Vintage Heavy Solid Rose Gold Dog Charm

You need to know that I’m completely obsessed with this particular breed of vintage charm. Big, heavy, fully solid animal charms like this one sit in a category entirely of their own, and if you’ve never held one, you won’t yet know how different they feel from everything else in your jewellery box. I struggle to put into words why I collect them, but they really do tickle my pickle. When you pick one up, there’s this moment of surprise at the weight, and then you just don’t want to put it down. They feel personal and luxurious in a way a lighter charm can’t, almost like a little sculpture you get to carry around with you, and they sit against the body with a reassuring heft that makes them feel like a part of you.

This boy is a particularly good example. He’s standing four-square with his head up and his tail out like he’s just spotted something very important at the end of the garden, and his whole coat has been worked into scruffy, textured fur that makes him look so alive. The sculpting is wonderfully three-dimensional, so he looks just as good from behind and underneath as he does side on, and that’s the hallmark of these heavyweight vintage pieces: no shortcuts anywhere. And then there’s the colour, a soft, peachy rose gold that’s so flattering against the skin and plays beautifully in a mixed-metal stack.

He’s substantial enough to wear entirely on his own on a chunky chain as your iconically-you piece, and he’ll anchor a charm jumble rather than getting lost in it. Dogs have been a symbol of loyalty and faithful love in jewellery for centuries, so he makes a gorgeous gift for someone you’re devoted to, or for the dog lover in your life. If you haven’t owned one of these before, he’s the perfect place to start, and I warn you now, it’s very hard to stop at one.