Today’s post is the first of my Pandora reviews in the lead-up to the bracelet promotions at the end of this month, and features a review of the Pandora oxidised silver bracelet! This bracelet review has been requested a couple of times, and is one that I thought was particularly worth doing, as there are some things that you should be aware of before you buy this bracelet.
I’ll be talking mostly about durability and styling, but please feel free to ask me anything about the oxidised bracelet that I haven’t covered here. :)
Overview
Essentially, the Pandora oxidised bracelet is the standard Pandora silver barrel clasp bracelet, but with a chain treated to make it appear much darker in colour. This is achieved by exposing the silver to oxidising agents, which cause it to turn black. The clasp, however, is untreated, and provides a beautiful bright contrast against the oxidised chain.
It is significantly darker than the regular silver bracelet and offers an edgier look in comparison. There is no (or very little, depending on your region) price difference between the two bracelets, as the oxidised bracelet is merely a treated version of the original silver bracelet.
Durability
…which is, of course, what everyone is most interested in. The main issue with the oxidised bracelet is that the effect is not permanent, and its deterioration is expected – Pandora does not consider this a manufacturing defect and will charge you if you want to have it re-oxidised. Some retailers even go so far as to recommend that you save your oxidised bracelet only for special occasions. Eventually the bracelet will begin to lose its dark colour and you’ll see patches of silver where the oxidation is wearing away. The loss of oxidation is caused by the simple wear and tear of wearing the bracelet with charms, and is worsened by any contact with sweat, creams or chemicals such as perfume.
Consequently, most people considering the oxidised bracelet are concerned about what the bracelet looks like when it fades and how quickly it will do so. In regards to the extent of the fading, I have taken a comparison shot of my first oxidised bracelet (left) and my brand new oxidised bracelet (right). My first oxi bracelet was purchased back in December 2012, so it has had over a year and a half of regular wear with at least a few charms on it. The older bracelet is significantly lighter in colour, which is patchy and inconsistent.
You can see what I mean up-close in the following image – especially if you observe the threads (the new bracelet is on top; the old bracelet below). The dark colour on the older bracelet is much lighter and patchier, with the silver of the bracelet chain peeking through.
It is possible to get the original dark colour re-applied: you can pay to have Pandora respray it, or you can have a go at home yourself using the boiled egg method or liver of sulphur (I have a ‘how-to’ coming up on the egg method!). However, you will have to be doing this pretty regularly if you want to constantly maintain that gorgeous black colour that you started with – I’d say, with regular wear, every six months at least.
Having said that, I personally don’t find the faded bracelet unattractive – I quite like the silvery effect, which can look almost iridescent in certain lights. My old oxidised bracelet is also now full and you only get little glimpses of it through the charms, and it looks dark enough for me. It is certainly still distinguishable from the regular silver bracelet, and continues to provide a nice contrast to a plain silver charm, for example.
Styling
If you are very concerned about the finish, you could perhaps wear it just with clips and stack it with other bracelets. The contrast between the oxidised bracelet and other bright silver pieces is lovely, as I’ve mentioned, and it looks great layered up with other types of bracelets such as the leathers or the Pandora bangle.
I particularly like the Crazy clips with the oxidised bracelet, as they demonstrate precisely the sort of pieces that work best. They have some highly polished bright silver aspects, but also some pretty oxidised detailing, which complement the oxidisation of the bracelet.
Otherwise, the oxidised bracelet looks great with a variety of colours and styles. Its darker chain suits a striking, dramatic look – this means that it looks particularly effective with gold and two-tone pieces!
While I was no fan of Pandora UK’s brief alliance with Girls Aloud in 2012, I did love the oxidised bracelet design that they put together for it. The gold and the pavé charms contrast beautifully with the darker chain, creating a stylishly modern and eye-catching look.
However, the oxidised chain also serves to toughen up girlier designs – one of my favourite ways to wear the beautifully-delicate Cherry Blossom collection is on the oxidised bracelet!
Conclusion
In terms of look, I am head over heels for the oxidised bracelet. It is a great fashion piece, providing a pretty contrast to the regular silver charms and complementing those with oxidised detail. However, its durability remains the sticking point. If you have your heart set on that original perfect finish, then this probably isn’t for you. The fading is pretty much unavoidable if you want to wear the bracelet regularly and with charms. On the other hand, if you can live with the fact that it isn’t going to remain as dark as the day you bought it, then it is really a very lovely piece of Pandora jewellery.
Personally, I love the oxidised bracelet’s ability to give an edge to the charm bracelet concept and to toughen up a design. It can make even the simplest arrangement look so much more interesting. While the fading is a shame, I don’t find the result unattractive – and it still contrasts nicely with the regular silver bracelet and charms.
Please do let me know if you have any questions, or just any further tips that might be helpful! :)
Do you own the oxidised bracelet? What has been your experience with it?
Gasps!!!! I didnt know the oxidised coloring will eventually fade. I have one and it’s my favourite. You are right, the oxidised coloring makes charms with gold really stand out because of the contrast.
Unfortunately, it’s unavoidable if you wear it regularly :( It’s something of a shame as it looks so stunning when it’s brand new. Yes, I love it too – especially with gold! It completely transforms the charm bracelet look into something much more dramatic. ^^
Ellie
Lyn
Hello, I have a two tone oxy which is now retired. Was stunning at first, now looks like yours in the pic. Do you know if there are ways to take the dark oxy ‘off’ and bring it back to original silver?
Hi Lyn! Yes, I believe there is. I haven’t tried it myself, but I just did a little research and this website here details how you can remove oxidation or tarnish from silver jewellery:
http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/homeexpts/tarnish.html
Obviously if you did this, though, you should protect the clasp as otherwise it will remove the oxidation from the letters of the Pandora logo, too. This baking soda method is one that I’ve heard mentioned a few times, but I’ve not personally seen the results from it, though. I’m afraid I’m not very knowledgeable about it!
Ellie
In Canada, the oxidized bracelet is an extra $5!
Oh, interesting – thanks Aysha! I’ll amend my post. :)
Wow! I missed out so many things here! :D I love your oxidised bracelet designs!! So elegant yet not too formal :D Love your Stella charm! So beautiful!! <3 <3 <3 Are those the Crazy clips on the first photo here? It's so pretty! I have never seen it before though! :D I am a lazy person, so I guess if I ever own the oxidised bracelet, I will just send it to the Pandora shop to get it oxidised LOL!! But I still prefer the silver and some other bright colour bracelets (ie. pink, purple or yellow my fave! LOL!) muacks!~ xoxoxo <3 <3 <3
Thank you so much! <3 I'm really glad that you liked them! The Crazy Clips are the ones on the oxidised bracelet in this photo:
http://morapandorablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/pandora-oxidised-bracelet-review-stack-2.png
The ones in the first photo are the lovely retired Double Heart Pink Sapphire clips. I adore them! ^^
Aha, I do find the egg method a bit of a hassle and I've not tried the liver of sulphur method yet. But I'm not bothered enough by the fading to get it re-done officially – the charms hide most of the damage anyway! Haha, I know that you like your bright colours! <3 but I actually quite like bright charms with the oxi bracelet… I know you could come up with something beautiful for it! :D xxxxxxx
The oxidized bracelet is on my list for the bracelet promo next week. I plan on pairing it with 2 Lazy Daisy clips. I really don’t mind that it’ll fade over time because as you said, once you fill it with charms its not really noticeable.
Oh, lovely – the Lazy Daisy clips would look beautiful with it! They have that pretty oxidised detail that goes so well with the oxi bracelet. Exactly, you can’t even tell with my old one when the charms are full up. It still looks dark enough when you get a glimpse of the chain, but you wouldn’t notice that it’s patchy. It is a shame that it fades, though!
I love the clips on the first picture!! Am so tempted to get the oxidised bracelet now xD
Aha, they’re lovely aren’t they? It’s a shame that they’ve retired/are retiring all the pieces with genuine gemstones :( Haha, you should definitely get one! It’s so pretty! :D
Love your bracelet designs, Ellie! :-D
I got my oxidized bracelet from a promo back in March and I love it. Like you said, it allows you to create a design that is more edgy and it makes two-tone charms really stand out. I wish that there were more black/oxidized charms like the Stella charm though.
Thank you, Tia! <3 I love all your designs, too, so it's so nice to hear that you enjoyed these.
I was actually thinking the same thing! There aren't enough oxidised charms to match the bracelet. However I suppose their problem is that, with the effect not being permanent, they don't want to produce too many pieces that will fade over time. I would love to see more though!
Thanks for the timely review. I’m considering getting this one with the upcoming promotion. I thought some of the new Mystic Floral pieces would look nice. I was also thinking about rhodium clips. Has anyone tried this bracelet with those? I thought that once the bracelet becomes more filled, it would draw attention to the darker color that way and provide more contrast.
I’m glad it was useful! Oh yes, the Mystic Florals have that striking vintage look with which the oxidised bracelet would go perfectly. <3 As it happens, I did also try the rhodium clips with the oxi bracelet when I was choosing my clips for it! On their own with the bracelet the overall effect is a bit dark, but they looked wonderful when you added a few silver charms for contrast. As you say they'll be great for maintaining the oxidised look when the bracelet is full up!
I do like the oxi bracelets, maybe in a couple of months after the promo I may buy one, I like the idea of toughening it up with rock star clips, aha. Definitely prefer the newer styled one, but both are lovely really. Plus for the price the older one was probably a bargain anyway ;) excellent designs as always! X
Yeah, the Rockstar clips would look great! ^^ You should definitely get one haha – they are such an easy way to make a bracelet design look more interesting. Thank you! <3 xx
I love mine, and I found that the colorful Christmas charms look wonderful on it!
Ooh I bet they look lovely! Rich colours look great with it, too. :D
How much will it cost to get the bracelet oxidised professionally, and where can I get it done from. I’ve just had a silver one for Christmas but prefer the oxidised one, and was thinking of e changing it. However, I would want to keep the oxidised look on it.
Thank you.
Hi, it does depend on whereabouts in the world you are – in the UK, my local Pandora store quoted me £10 to have it re-oxidised. Otherwise, I’m sure most jewellers would do that for you, although I don’t know how much it would cost. Sorry that I can’t be more help! The oxidised bracelet is beautiful, though, and worth the maintenance, I think. :)
Ellie
Is it true that pandora is retiring the oxidized bracelet? I went to a pandora in a jewelry shop and the clerk told me that I took the last one. Also, that they will not recieve any more.
It it my favorite bracelet! It looks great with pavè charms <\3
Hi Violet! I’ve not heard that but I do hope that it isn’t true :o I love the oxidised bracelet (I now have three, lol), and it offers such a great twist on the classic design. I’d be really sad to see it go! If I do hear anything about this, I’ll let you know :)
I just heard from the Pandora thread in Purseforum that some sites allow upgrades. I am seriously contemplating to upgrade to this oxidised bracelet for a travel themed bracelet of blue and red. Thought the doll dangles which mostly have red enamel will contrast nicely. Now that I see more blue charms (petite facets, summer collection etc), I think it is time to try to get one. Love how you toughened the cherry blossom collection. It looks gorgeous!
Oh yes, definitely! I wore my red enamel Asian dolls on an oxidised bracelet – alongside the Chinese Lantern and the red poppy murano – for a little while and the contrast was just beautiful. It’s hard to go wrong with the oxi bracelet; it has a way of making any design look more structured and pulled-together :) Let me know what you decide! ^^ And thank you – my favourite way to wear Pandora pastels is on the oxidised bracelet. It just gives the sweetness a bit of an edge, haha!
Gotten the purple leather bracelet, now deliberating between the oxi and Essence. I will be passing by a Pandora store later and hope to be able to see both and decide. It will be nice if Pandora stores in Singapore have good promotions as US/UK.
The UK doesn’t really have very many promos either, but at least we have a couple of big sales every year. This year’s is still tempting me, haha. I’d be interested to hear what you decide about your bracelets! ^^
Is it a real pandora if inside the clasp was oxidised too? Thank you? I bought pandora sterling silver with hear clasp in amzon. Thank you
Hi there! :) Pandora bracelet clasps are usually oxidised inside, yes. This is what the inside of my heart-clasp bracelet looks like, for reference:
Hope that helps!
This post gives me an idea because I’m having a hard time styling the oxidized charm necklace. Tips, maybe? But you’re right, the color is lovely even if it will eventually fade. Thanks.
I bought the gold bracelet for my fiancé and around the barrel its starting to change in color like its turning a pinkish color is that supposed to happen?