As usual, the new release of Pandora charms for 2010 is stunning and a great addition to the Pandora bead collection. Not only are there new charms to add onto the bracelets but you can also find new leather bracelets, earrings, rings and pendants—many of which nicely complement the charms.
Rather than going into detail on all of the newly released charms, I will highlight a few here as well as documenting any new ‘group’ releases of which there were a few.
Perhaps the most stunning charm released with this new batch is the 14ct Gold Crown Charm that is studded with diamonds. Naturally, being made from gold and having diamonds on the crown, this is the most expensive charm out of the newer batch. Currently it retails for around $700. It looks great, though, and would be a very classy addition to any Pandora charm bracelet.
If that is a little too pricey for you, there were also several new silver and gold beads released. While you will still probably pay close to $100 or more for these charms, they are much more moderately priced and yet they are absolutely—dare I say it—charming! This spring’s release includes two identical Mother Nature charms, one with a black onyx jewel and one with an orange moonstone set in the charm. For slightly more you can purchase a silver and gold daffodil charm that also is set with tiny diamonds. Finally there is a stunning silver and gold Martini Cocktail dangling charm. My preferences are for either the gold daffodil or the Martini Cocktail, though I think the cocktail will win for me!
Speaking of dangling charms, there are also several new silver charms. One has a pearl dangling from the ornate charm while other more simple charms feature either a Cornelian drop, a pink Opal drop, or an Onyx drop. Drop charms are great as they add a lot of character to a Pandora Charm bracelet, but the downside is that they sometimes ‘catch’ on things. Still, if you are a careful wearer you should not have a problem with the drop or dangling charms.
There is also a set of silver charms with embedded stones going around the bead. The stones included on these charms are an Amethyst, Cornelian, Pink Opal, Silver Moonstone, Blue Topaz, Orange Moonstone, Onyx and Garnet Cabochon stones. For those not familiar with cabochons, they are merely stones that have been shaped and polished rather than cut and shaped with facets or sides to the stones. I was not so impressed with these charms. They are fairly blasé, nothing outstandingly extraordinary, but they are somewhat functional. If you want to add a touch of color to your bracelet, or you are looking for a cheap yet colorful bead to blend in with your already existing creation, they will work admirably. Nothing to write home about, however!
If you are interested in the Murano glass beads you will be happy to hear that there is a great new collection of candy striped Murano glass Pandora charms released and the design is quite catching. I actually really like the Murano glass bead collection. They are colorful, great for spacing beads out and they are fairly cheap. They are also a very hardy type bead. Nothing is going to damage them, and there are no little parts to detach or anything like that. To me they are better for adding color and a bit of a splash to your bracelet than the rather ‘boring’ Sterling silver ‘with a stone’ releases that Pandora has been shipping out lately!
Perhaps you are interested in animals? Well, Pandora is offering up new silver animal charms including a Kangaroo and baby joey, a silver chick and a scarab, which for the uniformed is usually called a dung beetle!
Finally there are some fairly nondescript enamel beads in the Pandora Spring 2010 charms that are ‘okay’. Nothing impressive really, aside from the yellow silver sun charm which would add a happy splash of color to your bracelet.
I can’t say I was incredibly impressed with the latest release of Pandora beads, I think other seasons have seen more variety and more creativity with the beads. Still, there were a lot of other releases this spring including bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces which show that Pandora Jewelry are actually expanding their lines quite a bit and not depending solely on the charms.
