Pandora the Modern Charm Bracelet: A Review of Pandora's Sterling Sliver Starter Bracelet

Do you love the idea of wearing a charm bracelet, but feel that traditional charm bracelets are unpractical, aggravating to wear (lets face it they get snagged on every thing), or just simply not your style? If you answered yes, don't worry you are not alone many women feel this way my self included. This summer I discovered the solution to my charm bracelet issues in Pandora's line of modern charm bracelets. Pandora's charm bracelet redefines the meaning of the term "charm bracelet", by reinventing the traditional concept with practicality in mind. Unlike its traditional counterpart Pandora's charms are detailed beads, and small free-form dangle charms which screw on to the bracelet its self. This allows you to change beads easily by simple unscrewing the charms. Pandora's design is a welcomed improvement which makes the charms very difficult to loose, and less likely to become snagged on your surroundings. Personally I have always had bad experiences with traditional charm bracelets because I seemed to get them caught or snagged on everything around me (which resulted in the bracelet spending a lot of time in my jewelry box for fear of losing more of the charms). With my Pandora bracelet I have no fear of loosing the charms and have yet to snag the bracelet on my surroundings despite wearing it on a daily bases (which for me is something miraculous).

About Pandora's Starter Bracelet:
Starter bracelets are plain bracelets that are sold with out charms. This allows you to choose the charm you like, and build the bracelet over time. Pandora offers a verity of starter bracelets to choose from including; leather, sterling silver, and 14k gold. Each bracelet is available with either sterling silver or 14k gold clasps. Prices rang from $30.00 dollars for leather bracelets with sterling silver clasps, up to 1499 for a sold 14k gold bracelet. The bracelet featured in this review is solid sterling silver, and features Pandora's signature bead clasp. This bracelet ranges between $45.00 to $65.00 dollars depending on the store it is purchased from. One aspect which sets Pandora's line apart from other modern charm bracelets is that there are four threaded sections along the bracelet. The two threaded sections towards the middle of the bracelet allows you to separate your charms into sections through the use of stationary beads that clasp around the threaded sections preventing movement of the other charms. The other two threaded sections are used to give the bracelet a seamless appearance once the bracelet is full.

Sizing is Important:
When purchasing a starter bracelet from a jewelry store, the jeweler (or well informed staff) will measure your wrist to ensure that the bracelet fits perfectly. As you have probable noticed the bracelet featured in this review fits very snugly on my wrist, the reason for this is that the length of the bracelet will expand slightly over time due to the weight of the charms. According to the staff at Artsy Abode in Fleming Island, Florida "There should only be just enough room between the bracelet and your wrist to place your thumb under the bracelet. This ensures that it will fit properly once the bracelet is full".

Pandora's Charms:
Pandora offers a large selection of charms, ranging from whimsical themes to elegant designs. Each charm is hand-crafted from genuine sterling silver, 14k gold or hand-blown glass. Some charms also have high quality cubic zirconias, as well genuine gems inset into their design. The price of each charm varies, from $25.00 dollars for simple sterling silver designs, up to $800 dollars for solid 14k gold charms. Pandora charm bracelets are designed to be built overtime, resulting in sentimental bracelet that reflects the life of the person wearing it. The charm on the starter bracelet featured in this review is Pandora's "Angel of Hope" charm. Pandora designed this charm in response to hurricane Katrina's tragic effects on Louisiana and Mississippi. Aside from making an initial donation of $100,000.00 to help those affected what Katrina, Pandora pledges to provide continuing support to the relief efforts through the purchase of the Angel of Hope charm. Approximately one third of the proceeds from this charm will be sent directly to the Mississippi Disaster Recovery Foundation. Through this effort Pandora aspires to raise $1,000,000.00 to $2,000,000.00 in additional funds for this cause."

My Personal Opinion:
Since I was a young teen the idea of wearing a charm bracelet has fascinated me. This was largely due to the sentimental concept behind charm bracelets -that each charm represents an aspect of your personality and life. Sadly it did not take long for me to realize that traditional charm bracelets and I are not compatible. When my husband mentioned Pandora's charm bracelets as an alternative my first thought was that this bracelet would have the same issues, well that is until I saw one for myself. The bracelet's design is practical, simple to clean, charms are easy to remove (allowing you to personalize the bracelet with out getting a headache) and most importantly the charms can not fall off or the bracelet while you are wearing it. Another aspect which has made this bracelet one of my favorite pieces is its superb craftsmanship, and superior quality. As someone who appreciates fine jewelry I admire Pandora's skill and craftsmanship.