The Difference Between Charms and Pendants

While their is a technical difference between Charms and Pendants, most of the time in the jewelry business the two terms are used with the same meaning.

The technical differences are as follows:

Charms:
A charm is designed to hang from a bracelet on your wrist. It has a jump ring or split ring on it which allows it to be hooked on the charm bracelet. However it is a very common practice to hang charms on a necklace. Traditionally a charm is small enough in size to hang from a charm bracelet without getting in the way.

Pendants:
A pendant is designed to hang from some sort of necklace chain. It has a bail on it which allows it to slide on the chain or necklace. The bail is a physical part of the pendant. The bail doesn't work well with a bracelet because it either just won't work with a jump ring or a jump ring looks ugly on the pendant and bracelet. Most of the time a pendant is for necklaces only. They are not as versatile as a charm is. They are usally a little larger than a charm because they are designed to be hung around the neck.