Entertainment
How to Make a Charm Necklace
I didn’t grow up in a jewelry family. I come from practical Midwestern folk who are more likely to send you 50 pounds of beef for the freezer come Christmas than pass on a family heirloom. But I’ve always been fascinated by the everyday jewelry people wear, since I started wearing my dad’s wedding band after he died.
A charm necklace is an excellent place to start, if you’re intrigued by jewelry that becomes a second skin. It’s not charged with romantic notions the way rings can be, and it’s a little easier to wear than a bracelet.
I made mine almost four years ago, borrowing a Tiffany pendant my dad’s boss gave me for my high school graduation and looping it around a gold chain I bought at a church yard sale with my best friend. My husband gave me a vintage charm from Etsy with our initials engraved on it after our first year of dating, which I added to my stack. Last year, I looped another vintage Etsy charm — a lucky match with a red tip — when I became my own boss.
Constructing a charm necklace doubles as an act of service. My little sister, my constant phone call and reluctant business partner, asked for one of her own last year. I started with the chain, which I always suggest doing, careful to find a clasp that could accommodate charms of many sizes.
Next came the fun part. What makes this person you love so damn lovely? I bought an S for her first initial. A vintage ear of corn for our childhood in Iowa. An Aquarius charm for our shared astrological sign. A bright white pearl for the optimism she always seems to dig out of me. A vintage blue bow for her favorite color and her sister nickname, Bowie.
Etsy is my favorite place to shop for preloved charms. Think of non-obvious loves or interests the person you’re shopping for might have. And next time you’re traveling or at an antique mall, scan the jewelry trays often locked away behind glass. As for charm length, make note of how long the person in question normally wears their necklaces and follow suit. Don’t be intimidated, either. You could give a simple, elegant chain as a start and build a stack over birthdays and holidays to come.
My end result, for my sister, was a stack of my unspoken adoration. I watched in delight as she opened her gift during a holiday party.The best part was seeing her smile up at me, understanding the secret sentiment behind every charm, no explanation necessary.
Erika Veurink is a writer and consultant living in Brooklyn by way of Iowa. She writes the fashion newsletter Long Live and is the founder of EV Salon, where online connections happen IRL.
Thoughts? Would you make your own charm necklace? I love this and these!
P.S. Erika’s week of outfits, and an ode to signet rings.
Entertainment
Get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 from T-Mobile without trading in your old phone
FREE SAMSUNG GALAXY S26: Sign up for a T-Mobile Experience Beyond plan for 24 months and get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB) which ordinarily costs $899.99. Existing T-Mobile Go5G Plus members also qualify for the deal.
It’s tough to find a free deal these days. We usually have a massive amount of fine text to read, but T-Mobile is making this deal pretty simple. Sign up for two years of coverage (which you probably needed anyway) and get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB). Here’s how to qualify.
To get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB) instead of paying the list price of $899.99, sign on for 24 months of a T-Mobile Experience or Better Value plan. You’ll save the $900 over the next 24 months of bill credit at T-Mobile. No trade in is required to cash in on this deal.
Announced in February, the Samsung Galaxy S26 is the latest model from the major iPhone competitor. It comes with added features like better AI capabilities and a 50 megapixel camera. Samsung also mentions improvements in display clarity with the new S26, giving off better colors and sharper details.
If you’re one for selfies, the Samsung Galaxy S26 could be a great option. Samsung designed the front-facing camera to have a wider view, making it easier to capture selfies with the group.
Mashable Deals
If you’re going with T-Mobile coverage, it’s well worth hopping on this free Samsung Galaxy S26 deal. The cell phone bill was inevitable so you might as well snag a free upgraded phone in the process.
Entertainment
Buy a $300 Delta gift card and get a free $20 Starbucks gift card
BUY A DELTA GIFT CARD FOR $300+ AND GET A FREE STARBUCKS GIFT CARD: Through May 11, buy a Delta gift card for $300 or more and get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card.
Credit: Delta / Starbucks
The price of flying these days is shocking. If you plan on traveling soon on a route served by Delta, it’s well worth checking out this deal to get something for free. It’ll help ease the pain of the ticket price.
Through May 11, purchase a Delta gift card worth $300 or more and get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card. It’s as simple as that. You can also qualify for the deal by buying multiple gift cards that total at least $300. The deal with apply automatically and you’ll receive a separate email containing the free Starbucks card.
Booking flights these days is not much fun. Prices are ahh…. abnormal, but Delta has eased the pain a bit thanks to this deal. The carrier is positioning this free Starbucks gift card deal as a good option for Mother’s Day, but realistically, it’s useful for anyone who plans to book with Delta soon.
Keep in mind the Delta gift card and Starbucks card will never expire. Delta mentions this offer is valid until May 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET or for the first 11,000 purchasers, whichever comes first. That means it might be smart to hop on this deal soon since there’s no way to know if it’ll last until May 11.
Mashable Deals
If you plan on flying soon or want to gift a special someone a Delta gift card worth $300 or more, snag this deal to get a free $20 Starbucks eGift card. It’s a win-win situation for those who plan to fly with Delta.
Entertainment
Snag a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $50 off
SAVE $50: As of May 6, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for $399 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $449. That’s a discount of 11%.
$399
at Amazon
$449
Save $50
If you want to experience your favorite music to the fullest, you need headphones that are up to the task. Bose can typically be counted on to provide that kind of quality, especially with its QuietComfort lineup. You can try its newest model for less right now for less thanks to this Amazon deal, which heavily discounts the cans so you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on them.
As of May 6, get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for $399 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $449. That’s $50 off and a discount of 11%.
Though an incremental upgrade from the previous QuietComfort model, these have some new features you’ll want to try out. But mostly, these comfortable headphones are all about feeling great on your ears and sounding fantastic. They offer noise cancellation and spatialized audio so it sounds as though you’re right where the music is. The new Cinema Mode can help to spatialize and balance background and sound and sound effects when watching movies to help put you right into the film as well.
Beyond that they can be used to take calls with their built-in microphones. They’ll last a long time while you’re on the phone too, with 30 hours of play time when listening to songs, podcasts, or taking meetings.
Mashable Deals
Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard took the headphones for a spin in her review and and called them a “well-rounded pair of headphones”, praising their blend of “comfort, noise cancellation, and sound”.
If you’re ready to pick up a new pair of headphones at a discount that’ll tick all the boxes for you, grab these before the discount disappears.
Get a free Samsung Galaxy S26 from T-Mobile without trading in your old phone
Buy a $300 Delta gift card and get a free $20 Starbucks gift card
