hoping, addictive. Indeed, since maker S&R Designs introduced its first pieces, in 2001, the line has expanded to more than 400 charms, from about two dozen. And in the five months since Honora, a New York maker, launched its line of slide-on charms, they’ve come to account for 70% of its fine-jewelry business. Stores, too, are betting big on them. “We’re starting our advertising blitz,” says jeweler Nancy Brown, who just got clip-ons into her Santa Fe, N.M., shop last month.

The bracelets are just the latest take on the dangly charm bracelet, which first became tiffany and co popular around World War II and makes a comeback every decade or so. (The big news this time: No jingling.) And industry watchers say they’re also part of an overall trend toward interactive jewelry that women can change around to fit their mood — remember last year’s Nomination bracelets? — or just play with. Even high-end Cartier is coming out with interactive pieces this year, including a jeweled turtle charm with retractable head and legs.

But that will set you back about $15,000. One of the big selling points for the clip-on charms is that while they can add up — they range from $225 for a small letter to $2,000 for a half-dollar-size, diamond-encrusted peace sign, and it takes anywhere from three to 12 to make a bracelet — they’re modest enough that women feel comfortable buying for themselves. Still, says Mark Silverman, owner of Matthew’s Jewelers in Plantation, Fla., where women make up most of the bracelet buyers, the biggest seller is decidedly romantic — hearts. (“People are sentimental,” he says.)

And you could soon be seeing them on even more wrists. This month, Honora is introducing a line of sterling-silver charms for $145 a pop. Rhinestone knockoffs are already cropping up in New York’s funky East Village, with prechosen charms on leather or rubber straps going for $20 to $50.

That’s where Valerie Lokaj, the floor manager at a Manhattan hair salon, got her bracelets, which spell money clips out things like “XOXO” and “LOVE.” “I came home and my sister thought I’d gone to Fendi,” she says. But even at these prices, the knockoffs can add up — if, like Ms. Lokaj, you buy 15 of them in a month.