3 Tips For Pandora Summer Style

It’s officially Summer which has hit us in full swing this December with some blazing hot days. The Sun’s out, the beaches are packed and it’s time to start thinking about what charms to fit in with the season. Here are 3 simple tips about style as well as care to have sparkling style with your charm bracelet this sunny season.

1. Caring for your charms – Summer means swimming pools, beaches and a bit of sweat with the sweltering heat, all of which aren’t exactly ideal for charm bracelets. Chlorine is a big no-no for charm bracelet and really any kind of jewellery that you’re wearing. This along with other chemicals in the swimming pool will risk dulling the shine on your bracelet and in certain cases can turn your charms and other precious metals black! If you’re wearing charms with oxidation the effect can be ruined, in some cases permanently. Remember to take your bracelet off before swimming and if you happen to take a dip accidentally with your charms then try to rinse them as soon as possible to avoid the chemicals and salt being on the metal’s surface for too long.

2. Daily Care – With Summer comes Sun and heat, but also more sweats and oil from your skin building up on your bracelet which isn’t just gross but can dull the gemstones and cause damage through abrasion as the charms rub together. The official guide to care tells us to wash our bracelets and charms regularly in hot soapy water as maintenance to remove oils I’ve experimented with a few more ‘professional’ cleaning products but haven’t noticed too much of a difference for regular daily cleans and there are certain risks with different metals that could cause damage, so I’ll stick with hot soapy water as I’m not cleaning expert. However, I’ve also had the charms professionally cleaned which you can do at most official Pandora outlets and there’s nothing like it – sparkling and fresher than ever!

3. Summer Styling – The season of the Sun is best celebrated with a splash of vibrant, happy colours. For this season I’ve been fawning over some of the pieces in the 2013’s Summer collection (released in Australia’s winter) which had a huge Italian/European feel to it with whites, reds and blue and a red scooter which has been at the top of my wish list for a while now. Enamel charms are a great way to combine splashes of colour to highlight your bracelet and fit in with the celebrations around you. My personal favourite for an Australian summer would definitely be some of the deep blue and teal Murano drop charms of faceted glass which bring a drop of cool colour that reminds people of the sea and the beach.

Wherever you are this Summer and whatever you’re doing have a ton of fun and relax in the sunshine! Take care of your bracelet and party it up with style.

The Pandora Christmas Collection Is Here!

The festive season is upon us, and to charm fans around the world that means that we get new charms from Pandora in the new Christmas collection! This year is quite standard, but combined with a ton of new stuff from the Essences collection; we’re being spoilt with new goodies this Summer. In this post I’ll go through some pieces that I think will make great gifts, my favourites from the collection, and some styling ideas with the new charms!

Christmas Gifts – Things to think about Choosing the perfect gift for Christmas isn’t the easiest thing in the world, to be honest. If you’re looking to induct somebody into the world of charm loving and Pandora then take a look at some of the premade bracelets featured here, though it is a tad pricier. You have to pick something that they’ll love, and when it comes to jewellery it might be necessary to include the receipt in case they want to exchange it because of sizing (or if it’s really not their style). Here are some simple tricks to get a gift that’s sure to be loved this Christmas, even if they don’t have a Pandora bracelet!

One of the best things to do if in doubt is to look to the Rings and Earrings collection. These pieces are super easy to get for sizing (simply take a look at their favourite ring) and also work well for anybody’s style. This year there are some fantastic Pave rings that would be suit any style or occasion – work, going out of just weekend casual. Another great option if you don’t fancy anything you see in the new Christmas collection is one of Pandora’s simple birthstone rings. It’s an easy pick that’s personal to the receiver!

Earrings are much the same but are even easier to buy since you don’t need any sizing info whatsoever. I’m a personal fan of the Pave and Star/Heart studs, though these might be a bit seasonal in their use. The Murano drops are a great piece as well – instantly classy without breaking the bank.

For The Charm Fans – Best Picks From Christmas This Christmas collection isn’t letting up on adding in charms that are sure to become classics. For me what stood out what the Carousel silver charm (791236). I think this charm is the most detailed piece I’ve seen from Pandora in a long time with tiny heart shapes at the top, oxidised silver around a beautifully intricate horse and a tiny golden top to add a bit of colour. This is something I definitely have to see in store for myself, but the way it caught my eye made it a definite addition to the wish list.

If you’re looking to treat somebody who has a charm bracelet, then the pinecone, Christmas tree and magic silver sky charms are wonderful pieces that would work on any bracelet without setting you back too much. Overall the theme of the new charms is more around festivity and the giving season, though there are quite a few specifically around Christmas if its big in your culture. For styling your bracelet this season the festive Murano drops are a great way to elegantly bring colour to you wrist, though the splashes of red enamel in the Pine Cone, Candy Cane and Santa charms are a good way to go. As for myself, I’m looking through my collection for duotone pieces to construct a sparkling centrepiece for my outfit – which should look something like this.

The Pandora Essences Collection – Why I’m Excited!

If you’re an incessant visitor to the official Pandora site like myself, then you’ve probably seen the new page promoting the very soon to come out Pandora essences collection. If not then take a look for yourself here for the collection, though you may need to sign up towards the Pandora club to get access to the promotional materials. This is by far the most exciting collection to come out and I think it’ll be a huge success, attracting Pandora fanatic present, past and future. It seems to really embody the Pandora spirit on unique and beautiful moments and the charms are really something different with some elegant designs and different material. Here are just a few reasons why I’m so hyped up about this new collection and some of my (preliminary) favourites!

Unique Charm Meanings & Designs
Some of these charms are totally unique and just a few of the new ones that really stand to me are Faith, Trust, Health and Positivity. These ones use precious stone materials that I haven’t really seen featured in any of Pandora’s previous charms and even things like ‘Green Adventure or Aventurine ’ and ‘Magnesite’ that you don’t really see often in other jewellery brands. There are also some awesome designs that either work with the charm’s gemstone like the dark stains in the ‘Positivity’ to provide a really enchanting texture or the craftsmanship in ‘Trust’, ‘Health’ and ‘Happiness’ that embody the elegant Pandora style. I’ve had a good look at each of the new items in the collection and have got to saw that Freedom, Compassion and Honesty are my must-gets as their design and meanings really struck out to me. In addition I think Faith and Energy and pieces I’ll put on my wish list – they are virtues that I feel I need a bit more of (doesn’t everyone!) and the gemstones might help transfer some energy over.

Materials and Their Meanings
The other thing that I love about this collection is the array of new materials that they’re using. The whole reason I love Pandora is that I can remember exactly where and when I got each charm on my bracelet, giving each one meaning and significance. It’s heaps different from any other kind of jewellery in that I can wear it every day and have it as both a fashion accessory and a bracelet of memories from significant milestones in my life. Some of the materials that stand out to be are Love’s rose pink moonstone (or quartz)and Faith’s purple Amethyst that remind me of a bit of royalty.
The charms still haven’t been released, but I couldn’t be more excited for this particular collection and review them. The only hard part is choosing what to get first!

Forgotten Collection – Pandora Earrings

Everybody knows Pandora is all about the charms and charm bracelets, but not many people rave about the other Pandora collections like the earrings, rings and watches which also follow the unique and intricate look of Pandora charms and can make really nice complements when matched perfectly. It was my birthday recently and knowing that I’m a major Pandora freak in general my friends got me a few things from Pandora amongst them a pair of Pandora earrings! It got me thinking and when I looked at the extensive earring collection on the Pandora website I realised that the earrings match really well with some of my charms and bracelet themes. Here are some combinations that I think would look great:

Glass With Glass

Here are the earrings I got and I looked at a charm from the most recent collection I treated myself to a few weeks back – a black and white cherry blossom charm that I usually wear on my black leather bracelet with just a few clips and silver charms in a minimalist style. The glass on glass look goes really well together, especially the black and white theme that would look even greater on a simple summer outfit or even something more formal for the office. Anything Pandora does with glass becomes my instant favourite so I’ll be sporting this look a bit more often in the coming months.

Liquid Silver

Even the most casual Pandora collectors will have at least one of Pandora’s iconic silver charms. Some of Pandora’s most famous charms like the love heart, Scottie dog or golden nightingale have beautiful textures in shiny reflective silver, sometime contrasted with oxidised silver to make the shiny surfaces stand out even more. With earrings I saw a few on the collection that I hadn’t noticed before that would match really well with these charm styles. There are quite a few styles and designs that you can choose that’s most comfortable or appropriate for your face shape, but they all have that same liquid silver look that complements any silver charms you have perfectly. The silver look is great for more formal dresses like glass and work really well to contrast against some vibrant colours.

For Gemstone Charms

Pandora’s release of Pave style charms put gemstones in the spotlight on many people’s charm bracelets. Usually charms didn’t really feature gemstones, though a few in the new seaside collection had cute blue topaz stone embedded in eyes and pearls in the clam mouths. The liquid silver and glass earrings might clash a bit too much with these types of charms, but looking for a set of earrings with similarly coloured gemstones can make a great complement to bring out the gemstones in your charms. For the most part Pandora charms’ gemstones are in a red, blue or white and similar colours are across the earrings range to match up nicely. Have a look at the gemstone category of the charms page http://www.pandora.net/en-au/explore/products/charms#!791108TPP/subcat/11/stone/!01 for some more ideas.

Thoughts On Pandora’s New Season Collection

Living in Australia which is on the other side of the world Pandora’s headquarters in Denmark I’m used to seeing new collections from Pandora that are totally out of sync with the season that me and my fellow fanatics are living in. Sometimes it’s great with like the recent spring collection that came out in our Autumn and reminded me of some nice floral patterns. This time it’s the Summer ‘By The Sea’ collection that’s coming out in our Winter, but in Australia we’re in no shortage of Sunny weather and to top it off there an Opera House charm in this collection! A perfect addition to the theme of ‘By the Sea’ I might add and a definite must-buy for myself as a Sydney-sider and proud Aussie! As for the rest of the collection….Here are my thoughts:

European Seaside Themes

If you’re thinking of a seaside theme then a great country would be the romance and history of the Europe countryside with its villas and winding roads along the bright blue sea. Pandora is based in Denmark as I mentioned before with designers residing in Europe so it isn’t too much of a surprise that they chose imagery such as the famous gondolas of Venice and Vespas that are so popular around Italy. Personally I’m most impressed by the scooter silver dangle with extensive red enamel colouring and a cubic zirconia making a cute headlight. I could see it perfect for anybody who owned a scooter and might go well on your keychain but I’d be careful of scratching the bright red enamel coating.

Vibrant Triple Layered Leathered Bracelets

As always the pieces of each collection go amazingly well together and this Seaside collection is no different. Here we have triple layered leather bracelets that aren’t exactly meant to be stacked with charms like the more traditional single banded silver or black leather woven bracelet, but would look great either on its own or in my opinion, with just a few charms or clips spotted around the length of material. My favourite colour would definitely be the turquoise colour, perfect for the Seaside Theme and would look stunning with the scooter charm!

Cute Crustaceans

A new Pandora collection would be complete with at least a couple cute animal charms. This time around we’ve got some sea dwelling creatures with a fish, seashell and a baby crab. As usual these are the charms that really pique my interest but the seashell silver charm holding a tiny pearl that wins my favourite for the Seaside collection. If you’re looking for the perfect charm for your niece, daughter or granddaughter I’d definitely recommend the silver fish with blue topaz eyes though. A cute, but elegant and long-lasting gift for a young lady for sure!

Special Mentions

This new series of charms is jam packed with some great stuff that’s sure to be Pandora classics – I’ve got my eye on the scooter dangle in particular. In addition a few more things caught my eye: a classy cubic zirconia studded pair of tiny sunglasses, a brightly coloured beach ball and something that will definitely go on my wish list no matter what – a blue and yellow enamel beach balloon with a brilliantly details silver rope wound around it.Along with that there are some new Pandora rings that build on the stack centered ring collection that has been built up along the years and some nice earrings too.

It’s Tax Time!

Tax isn’t much of an exciting activity, but saving money sure is! Tax is due soon and I’ve getting some really out there advice on what I could claim that I wasn’t sure about. Luckily, I came across some tax tips from uBank that seemed pretty cool. I’m with uBank because my parents said the rate was the best, but it was nice of them to help with taxes (I guess it means more money in my account which is good for both of us!). There were tonnes of cool tips that I didn’t know about before that will save me heaps of money this time around. Here’s what I found:

• Self-Education: I’m currently studying part time in something related to work so apparently I can claim a ton of things that I didn’t before (doh!). Textbooks, travel between school and home and depreciation on my Macbook (anybody know how to do this??).
• Interest: Not that interesting for me, but some family have investments so yay for them!
• Car Deductions: Only if you use the car for work purposes and you have the log everything in with heaps of detail, not sure if I’m up for that.
• Computers and Laptops: Ha! If only I knew what depreciation was then maybe I could get a goldmine back because I use my laptop every day at work (designing mockups).
• Clothing: Only if it’s a uniform for work that’s ‘recognised’. But I’ve bought heaps of outfits for work… does it count!? Probably not.

Anyways I might be saving quite a bit more this with a fatter tax return thanks to these cool tax tips and I hope you might be able benefit too.

The Pandora New Season Collection

Well it’s finally out and apologies for being a little late for blogging about this fantastic new collection. It looks like the theme of the new collection is Spring, Flowers and cuteness all round which makes sense as I guess, as it’s the start of the Spring season in Europe. A bit weird since it’s Autumn here in Sunny Australia, but I guess Autumn is as good as any season for flowers and a bit of Spring cheer, and there’s a really cool Easter bunny charm that I think is the highlight of the new charms! You can see the whole collection here, but I’ll go through some of the themes and special new designs that I picked up on, as well as my personal favourites. Get ready, it’s a great collection this time around! Drop Charms The collection of charms this time around seems to be abundant with drop and dangle charms and pendants. Dangle charms are a great accessory and gives a bit of variance to bracelets. I’ve even seem some really cool bracelets with a whole dangle theme to them, though it might be hard to pull off with just Pandora charms. This collection features something that I think is particularly exciting and beautiful – Murano glass drop charms! As you might know I’m a hard core fan of Murano glass beads and charms and these dangle variations have captured my heart. A must buy! Spring Flowers in Bloom According to this press release this new range of jewellery from Pandora is about ‘the enduring beauty of cherry blossoms in Spring’. Half the collection is centred around the theme with cherry blossom earrings, pendants and charms, but if you’re a really into the theme of the cherry blossom then the show stealers here are the Murano glass cherry blossom charm that in a really subtly tinted charm which mimics that softs pink petals of the cherry blossom and the silver multi-layered ring with a pearl and pink enamel bouquet of cherry blossoms that would look absolutely perfect with a simple summer dress and sandals, or even a few fancier evening gowns. Fairy Tale Charms This range of charms also features some really special fairy tale pieces with characters straight out of the picture books. These are perfect first charms for younger girls who might only have one or two spacers of their bracelet, but with the detail and craftsmanship I think they make a great addition to any bracelet with more feminine themes. The ones that really caught my eyes from these new charms are the castle and nightingale charms which have that delicacy and intricate details that make me fall in love with charms all over again. Personal Favourites – The Cutest Charms Yet! I’ve got a real weakness for cute, furry little creatures on my bracelet and this spring collection has given me a whole new set of silver charms to fawn over and save up for. The Easter bunny will definitely be the first purchase out of the new collection, but I’m having trouble deciding on the Scottish dog and smooth elephant. What do you think? All images taken from http://www.pandora.net/en-au/