Silver keychain with teddy bear in brown striped jersey

Clasp, ring and links on a silver-tone teddy bear keyring

Above the bear the fittings are assembled rather than cast. A lobster clasp with a lever opens on one side; a wide round ring passes through its base; and two flat links, held between two small jump rings, drop from the clasp down to the loop on the bear's head. None of it is moulded in one piece, so the bear can swing without the clasp turning with it.

Why the two fastenings do different jobs

The round ring is the part meant for keys, and it is the wider of the two openings. The clasp handles everything else: a bag handle, a belt loop, the pull on a coat zip. You can use both at once, but most people pick one and leave the other empty.

The striped jersey, read close up

From across a room the bear reads as a striped shape. Up close the enamel is what you notice: the brown is deep, almost chocolate, and the white bands between are just as wide, so neither colour wins. At the shoulder the sleeve ends on a straight edge, with no hem or stitching imitated in the metal, and below it the stone-set arms are left uncovered. A narrow ribbed collar in the same brown closes the top of the jersey and separates it from the paved head.

Measurements and finish side by side

The eyes aside, the piece carries one other patch of black: the enamel filling inside the ears, held in a silver-tone rim, which stops the paved head from reading as one plain ball of stones. The table below sets the rest of the detail out in order.

Living with a metal charm in a bag

The plain side is the side that rubs. Because the hearts on the back are recessed rather than raised, there is nothing raised to catch on a lining, which is worth knowing if the bear travels loose in a handbag. A dry cloth over the stones and the same cloth worked into the hollows is enough to keep the settings clean; sprays and polishes tend to leave a film that dulls the clear stones. If the shape suits you, the aisle where these little metal figures are kept holds other animals and charms built the same way.