I have a Pandora bracelet. I have both Pandora beads and knock off beads on mine (80% pandora and 20% knock off). Not all knock offs do fit the Pandora bracelet.

Pandora beads twist onto the bracelet where as the others slide on.
I do like the Pandora beads better but they are pricey.

I have made my list for Christmas of what beads and spacers that I would like, beads and spacers make nice gifts for birthdays, Christmas and mothers day

You can use some other charms/beads on Pandora bracelets. Some charms/beads are ugly no matter which brand you choose (Pandora's baby charms are SCARY ugly to me). I'm told Pandora charms/beads have a higher silver content than Camilla...

We got a necklace for my MIL for her 80th birthday with everyone's birthstone and a lot of spacers....we have a HUGE family...and she loves it! It turned out really well and I need to add about 4 more of the great-grands onto it for Christmas. It IS pricey, kind of, I think ours turned out a little over $400, but how often do you turn 80? I'm so glad we did it! Pandora is really pretty and if you get someone that really knows how to put them together, you can end up with a gorgeous piece. Yesterday I happened to be at a free-standing Pandora store and they had so many new charms....beautiful! Good luck! I'd love one myself!

My kids gave me a pandora and I love it. Every bday or Christmas they add to it, something special, a charm that means something...I have added a few murano glass charms & a chamalia charm too and they are all fine. I think it's a special gift, not something I would have bought for myself but I do adore it. I don't know about spacers, so maybe someone could elaborate a bit on them???
Good luck, lkplatow...I think it's a great idea!

I have a Pandora bracelet and I really like it. Like any charm bracelet, it is expensive when you add up all of the costs to fill it up, but most people work on it over time, so it doesn't seem so bad. The sliver charms run from $20.00 up to $60.00 or so, but most of them are in the $30.00 to $35.00 range. The gold beads are very expensive, since the price of gold is currently so high. The glass beads and beads with stones can go up to $60.00.

The spacer beads are beads that are narrower in width than the usual beads. They are used to fill in odd spaces that don't have enough room for another full size bead - or just to mix it up. There are also clips, which basically separate the bracelet into three compartments and prevent the beads from all ending up underneath your arm. The clips are more useful when you have fewer beads on your bracelet because as it gets full the beads really have nowhere to go. Clips can also be used as beads but beads can not be used as clips. There are spots on the bracelet (2) for the clips to go that make the clips stationary. If you put the clips on any another part of the bracelet they just function as beads. Hope this makes sense.

Oh wow, I had never heard of these until I looked it up. Can I be your Mommy-in-law? :)

I wear similar bracelets pre-made, but these are just beautiful!

Look at the website I found.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pandora

I have both Pandora and Troll. I have the bracelets and I have the necklaces! And, I have probably 40 charms. Here's my take: Pandora is very shiny silver, and Troll is more oxidized silver. I much prefer the less-shiny silver, but that's just personal preference. I think they both have attractive beads, and I would never classify Troll beads as "loud" -- not sure what she is referring to. It's nice to mix the glass beads with the metal ones. You can find less expensive beads on Etsy, too. The only drawback to the bracelets is when you get them filled with beads, they are HEAVY. I see people wearing 2 or 3 of them at once, filled with beads, and I don't know how they do it. Also, you need to get the right size bracelet, which can be tricky if you're buying for someone else, so be sure to keep the receipt in case she needs to get a different size. I have 2 sizes of Troll bracelet, actually -- one works best with just a few beads, and the other is large enough so it could be filled with beads.

I actually really prefer the necklace. I can wear it with just one bead, or 3, or 5, and it's like a new necklace every day. This is what I bring when we travel -- one chain, a bunch of beads, and then I can change it around day to day.

Yes, if you only have a few beads, make sure to get a couple of stoppers.

First of all, I too am having problems with the log in so I completely understand what you have done. I have a Pandora and love it. I wouldn't want any generic beads on it. Nor would I want a troll bracelet with Pandora charms. I prefer to keep mine genuine. I buy my charms at a free standing Pandora store and they always clean my bracelet and make adjustments to the order when I add new charms. I would enjoy receiving this as a gift but only if it were genuine.

I would say here the Pandora brand is most popular. However, Belk stores have one of their own and they are pretty popular around here. They seem to have good sales on them fairly often. I've never seen the freestanding stores in our area. I think some of the charms are interchangeable. I don't know why it would matter to have either/or/both on a bracelet. It wouldn't matter to me.

I would love to see a necklace. Have not seen one of those. I wouldn't wear a pandora type bracelet as I have a traditional charm bracelet that my husband started many years ago and has added to over the years. In fact, it is full. I treasure it!

tina

Have one and love it. Have about 11 beads so far, so I don't find it cumbersome yet?

I guess it all comes down to whether you want to pay Pandora price for that specific type of bracelet, given that there are at least 3 "similer" bracelets as as well, to also choose from. Most any bead will fit on a Pandora, although it will not screw on.

Oakley you're too funny - "can I be your Mommy-in Law"?. Pretty much sums it up, now doesn't it?

Seriously if your MIL is like mine, she would definitely know that she was getting a less than exact Pandora, and that would so not be okay. She wouldn't wear it. You have to be the guide on whether going with "Pandora" is going to matter to your MIL, and if she really doesn't know much about the bracelets, or knows about them and thinks Pandora (authentic first maker of this type of bracelet), is way, way over priced?

Some women only want a "Pandora". If you think she is one of those women, buy the Pandora, if you can swing it. The Pandora 14kt bracelet and charms are pricey, there's no getting around the pricepoint of Pandora.

I gave SIL a "Pandora" bracelet, in silver, much less $$, for a birthday when this type of bracelet first came out. For me, that was a real splurge gift. If you are thinking gold Pandora, it gets very pricey, very fast.

I think it is a great gift. Whichever brand you choose, I know one woman who is going to have a Merry Christmas!

I have a Pandora, and I recieved a second one last christmas....my first is full. I love it...when I travel, I try to buy a bead to remember my trip. A lot of people here have Pandora...my friend bought me the Angel charm when my dad passed away...it really touched me.

I purched a bracelet for my sons girlfriends b day....bought her a charm for christmas....they are really fun...and good quality.

I'll admit it.... I have a Pandora addiction! I have the silver bracelet, necklace, the black necklace and I enjoy them all. Interstingly, I find the bracelet to be too heavy when loaded up with all the charms, beads and spacers. Personally, I like the necklace much better with a center charm surrounded by glass beads. My collection includes Pandora, Chamilla, and some Etsy hand-made beads. Most represent significant occasions in our lives/travel adventures/hobbies, etc.

For a starter gift, I'd recommend a bracelet with 1-2 charms or beads and 2 spacers. Honestly, I do think the Pandora brand is worth the money.

Thanks for the advice. I went schlepping around today and looked at Pandora, Trollbeads, Chamila (sp?) and Brighton. Honestly, the ones I liked the best were the Brighton, but they are also the cheapest and not sterling silver (they're silver-plated brass or something like that) -- not sure how my MIL would feel about that. She's not into brands or trends so she probably wouldn't care about the name, but I don't want to look like I cheaped out or end up with something that turns her wrist green, LOL! I didn't care for the Trollbeads - I thought the glass beads were pretty but the silver ones seemed kind of chunky and crudely detailed - I didn't think MIL would like them as much. I liked both Pandora and Chamilla, but they were both about the same price and if I'm spending the big bucks, I guess I might as well get the Pandora as it has the most brand recognition.

So at this point, it's down to Brighton or Pandora - a huge price and quality difference between the two of course. The Pandora would be a little more than I wanted to spend, the Brighton would let me get a ton more beads -- I'm afraid that the Pandora bracelet's going to look sad with just two beads on it, LOL! So I'm going to talk to DH and SIL and see what they think. The reason I'm still considering the Brighton is because the designs on a lot of the beads are Mary Englebreit-like, and that is right up MIL's alley -- not that she wouldn't like the Pandora, but the Brighton just screams "her".

So anyhow, if I end up getting the Pandora, any opinions on the "snap" vs. "lobster clasp" for the bracelet? The lady at the store said the snap is easier to put on by yourself, but they both seemed pretty hard to me. Or should I just get a necklace instead? Pandora also had leather braclets and lariat necklaces that were cute as well -- too. many. options! Who knew a simple bracelet could be so complicated?!

Let me qualify myself and tell you that I know NOTHING about Pandora, but I certainly can speak to the excellent quality of Brighton products. I've had a purse, a belt, ring, a few necklaces and a keychain for more than 10 years. None has ever changed color or broken. They're a great company and here in Calif, they have retail stores, otherwise they're carried in better specialty stores. I wouldn't worry that you're not giving her something that is well made. Brighton has a fine reputation.

I have the Pandora snap. It is not the easiest to put on but is manageable. As for Brighton products, I ordered a pair of shoes and got the wrong size. I returned them to the store and they would not return my shipping charges or the difference in the state tax I paid between where they were shipped from and where I returned them. I also had to return a belt twice for the identical problem both times. I learned my lesson and haven't been back. I am all about customer service.

I've had a Brighton watch for ten years and it still looks new. I wear it all the time. The Rosarita.

If you get the Pandora, definitely go for the Pandora closure on the bracelet. The lobster clasp is almost impossible to put on by yourself. The Pandora closure is very secure. I use a guitar pick to open mine as it is pretty stiff.

As far as which bracelet to choose, I would rather have fewer charms of good quality versus lots of charms of silver-plated brass. JMO.

All the women in my family have Pandora bracklets, plus I have a necklace. I wear the bracelet the most. Really it is the only one I wear. My daughter was in a Pandora store (that's all they sell!!!) yesterday and a man bought a full bracelet for his wife and his bill was over $4000. He also bought a necklace for her to fill.

I vote for the snap clasp....I also wanted to say that I think that the Pandora bracelets look good with only a few beads on them...you could also purchase Brighton beads for the Pandora bracelet...if they fit.....good luck....fun shopping!

I have a Brighton bracelet and have had no problems with it. I think the Pandora bracelets do look funny with only a bead or two on them. I also did not want to put hundreds of $$ into a trendy bracelet. I do believe that the look won't become dated as fast as some trends. Remember the Italian Charm bracelets that many invested similar $$ into 5 years ago. Where are those sitting now?

Guess it boils down to what you are wanting to put into it.

What a beautiful, thoughtful gift. I know nothing about these types of bracelets but the fact that the Brighton makes you think of your MIL is, for me, the clincher. I'd love for someone to see something and think of me -- what an honor, a sign of love!

You, of course, know your MIL best and will know whether she needs the cachet of a Pandora / Trollbead. But I'll tell you, reading your post that the Brighton made you think of your MIL and that it'd appeal to her made my heart smile -- what a wonderful DIL you are!

Whatever you choose, the happiest of holidays to you. xo

This whole idea interests me and of course, it's a very thoughtful and nice gift, but I have my sterling charm bracelet from the seventies and my mom's gold one from the fifties and up until the early eighties we both added all kind of charms to our bracelets and now, looking at the charms reminds me so much of all the events in my childhood.

I don't wear them as they are out of date, but I love the memories associated with each charm.

And Brighton is so much more than silver plated brass. It's heavy duty, never needs polishing and is very durable.
The metal is a composite that looks great too.

I guess I will be the first to say that I much prefer the Trollbeads over Pandorda. About 5 yrs. ago my husband got me a Pandora bracelet and within a year we had a lot of beads on it (almost full)

I found it a real pain to have to *twist on* and *twist off* the beads every time I wanted to add a bead or change a bead on the bracelet.

I switched to a Trollbeads bracelet (and they have different clasps that are gorgeous) and just LOVE it. ALSO, all my Pandora beads FIT on the Trollbeads bracelet. Not all beads will fit a Pandora.

Look at both if you have a nearby store; or do a google search for them and see what you like .... ENJOY!!!

jody

I think it is a creative idea, a new take on the traditional charm bracelet. Buying charms that have some meaning is a lovely way to remember events, etc. I think it is so nice that you want to do something special - and so clearly an investment - for your MIL.

I had seen and heard a lot about Pandora and we have a Pandora store here. So one day, on one of my rare trips to the mall, I walked around in there just looking. I am not a lover of the chunky glass bead look, so as much as I wanted to love the Pandora concept (so that I could suggest something to my DH and DSs when they asked for gift ideas for Christmas or my birthday), I just couldnâÂÂt get into them.

Plus, and this is just me, I have no interest in wearing jewelry that is stamped with a brand name all over it. But for some, that is part of the cachet, like using Louis Vuitton luggage or jeans with a certain label showing.

Another case of different strokes for different folks. I still have my two sterling charm bracelets that I started as a young girl. They are both loaded with charms, and I do wear them occasionally. I have a pair of sterling booties that are engraved with my two boys names and birthdates that I wear on a long chain. I have other gold charms that I wear as pendants, too.

So I guess I am the old generation, and Pandora represents the new. Nothing wrong with that!

Bumblebeez, you should wear your old charm bracelets! I have an old silver charm bracelet from my childhood/teenage years, my Grandmother's silver charm bracelet (which I absolutely love!) and a gold charm bracelet that I started in my 30's. I wear both my gold bracelet and my Grandmother's charm bracelet frequently. I don't wear my old silver one much because I always choose to wear my Grandmother's bracelet when I am going to wear a silver charm bracelet. My grandmother's bracelet has charms engraved with the names and dates of birth of my siblings and me, so I get a kick out of wearing it. It's also fun to look at all of the other charms and try to figure out what significance they had for her. It's a treasure, for sure.

I don't think classic charm bracelets ever go out of style, really.

"I don't wear them as they are out of date, but I love the memories associated with each charm."

I have to say I agree with stbonner - charm bracelets are not out of date - they are a classic. I wear mine although I would much rather be unique than "trendy".

Les - I love hearing about your charms! The booties sound so cool. I am the same way about wearing someone's name plastered on me. LOL One reason I could never get into "TOMMY". I don't want to feel like a walking advertisement. My 93 year old grandmother started a charm bracelet at some point, before any of us grandchildren were born. She lost interest in it but years later gave my sister and I (we both have charm bracelets), our baby head charm with our birthdate engraved on it. I have charms representing most major events in my life!

stbonner - I just saw where your grandmother had the baby charms too. So neat having them.

tina

Maybe not out of date but they are too jingle jangly for me!
And heavy.

"I don't wear them as they are out of date, but I love the memories associated with each charm."

I had not seen my late 60's/70's silver charm bracelet in years until I happened upon it the other day. I proudly wore it to church last Sunday. Fun looking at all the old charms. I'd forgotten how noisy they are.

I have had a Brighton bracelet for several years...it is never off and I have never had any problems with it whatsoever! Everytime I wander into their store for any reason, they remove my bracelet, check it and clean it...back on it goes.... no charge!!

Brighton stuff is amazing, it always looks good. I prefer it to sterling as it looks the same but wears so much better.

Thanks for posting.. wish I'd seen it sooner but will keep it in mind for the next gift opportunity. I know my daughter would love it

I love jewelry, and I've been searching for the perfect charm bracelet for a couple of years now, and these Pandora bracelets are growing on me. I love the sound jewelry makes on a wrist!

I like both the silver and the leather bracelets, but how durable is the leather? And I assume I can put any of the charms on the leather bracelet?

Look at the picture of this bracelet:

{{!gwi}}

If I did buy a bracelet I don't want it full of charms, maybe a 1/3 full.

But how would it hang on my wrist? Would the clasp be on top of my wrist because of the weight of the charms?

I'm just wondering if that would look strange.

I was wondering how easy it is to break or chip the Murano glass charms? Wouldn't they get damaged if it's hit against a table while wearing it?

Do you remember waiting in line for Beanie Babies? I've lived a long time and seen a lot of fads but this is by far one of the most expensive fads I have ever seen. It too shall pass and then on to the next. I think the worst is that open heart at Kay Jewelers. Why not get something no one else has and patronize a local jeweler to make something?

This thread has inspired me to wear my Grannie's charm bracelet. She's about to go into hospice care; I probably won't have her much longer. But I must have a million blessed memories, and not long ago she gave me several pieces of her treasured jewelry, among them her charm bracelet. I too considered something like that rather fusty and outdated, but now I'll wear it proudly. It represents the life of someone very special to me.
:-)

Well, I ended up going with the Brighton. I drug my dh around with me to look at everything and he ended up just as confused as I was. But we decided to start with Brighton -- if it's something she likes and wears, maybe we can do Pandora another year. Brighton just had cuter charms and was much more affordable -- we still spent more than we planned, but we ended up with a necklace AND a bracelet, several beads, two stopper beads, 3 of the most adorable Christmas charms I've ever seen, and 2 charms that represent the beach where my inlaws have a second home and we vacation with them every year. It's silly, but the final straw was the turtle charm -- Pandora's was just a regular cartoonish-looking smiling turtle -- it kind of looked like a kids' stuffed animal. But Brighton had a realistic sea turtle charm. And since we seem to end up visiting them at sea-turtle hatching season every year and end up making nightly pilgrimages to watch the nests hatch, I really wanted a sea turtle, not a generic turtle. Silly, I know.

Now, hopefully she likes and wears it!

lkplatow - what a lovely and thoughtful gift. I am sure your MIL will be thrilled. You will be giving a gift that can be built upon not only by you, but now friends and other family members can purchase a charm or two for special occasions.

Someone posted about the other brands of this bracelet being inferior as they aren't solid sterling (for the silver as opposed to the gold Pandora). While I am not sure about Trolls or Brighton, I did check out Kohl's silver version of this bracelet. and it is, in fact, solid sterling. The price point of the Individuality Bracelets and beads (Kohls)is a more affordable option for anyone who wants this type of bracelet in silver, but doesn't want to spend Pandora-type $$.

As far as the durability of the glass beads - I've had mine for quite a few years and haven't yet had a glass bead break or chip. I have both Pandora and other brand glass beads. I am very hard on my jewelry, and don't remove it to wash dishes, etc.

I like that you've chosen the sea turtle charm as one of the starter charms for your MIL's bracelet. Very thoughtful to personalize the bracelet with something you do together as a family.

As a matter of personal choice, I think this type of bracelet is so much more versatile than the "Nomination" or stretchy charm bracelet that came out about 10 or so years ago. While I do have one of those, I never wore it as frequently as I wear my Pandora. For me, it is like comparing apples and oranges. Since I have accumulated many different colored glass beads, so I can make combinations of colored beads mixed with the other charms when I want to compliment a color I may be wearing. Personally, I don't like my bracelet full of charms, but prefer it only half filled.

Happy Holidays!

Also check Sam's club - they carry several versions of the bracelet with several beads - in sterling - for a very reasonable price. I have one and always get compliments on it. They don't sell any additional beads, but it's a place to start a bracelet.

Helene

So happy that you made your decision! She will love this thoughtful gift~

The Murano glass charms are very durable and do not break. Yes, it's an expensive bracelet but it's a great gift idea as it can be added onto over the years. I think my daughter maybe started mine as she lost my charm bracelet years ago...

Auntjen, that is exactly how I feel about my grandmother's charm bracelet. Lovely post.

Does anyone know what other beads fit onto the brighton bracelet?

lkplatow.... how did she like it ????

She loved it! Or at least she said she did - we'll see if she actually wears it. But she seemed happy. Christmas was actually kind of chaotic -- she had some guests drop in while we were opening gifts and we didn't get to talk to her much after that. Hopefully we'll catch up with her soon - I wanted to find out if she needs to exchange the bracelet itself for a different length since I wasn't sure what size would fit her wrist and I just guessed.

iamsnizzle - I'm not sure what other charms fit the brighton bracelet -- the one we got is kind of thick -- thicker than the pandora/chamilia/kohls versions. I'm thinking trollbeads would probably fit since they also seemed to have a pretty thick chain, though I'm not sure.

I really enjoyed reading this thread with everyone's views and comments. Since I retired I don't wear a lot of jewelry and I have never seen a Pandora bracelet but I am going to make sure that I see what you are all talking about. The pictures are very intriguing.

Marylee

I wonder if anyone knows the company that makes tiny charms for you, like a wedding invitation shrunk, loveletter, or other items you might feel special. It was sort of rustic edged silver and antique looking when they put them together. I remember many celebrities were into the charms, and they are hugely expensive like in the hundreds per charm, but they were crafted for you. I lost the link to the store in my favorites when my last laptop died and I have been wanting to go back to the site to see what new things they had and if they were still in business.

pollyanna - I don't know exactly about the charms you are looking for but I have purchased alot of sliders and charms at Etsy. There are handmade silver ones there as well as mass produced sold as supplies.

I make my own glass beads but I prefer buying the silver crystal sliders from Etsy. I do have a few from Pandora.

Here is a link that might be useful: Etsy