The 8 Charms We Want for Hanukkah

Hi GOLDA gang, Ariel here. Stephanie got a little excited yesterday and announced that Hanukkah starts this Sunday. It’s next Sunday. I’m still not sure she knows when Christmas is. 

As we were conceiving our Eight Days of GOLDA feature, we debated all sorts of things. One of them was whether Hanukkah is a jewelry holiday. 

Birthdays, yes. Valentine’s Day, undoubtedly. But Hanukkah is tricky because you have a lot of nights to get through and, generally, we grownups don’t get those blockbuster gifts anymore. 

That’s why charms make a perfect Hanukkah gift. You get a little sparkle and fun without committing to a full piece of jewelry. 

Here are our favorites this year: 

Gold Cream Cheese Brunch Charm by Russ & Daughters x Stone and Strand

If you want in on the Russ & Daughters x Stone and Strand collab, you better move fast. Since the collection went live a few weeks ago, the bagel charm has already sold out once (it’s back in stock), and the salmon charm currently has a waitlist. I am partial to the diamond-encrusted cream cheese block charm with space for a name or monogram.

Aleph-Bet Encrusted Pendant by Hot Crown

I bought this little aleph from Tel Aviv-based jewelry designer Hot Crown in the months after October 7th. My brother said it had “Jewish Regina George vibes,” and I took that as a compliment. If you are in the New York City area, you can check out Hot Crown in person this weekend at the Tablet Hanukkah Bazaar on the Lower East Side

Vintage ‘Barbra Streisand: The Concert’ Charm

If you don’t buy this silver commemorative charm from the legendary 1994 Barbra Streisand concert at the MGM in Las Vegas, I will.

Birthstone Eye Charm by Elisa Solomon

Elisa Solomon is the reigning queen of charms and has basically anything you might be looking for, including a lot of Jewish symbols. Stephanie is coveting the black and white (diamond!) cookie charm, while I have my eye on the rose-cut diamond bear. But if you are in the market for an evil eye, you can’t go wrong with this customizable stunner.

Elisa told us that she loves making charms because of how special and personal they become: “You can collect them—you can put them on a bracelet, you can put them on a necklace—and they really do tell a story.”

Pomegranate Charm by Susan Alexandra

Despite the pomegranate’s significance in Jewish art, and the fact that it is one of the most striking fruits IRL, pomegranate jewelry tends to be very ugly. I don’t know why this is. But leave it to Susan Alexandra to be one of the few to get it right. I’ll be tempted to pick this one up at our menorah painting event with Susan Alexandra next week.

Mini-Mini Cherry YOCO Pendant by Year of the Flood

Year of the Flood pretty much single-handedly made chai necklaces cool again with their stunning and, notably, very large pendants. But if you are looking for something a little more demure for a fraction of the price of the original YOCO (You Only Chai Once) pendant, the mini will work nicely. There are several variations of this charm, but I can’t resist the one with the cherry on top.

Mahjong Tile Charm by Mamaleh

We love Mamaleh’s cute and accessible Jewish wares, so much so that we did our first collab with them. They have a number of adorable charms to pick from, and this Mahjong Tile charm is the perfect choice for all your friends who are newly obsessed with the game. (Also check out Mamaleh founder Dara Katz’s Cool Girls Guide to Mahjong.) 

Bashert Medallion Charm by Maura Green

This medallion charm (which is really more pendant sized, but I’ll allow it) is a cool alternative to the usual heart necklace. It has room for engraving on the back, where you can put a name, date, or message. The silver version is very reasonably priced, and if you want to go fancier, Maura Green also makes it in 14K gold.

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There’s still time to submit your burning Hanukkah questions for our holiday hotline. Email us at [email protected] or respond to this email with everything you’ve ever wondered about the Festival of Lights.

Stay GOLDA,

Ariel