I've always wondered why these haven't been more popular in the High street in the UK.

Because you can personalize them however you want, you can also get very good accessories for them including watches, double links, super-links and the variety of styles is amazing! From Zodiac signs, to your favourite dog, from Betty Boop to Elvis, from Mickey Mouse to your favourite credit card sign! The good thing is because the market has dropped in the US you can get some fantastic bargains on the higher end charms from Casa Doro and Zoppini. Charms by these manufactures tend to be made to a far higher standard, using silver instead of steel for their front and 18crt gold for the enamel. Cheaper charms are good fun but your rule of thumb should be you get what you pay for! If someone is selling a charm for 99p it'll be 99p for a reason. I'm not knocking them as a cheap and cheerful way to get into Italian charms but my advise is if you want to buy something that will last for years buy from Casa Doro and Zoppini.