If you are a big-boned person, you will most likely want the half-inch size unless you have a collection of very small and lightweight charms, in which case you might want to consider something slightly narrower.

If you are a medium-boned person, then you will probably want something in the 1/4 to 7/16 inch range — again, unless you have very large and/or very heavy charms, in which case you would want a possibly wider or at least heavier linked bracelet to be proportional and sufficiently sturdy.

If you are a small-boned or petite person or are shopping for a child, you will definitely want to consider something between 1/4 to 3/8 inch in width.

Wrap a tape measure around your wrist. If you don't have a tape measure, use a length of string or even a narrow strip of paper and mark where it meets around your wrist. If your wrist measurement is less than 7 inches, you are small boned. If your wrist measurement is 7 inches, you probably are more of a medium-boned person and would want something less than 1/2 inch wide. If your wrist measures 7-1/2 to 8 inches, then you probably should be considered large boned.

You will need a bracelet about 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches longer than your wrist measurement, depending on how tight or loose you prefer to wear your bracelet and how much drape you like — i.e. how far up your arm and down your hand you like it to move. One inch is the standard rule of thumb.

Bear in mind that very chunky and thick bracelets will "wear" shorter than they measure, since the flat measurement represents the outer circumference. The inner circumference, which lies against your wrist, will be slightly shorter. Be aware too that if you really load your bracelet down, all those jump rings take up space too and will push your bracelet out from your wrist, making a longer length necessary.

Also to be kept in mind is the size and proportion of the charms you intend to put on this bracelet. Smaller, daintier charms generally call for a lighter, more slender bracelet, and vice-versa for very large or oversize charms. It's also nice to keep in mind the era your charms are from. If you're assembling a bracelet of Victorian charms, you'll want something in the chunkier style of that era, possibly with a padlock heart clasp. If you're putting together a bracelet of vintage puffy hearts from the 1940s, the fashionable charm bracelets of that time were narrower.

One additional consideration is the style of the links. The traditional curb link is a gently twisted link that lies flat against the wrist. A double curb link consists of paired links, again gently twisted to lie flat against the arm. Every link or paired link on these bracelets can hold a charm, or even two (one on each side) for a delightfully clustered effect.

Another style of starter charm bracelet is the medium twist bracelet, such as the design popularized by Texas designer James Avery. On this type of bracelet, larger charm-holding links alternate with smaller pairs of links. Only the larger links can hold a charm, and usually only one charm. This style of bracelet can hold less charms but will showcase them further apart.

You may even a find a bracelet with novelty-style links, such as heart shapes. We currently have on offer an open-hearts link bracelet that could easily be used as a charm bracelet. James Avery offers a similar design.

The effect you prefer — clustered, or spread out — should dictate your choice of link style. Don't worry about a safety chain or lack thereof. Some bracelets come with them, but they can actually be a liability because they get tangled with the charms.

All of our descriptions of starter charm bracelets include information as to what size and weight of charm each bracelet can attractively accommodate and, of course, the link style. We also are happy to answer any further questions you may have.

If you find yourself truly succumbing to charmania, there are a number of excellent eBay Guides to charms and charm bracelets at http://reviews.ebay.com.