Today’s post brings another Pandora review, with a closer look at the Pandora Club charm for 2015! This limited edition piece was released last month with the Pandora Summer 2015 collection and is the second special club edition that Pandora have made, following the 2014 Hidden Heart design. Happily, Pandora have done away with the notoriously poorly-executed voucher system from last year. This time around, anyone can buy the charm, whether they are a member of the Pandora club or not.
I was initially unsure as to whether I would get this charm, as I so liked the original 2014 charm, but the allure of it being a collector’s item and its diamond detailing eventually won me over. ;) Read on for some close-up shots and styling inspiration!
The charm
It’s actually a little bigger in person than I expected, and I mean that positively! If you compare it next to Pandora’s traditional smooth heart design, it is more substantial and a little taller.
The inclusion of the date is a nice touch and essential to the collectability of the Club charms, I think. It might have been nice to have the crown two-tone as several people have suggested but, on the other hand, having it be colourless does preserve that elegance and makes it more versatile.
The other downside to this design is that it is not a new one from Pandora; it’s essentially a recolouring of the Princess charm from last year’s Autumn collection. While the Club charm makes a nice alternative for those who aren’t so keen on the Princess’s more sparkly aesthetic, it is a shame that this collector’s item is not based on an entirely new idea.
Much like the last Club charm, this one also has a very smooth shiny surface. While the effect is elegant, it does mean that the charm is rather prone to picking up scratches. This photo was taken the day after I got it and it is already showing up with little marks and lines…
When I look at the two Club charms side-by-side, the new one seems a little more shapely and elegant than the 2014 Hidden Heart, despite its lack of quirkiness. One of my readers once had the lovely thought that this Club charm was a continuation of the 2014 one, that it was an ‘unboxing’ of the hidden heart in last year’s – I love that idea of the continuity between the two charms.
Styling
Many people found the original Club charm very hard to style, due to its size and its rather box-y shape. This is not at all a problem with this year’s charm – its simple heart design will go with pretty much anything!
For my first styling, I’ve dressed the Club charm down a bit and gone for a more casual look with a leather bracelet design. ;) I got these lovely moonstone cabochon spacers in the UK sales and I’ve been desperate to show them off – they go beautifully with the Club charm’s little diamond and they set off the delicate pastels of the two muranos nicely too.
A couple of readers have asked about pairing the Pandora Rose pieces with two-tone charms and so I thought I’d include a styling along those lines for this review!
The Club charm looks great with a little elegant two-tone to set off its diamond and the three-metal look works for me, too.
I am wearing my Club charm on my midnight-themed bracelet – the diamonds add to the dramatic effect and nicely complement both the gold accents and the dark blues of the murano glass. The design quite dark in tone, but I’m planning on adding a couple of gold spacers either side of the Fascinating Aventurescent to brighten up the middle!
Conclusion
The Club charm 2015 is a charm that I like, but not one that I love. It’s undoubtedly very pretty and classic-looking, and it would fit in nicely with any range of different bracelet styles, but it lacks the delightful quirkiness of the 2014 one for me. I am curious as to whether Pandora will go ahead and make another Club charm for 2016, and what kinds of designs they might for in the future – they would inevitably have to branch out a little, which might be interesting!
The Pandora Club charm is $65 USD or £55. If you’re in the UK, you can buy it alongside the rest of the Pandora Summer collection from authorised retailer John Greed.
Have you indulged in this year’s Club charm? What do you think of its design?
Very pretty, but I’m waiting on the 2015 fall Disney collection!!
You and me both! I’ve not heard anything yet :)
I’m with you, Ellie. I like this one, but don’t love it. ANOTHER heart is a big detraction for me, as is the fact that it’s a remake of another design, something that Pandora seems to do endlessly that irritates me. But separate from those factors, I do like it, though, and will likely get one eventually. I would really like to see Pandora step up their design game, though. They have several charms coming out for autumn that I plan to purchase, so clearly they are CAPABLE of creating interesting, new designs, but it seems very sporadic. My only choice is to vote with my wallet, so the bulk of my Pandora purchases will be reserved for the beautiful and the unique.
I take comfort in the thought that, now they’ve made the inevitable heart-shaped Club charm, they kind of HAVE to do something a little different for next year, haha. There are usually still some little gems mixed in with each collection design-wise (I adore my coffee pot and London guard from Spring, alongside others) in amongst all the hearts and sparkle. It would be nice to see a greater mix of the two, as I know that there are plenty of collectors who love the sparkle. My problem is that, after three and a half years of collecting or so, I have more than enough sparkle and I’m looking for something a little different to add to my collection. I know that this is most likely not the position of Pandora’s regular consumers. I was chatting to my hairdresser a couple of days ago and we were comparing Pandoras – hers was rather new and had a few pavé charms and, yes, some heart charms. It did look beautiful on her and I got a little insight from someone who doesn’t collect with the same passion that we do! :)
I’m new to Pandora. I have always been a admirer but only recently purchased. I purchased my bracelet and my first charm on vacation while in Las Vegas in June. So my first charm was an exclusive I❤️LV and I am so excited. I also purchased Night Sky to represent my daughters birthstone. After getting home I ordered Cool Breeze to represent my husbands birthstone and I ordered Pink Ribbon of Hope because “pink is MY signature color”. Now I’m trying to decide where to go from here. There are so many that I like so I don’t know where to begin. And I’m not sure if I want to go with a theme or just buy what I like. Any suggestions for the “newby”?
Personally, for my first bracelet I just bought what I liked and put anything with anything and then as my collection grew I moved more into the themed bracelets. But it’s really up to you to show off your own unique style the way that you want to. My advice, just have fun with it! :)
Thanks for your advise Stacey! I guess there is no wrong way to do it. It’s just interesting to see how others started! Did you only buy the new charms as they came out or did you purchase others that were previously released as well?
Hi Janice!
I think the whole idea of Pandora is that you put your memories, feelings, hobbies, parts of your personality on a unique bracelet, which, apart from its objective value, it’s going to be of a great sentimental value for you! That’s what it is for me! My first bracelet was travel-inspired, but noone but me sees “travel” in all charms! For example I’ve got a carousel representing my trip to Rome last Christmas, where it was the first time I had a carousel-ride in my life! As you’ve said there’s no wrong way to do it!
Enjoy your Pandora bracelet! ♥
Thanks Chrysa! I love my bracelet! I smile every time I look at it. And I wear it every day! My thinking has been to buy the charms that I like or mean something to me. Then, as I get a bigger collection, I can swap the charms up to make a different look.
My first bracelet only has charms on it that have special meaning or are mementos of special things we did. I love this bracelet and wear it every day to work. My next bracelets will be built around a theme.
How lovely, welcome to the Pandora club! It’s very addictive, haha. Starting out with all of Pandora’s catalogue to choose from can be a little overwhelming – but it sounds like you are off to a great start and that your bracelet already has a lot of meaning on it. I agree with others that I would buy the charms that have personal meaning to you for your first bracelet or just the ones that you like best. Themes can be great fun but also a little limiting if you just want to experiment a little bit with the charms you like and create something personal to you. ^^
When I started my first bracelet, a lot of my charms were just the decorative or quirky pieces I most liked. I didn’t have any clear idea of what it was going to look like when it as done, but I just enjoyed adding the charms that most caught my eye. I had the dice for luck, an elephant as my favourite animal, butterflies, hearts, flowers and an array of colours. :) It is an eclectic little bracelet, more so than a lot of my later designs, but it has a lot of meaning to me and I still love to wear it!
I have it since last month. I carry in my bracelet with an another charm club.
Lovely! I’m wearing mine with my 2014 Club charm as well.
I do not like the crown detail on this charm, it looks like it would get caught on everything. If it didn’t have the crown, I would have bought it when it was released :(
The crown prongs are a concern I have as well.
I’ve not had any problems with mine so far Janice. Ever since I got the pendant Reindeer charm (which has pulled threads on many beloved jumpers :P), I always keep an eye out for problems like that before I write a review so that I can warn people! ^^
Hi Stacey!
I’ve got Princess Heart (the previous version of the Club charm’s design with the gold crown) since last September and the Club charm since last month. Neither of them caused me problems with clothes, hair etc. If you like the charm, go for it, you won’t regret it! ♥
Like Chrysa, I’ve been wearing mine quite a bit since I got it and I’ve not had any problems with the prongs so far :) It’s a very pretty little charm and I’d go for it if you like the design!
Hi Ellie I love your rose gold bracelets I think it looks lovely with the two tone, I also love your dark blue bracelets they look beautiful.
Hi Nicola, thank you – I’m so glad that you like them! I know a lot of people have been curious about the possibility of wearing Rose with two-tone charms and so I thought it would be nice to include something along those lines. <3
Hi Ellie do you know when the ring promo is in the UK.
Hi Nicola! I’ve heard the 23rd mentioned but no confirmation as of yet. :)
I will not buy the club charm, since it’s nearly a copy of the princess heart charm, which I have. I also loved last year’s club charm because it was unique.
That also put me off a little. I loved that last year’s was such a cute and original concept, so this year’s was a little disappointing in that respect. Hopefully next year they’ll go for something a bit different!
I also love the moonstone spacers!
They are absolutely beautiful! And they go with just about anything you care to put them with. It makes me want to collect more of the cabochon spacers – pavé charms are pretty but they don’t compare to the beauty of the natural stones :D
Hi Ellie!
I was sure that you would fall for the new Club charm, despite your initial doubts! :-)) The simplicity in a charm’s beauty is something you seem to like, I’ve noticed! I purchased it the first day of its appearance, and despite its sensitivity in scratches, as you’ve also mentioned, I haven’t regretted it! After all, it’s my first diamond! :-)
I totally loved your styling, especially the one in midnight-themed bracelet. There’s a mix of royalty, fairytale and mystery in that bracelet, that matches perfectly with the Club charm…
Thank you for another great review! ♥♥♥
Hi Chrysa!
Haha, yes, I’m sure! I often change my mind on things I think I won’t like. ;) Charms often look so much more striking in real life than they do in the stock images – and then, once I had seen it, I could just picture how nicely it would fit in with my midnight-themed bracelet, opposite my original Club charm. :P It is a very pretty little piece and I’m glad you love yours! The little diamond is a rather special touch ♥
Thank you, that’s exactly what I was going for with that bracelet :D You always pick up on the right details! ^^ I do feel like there’s a little something missing from that design though – I’m hoping that saving up for a couple of little gold spacers might be it.
Thanks so much for commenting Chrysa! . ♥♥♥
I am 4 months new pandora customer. I don’t buy any charms to build up a theme bracelet. I like pandora different type of bracelet, I have 2 heart shape clasp, 2 rose barrel, 1 oxidized barrel and 1 paved heart bangle during 2 promotions. Spend $125 to get the bracelet free ( pay $15 to 30 more for upgrade ). I like to wear 2 same one without any charm on it or wear 1 with 3 charms between the 2 clips, that is it. I treat panora like Lego for us to play with but of course more $. Luckily, Toronto has many promotion for me to carefully budget my wallet.
Smart consumer! :-) I theme my bracelets on my life, not on things outside of it. I have a marriage bracelet, a mom bracelet, a work//hobby bracelet, etc. It sounds like you don’t use spacers. I don’t either.
You are so smart, I don’t have any spacer at all. Just don’t know why we need that.
One concept store showcase the new 2015 club charm in between the love of my life clips on the heart sharp bracelet. Elegant and classic, I like this type of style so that I don’t need to spend crazy $ to collect tons of charm, simple is the best.
In the recent retirement sale I picked up a silver heart with a clear stone in the middle for only $40aud. I prefer this charm to the club charm because I don’t like the crown. So I won’t be buying the club charm this year.
I quite like the crown detail as it is rather reminiscent of the Pandora logo, but the original silver heart does look more classic. You got a great deal on it too!
Sorry Michele my reply was a general comment not a reply to you. Typing on my phone and obv. Clicked on the wrong spot.
No problem at all.
That does sound beautiful and nicely coordinated – I love how clear a sense of style you have. <3 I have started to stack plain bracelets more, especially now it's getting hotter and my full charm bracelets are a bit much for the weather. Both styles look beautiful!
Not really into the Club Charm…it’s a nice charm but it just doesn’t scream out to me. Your stylings are lovely though Ellie, I like your rose bracelet with some of the yellow gold two tones, I do that sometimes too and I don’t think you can really tell that the gold color is different except if you look really close.
It’s so interesting how we each build our collections. I have never been a person that keeps bracelets together, always was a re-arranger with the beads loose in boxes, always preferred mixing brands. I think half the fun for me is redoing my bracelets and thinking up new combinations. So when I buy beads I just buy ones I like and I don’t worry what it will go with, as I have enough variety at this point that I could probably come up with a bracelet for any theme.
I feel similarly to you in that the Club charm is pretty and I like it, but it wasn’t a must-have for me. I got it in the end primarily because it fitted rather nicely with my midnight bracelet and I was looking for something pretty to finish it off :) Thanks Natalie, I think the Rose and the two-tone works really nicely; they do blend quite well together and the Rose bracelet is certainly a great option if you don’t want to spend £275 on the 14kt two-tone bracelet!
Yes it is funny, isn’t it! I rarely rearrange a design once I have finished it- occasionally I might swap one or two charms between bracelets but the main concept of each bracelet design stays the same. To be fair, I do a fair bit of swapping and re-arranging when I am writing for these reviews so I probably get it out of my system that way haha.
Ellie,your bracelets are stunning as is your photography. I love how you have featured the Pandora ribbon in the above photos.
Wow, thank you Lozzie! That is really so lovely to hear. :D I like to get the Pandora ribbon into photos where I can, as it’s such a nice neutral pink and it makes a great accent to the bracelets. ^^
I have it. I put it beside the 2014, which I love, love, love. The quirkier the charm, the better for me. I get more questions about that 2014 charm than any other. Both are scratched, but this doesn’t bother me, My 6mm wedding ring is scratched too. It’s not a defect in the material, so I never complain. :-) I do think Pandora has to stop calling these items “club” charms though, because they’re not. It’s false marketing. In Pandora language, the club is a specific thing people join; it doesn’t signify the entire consumer market, and if it does signify that, then the “Pandora Club” is redundant. But then the club is free to join, and I think that’s why Pandora so easily turns away from it–no money lost by turning away, but lots gained in open sales. Being an accountant I understand this, :-) but they have to change the name.
I am absolutely with you on that Lola – I love the quirkier designs! The London guard was one of my favourites from the latest Spring collection. The scratches don’t bother me too much either, although I think it’s worth mentioning. I like to wear and enjoy my jewellery pieces without worrying too much about wear and tear, so I accept that my Club charms and Pandora bangles are going to pick up those little marks!
Calling it the ‘Club’ charm is slightly contentious, yes. It stems a lot from last year when Pandora’s marketing for the Club charm focused a lot on the fact that only Club members could buy it – you had to download a special code from Pandora.net. It was something of a disaster as a lot of retailers just didn’t bother with this and it looked like Pandora had tried to make the charm seem a lot more exclusive than it was. This year, consequently, that system has gone and now the ‘Club’ charm isn’t really a club charm at all. I guess it’s just now an advertising tool for the Pandora Club!
Diamond charm in stead of club charm sound better?
Yes I like that! The diamond is probably more of a selling point than the Pandora club, haha.
I was so excited about the club charm, but when I saw it in real life I couldn’t help being disappointed. How sad! I wish it were a bit tinier. But I am not jumping to any conclusions. Not yet. I ‘ll give it another try. I very often change my mind when it comes to charms.
The club charm looks amazing on your leather bracelet! Beauuuuuuutiful!
Big enough as a pendent.
Aw, I’m sorry that you were disappointed! For me, it was prettier than I thought in person and I liked that it was nice and substantial, but nothing to go wild about. ^^ I often change my mind about charms too, haha. Was it just the size that disappointed you?
Yay, thank you! :D
I would also like to support lozzie’s comment! So well-articulated!
I wanted to ask you a question Mora Pandora, do you know of any upcoming promotions in the UK any time this year? Please let me know
I think that there may be a rings promo at the end of July! I’m trying to get confirmation on that currently :)
I bought it and put it in the new green leather with the new summer charms. It’s a little out of place, but it’s versatile enough to work. I paired it with the darling daisy clips, green & pink petit facits, dolphin, turtle, palm tree and orchid. It grew on me. I liked it when I saw it in person. I liked the year stamp, diamond and crown.
The beauty of this charm is that it really is incredibly versatile – your styling sounds lovely! The darling daisies look so beautiful with the green and pink facets and I bet the orchid really makes it pop.
It grew on me, too, and I liked that it was nice and substantial when I finally saw it in person. The engraving of the year is a nice touch too; it just makes it that little bit more collectable!
I liked yours with the rose. Very lovely.
Thank you! <3 A lot of people were interested to see the Rose charms with a little two-tone and I think they do go pretty nicely together!
Hi Ellie, thanks for doing the rose and two-tone pieces together, I think it looks lovely especially with the white enamel. I think I will get a rose bracelet next year if they do a free bracelet promotion in the UK. I’m not buying anything again this year other than if there is anything in my (constantly growing) wishlist in the end of year sales.
Hi, you’re welcome! I thought it looked great, too. The metals really complement each other and the white enamel.
Nothing at all, that’s impressive! ^^ Does nothing in the AW15 previews appeal to you? The Christmas sales are usually great so they’re probably worth saving up for, though ^^ I was thrilled to get the two-tone braided heart clips last year. Probably one of my favourite buys of the whole year!
After much procrastination I’ve decided to ask my other half for this charm for Xmas. I’m not completely in love with the charm either but since 2015 is the year I’ve started collecting Pandora I thought the charm fits perfectly with its 2015 stamp. I can’t wait to see it in person. Just over a month to go lol. Libby xx
Aw, you should definitely get it to commemorate the year you started with Pandora! It’s perfect for that. I started in early 2012, and I don’t think there’s a dated charm for that year. :( xx