New York ? Two new books are tackling the topic of dangling jewelry.

“Charming: The Magic of Charm Jewelry” (Thames & Hudson) and “The Charm of Charms” (Abrams) both examine the ancient accessory, a current fashion trend.

“Charming,” by Deborah Alun-Jones and John Ayton, explains how four-leaf clovers, crosses, lockets and kitschy symbols have been used over the years for luck, spiritual devotion, love, style and celebrations. It’s mostly filled with photos — both of jewelry and famous faces wearing jewelry — to illustrate its point.

In “The Charm of Charms,” by Jade Albert and Ki Hackney, people reveal their favorite charms and why they love them. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson says she loves her celluloid charms from the 1930s and ’40s so much that she’s incorporated them into the decor of her home in East Hampton, N.Y., and chef Eric Ripert, of Manhattan’s Le Bernadin, says he kisses the Caravacco cross he was given as a teenager to protect him from physical aggression.