Today’s post brings one of my final reviews from the Pandora Autumn 2016 collection, with an overview of the country-exclusive Origami Crane! This was one of the most interesting designs from the collection, and has the added bonus of being plain silver, too – however, the downside is that it didn’t make it out in every country, with both Pandora in North America and the UK opting out of offering this charm. It’s a little bit of a shame that, when Pandora do dip their toes back into this quirkier kind of bead, a lot of the markets seem reluctant to offer it.
Just as a side note, I’ll soon be starting on my Pandora Winter 2016 reviews, which I’m running a little later this year, as I’ve only got Christmas beads so far from the collection. :D
In the meantime, read on for a little origami inspiration!
Pandora Origami Crane Review
With the Origami Crane, Pandora gives its penchant for producing adorable silver animal beads a little cultural twist. The design is rather different from other beads we’ve been seeing from the brand lately, its plain silver detailing making a refreshing change from the more generic pave decorative beads we’ve been seeing a lot of lately.
A little reading up on paper cranes suggests that they have come to be regarded as symbols of peace, healing and good luck in Japan. A little search on Google reveals some truly beautiful and elegant examples, crafted from a variety of pretty papers:
In contrast, the wings on Pandora’s charm version are folded up, whereas most finished paper cranes seem to have their wings positioned to the side – so I guess technically this is still a crane in progress. I’m sure that Pandora decided on that for practical reasons, but at the same time I like the idea of the crane being not quite finished, of the paper folder being midway through the process. When you tie that into the symbolism of peace, that’s quite a nice idea!
The actual design of it is really quite elegant – its gently inclined head is very delicate and pretty – but the actual feel of the charm is a little bit awkward. It’s quite a large charm, and the shape of it is quite unusual – so it’s a reasonably hefty dangle. When my mum saw it on my bracelet, she actually enquired as to whether it was a paperclip. I’m not sure where she got that idea from – but it is an usual design and I can see why people might be a little puzzled to begin with as to what it might be! ^^
The space between the wings is hollow – this is what it looks like from front on. 
The creases of the paper are depicted by lovely oxidised grooves, which contrast so nicely with the polished silver.
Styling
I was quite taken with the crane being associated with peace and tranquility, so for my first styling I wanted something really stripped back and calm. I opted for the silver metallic leather bracelet, and a soft blue pastel Looking Glass murano, which seems to me a nice representation of a peaceful, open blue sky. The plain silver ball clips set off the whole minimalist idea and nicely frame the whole thing!
The crane would also be perfect for an Asian themed bracelet! Here I’ve mocked up a mini Asian bracelet design, using the Wild Flower Tribute and Cherry Blossom muranos, the silver Ingot, and one of the Chinese zodiac animals – the very cute bunny rabbit.
Finally, this is where the Crane is currently living in my collection! This bracelet is very much a work in progress and isn’t looking at its loveliest in its present form, but it’s still very pretty on the wrist. The beads I’ve picked out are all quite shiny or crisp in colour. I would love to get the retired Zebra murano to go in the last section of the bracelet, opposite my snow leopard murano bead – so if anyone knows of an online retailer who still might have one, or some other source, please do let me know! ?
I just love how breezy and refreshing it looks with the blue December birthday bloom!
Conclusion
This charm is one of my favourite Autumn 2016 beads, and was actually my first Autumn purchase – this review is just a little tardy! ^^ It, perhaps, a slightly awkward design in some ways, but I love the individual details, the cultural significance behind the design and just how cute the crane itself is! The fact that it’s plain silver and something completely different from the other hearts and sparkle within the Autumn collection also marks it out as something rather special.
The Origami Crane is unfortunately not available in North America or the UK, but you can get it from numerous other territories, including Asia, Australia and some European countries. I got my Crane from Australia, where it was very affordable at $49 AUD!
What do you think of this design? Did you get it, or is it on your wish list?
I wish they had offered this in the US, I really love it!
It is cute, I don’t get why Pandora NA and UK opt out of so many of the more original beads these days!
I will see if the origami charm is in the United States.
It isn’t, unfortunately! :)
:-) This is really cute.
But I’d always be afraid it would get stuck somewhere in my clothes and pull threads etc.
Have a very HAPPY weekend, dear Ellie! :-)
I should have mentioned that in the post – I have found that it does snag on some things, but not as badly as you might think! I don’t wear any of my Pandora bracelets that have dangles if I’m wearing something knitted anymore, haha.
Have a lovely weekend, too, Claudia, and thanks for commenting! ?
I just purchased this one last week and I’m returning it asap. It repeatedly catches and pulls threads. I’ve already damaged a pashmina scarf, a dress and a cardigan in the two occasions I’ve worn it. I’ve had to take it off in the middle of the day at work because my dress has three terrible pulls since this morning. It’s a badly designed piece and I will return it as not-fit-for-purpose. Sad, because I’m completely in love with the crane design and had to hunt it down to buy it. :-(
my first thought was that it would snag everything. The bicycle is the worst about getting caught in clothing material and pulling the threads. I threaten to take it off my bracelet but I don’t remove it because my son owns a bicycle shop and well, I love the charm. Although very cute, I probably wouldn’t purchase it for just that reason.
Oh my gosh, yes, that bicycle! It is one of the worst offenders when it comes to snagging on things. It just has so many corners and things sticking out of it, ready to pull jumpers to pieces ?. I think my bicycle is actually a little bent from getting really snagged in something. I do love it, but I cannot wear it with anything that’s even slightly susceptible to throwing pulled threads.
The origami crane is nowhere near so bad as that one, however, but I can understand why you don’t want to risk it!
Thank you for the review. Eventually I´ve decided against it, as it looks very big and difficult to style with my other charms. I must say that I was considering it for a while since my uncle taught us how to make a crane when we were small. Back then, neither of us had heard the word origami, let alone that it had a japanese origin (?)
We just called it “papiroflexia” and we children called it a “paper pigeon”. About its wings being upwards, that´s exactly how they look like when you´ve just finished it. Then you have to fold them open and when you pull its tail it moves them as if it were flying.
Have a nice weekend.
It is quite a big charm, but I don’t find it particularly hard to style, for whatever reason. It looks nice as a centrepiece. I had a feeling that someone was going to tell me that the upright wings were the finished thing! ^^ I have never even attempted origami or paper folding in my life (even paper planes are beyond me).
Have a lovely weekend, too, and thanks for commenting!
Hi Ellie,
I love this charm! It is visually interesting, culturally interesting & all silver, no blingy stuff. I love the lines of this charm. I was lucky enough to get a hold of one & it looks great on a necklace as a pendant.
I have worn it on a leather bracelet but not as imaginatively as yours with the peace & calm theme. Years ago my sister made origami figures for years as a hobby. She gave them out as gifts. I still have some of the figures she made with light green & red paper. She collects Anime comics My sister is a non conformist in so many ways. I never thought the ‘sister’ charms suited her personality but this one does. With the bends, folds & sharp lines. I have decided to forgo the charms that say mom, sister etc & find charms that my capture parts of my loved ones personality. So glad this crane came along.
Thanks for reviewing this charm and giving me some new inspirations on how I can wear it.
Cheers!
Lisa K.
Hi Lisa! You summarised very neatly all the reasons I love this charm. It ticks all the boxes that a charm should do – it’s pretty, interesting, cultural and free of unnecessary sparkle. :D
Love your idea of symbolising your loved ones with more specific and personalised charms. After all, that is exactly what a charm bracelet is about – which is why it can be sad to see Pandora coming out with family or love themed beads that all look the same, and scrapping all the individual beads that will speak to some people but not all.
So glad you enjoyed the review, Lisa; I very much enjoyed reading your comment as always!
It’s so different to there usual style your bracelet design is very different too I would love to see it when it’s finished. You might be lucky enough to get the murano from the Xmas sale. I can see how your mum though it was a paper clip from the side it does a little.
I will definitely post an updated picture when it’s done! I don’t really have any particular plan for it so far, aside from the zebra! ^^ I think pretty much all retailers have sold out of the murano though :(
I got it. It reminded me of the dozens of Japanese students I hosted throughout my school years. It does catch occassionally but not to bad. My friends husband bought her one for her first “paper” anniversary – very cool idea.
Ooh, the ‘paper’ anniversary idea is a wonderful one! :D Very clever!
Charming charming thanks for the review! Will ask my gf to bring one back for me on her trip yo Brisbane
Fingers crossed that you get one! <3
Hi Ellie. I’ve been searching high and low for the Zebra Murano for you; it’s a very difficult charm to find! Is it the purple or the black Murano that you are looking for? I could only find the black one on eBay, but a poster on Pandora’s Angels has one of the purple Zebra Muranos for sale.
Hi Joanne! Oh, thank you, that is so nice of you – I’m sorry to put you to all that trouble, I didn’t mean for you to go actively looking, but it’s very nice that you tried. :) I’m looking for the regular black one, I got the purple when it was first available. It’s proving surprisingly difficult to find!
Oh, it’s no trouble at all, Ellie. With all you do for us with this blog, it’s the least I can do! I will let you know if I see the murano turn up anywhere.
Thank you so much, Joanne! <3 I think I might have found one now, thanks to Brenda who commented down below. It's been a surprisingly tough search!
Hi Ellie
I find this charm pretty and I love you’re asian styling. I get one myself but It was not easy. I had to order it with no guarantee to get it. The manager at my local pandora store told me that I am currently her only one customer who asked for it…. That’s weird… but anyway, she managed to get me one. Thanks to her :-) She’s amazing, kind and always gives good advice on how to style your charm….
My origami crane find its place as the center piece of my “zen/relaxing” bracelet…. It’s a little bit asian inspiration and a lilttle bit based on what I like to do to relax……On each side of the origami there are pink eternity spacers and muranos (the field of daisies glass and the pink glass cherry blossom). I’ve also added the little budha, the lucky elephant, the infinite shine, the gorgeous giraffe and two other dangles : I love reading and I love music. Clips are the shinning path. I find this bracelet delicate, bright and fresh but not sparkling. It’s currently one on my favourites…. It helps me to remind to stay calm when there is a rough day…..
And yes the origami crane gets stuck into some clothes, so I have to be careful and choose wisely the clothes I want to wear when I want to wear this bracelet…….. Who could think It could be even more difficult to choose what to wear in the morning, just because of a pandora dangle….. haha……
Have a really nice sunday…. :-)
Hi Valerie! Oh wow, sounds like you have a great local Pandora store. It was interesting that she was able to order just the one Crane in for you, I had no idea that Pandora allowed that kind of thing. So pleased that she was able to get one for you, though! <3
Your bracelet sounds absolutely beautiful, I love that it marries the two concepts that I played around with in this review - the Asian culture and the idea of zen/peace. Sounds beautiful & relaxing, with all the soft pinks, but also visually very interesting when you look at it more closely (the hobby beads and the animals).
Hope you had a lovely Sunday too, Valerie, and enjoy the week ahead!
Yes ! My local pandora store is amazing. And the manager, she is just great….Last time I get there I talked to her about your blog….and oh my gosh… not only she knows it but also find it is one of best she knows ?… Just to let you know ?
Aha, really? :D That’s totally made my evening – thanks Valerie! ?
I love that this charm looks simple and all silver (for a change). It reminds me very much of Sadako and the thousand paper cranes which was my most favourite childhood story. Will have to check it out in store. Haven’t been to a pandora store for months!
Hi Judie, it’s nice to hear from you! This charm is lovely, and I’m pleased to hear it might tempt you back to Pandora, too. :D
It would be cute as a pendant. That was what I did with my Cinderella castle dangle from Disney because it was big and heavy. From the front I understand your Mum thinking it was a paperclip, it made me think of a safety pin fromt that angle, but I like it from the side. Going to Germany in a couple weeks, maybe I will encounter a Pandora shop in my travels.
Definitely, it’s quite nice and big, so it would stand out really well on a necklace. :) That’s exciting, I hope that you find some HTF Pandora beads on your travels! That is genuinely one of the things I look forward to when travelling, haha. I got the Pre-Autumn Koala on holiday this year (which I can’t get in the UK), which was a lovely plus side to the trip ^^
Any ideas how I can get this in the US? Would wear it alone on my pink leather. I was also a fan of the book growing up and when I worked for greenpeace we folded thousands of paper cranes. This is a must have for me.
You’d most probably need a friend or a contact in a country where it’s available, or to join one of the Pandora FB selling groups to find one. It’s difficult to get hold of the country exclusives if you’re not a member of one of the groups, as retailers aren’t allowed to ship internationally.
That’s a lovely reason to want this charm, I do hope you find one! How cool that you worked for Greenpeace.
Thanks!
You’re welcome!
Hi Kerry! I will be able to help with getting this charm! :)
Hi Ellie,
I can help with the Zebra murano. How do I get in touch with you? (I’m not on Facebook).
Brenda
Hi Brenda, ooh that’s exciting! Email would probably be easiest – it’s mora0pandora@gmail.com. :D
Love this charm and love how you styled it! Wish it was available here too :(
Thanks so much! <3 It is a shame that it's not widely available - would so love to know the rationale behind it..!
I was really lucky to have my niece visiting France and buying me this Tsuru. It is simple and beautiful.
And thanks for all your posts. I love them. It’s the best way to know about Pandora’s new collections here and everywhere.
I’m so pleased you found one! I never seem to have family visiting anywhere useful when it comes to charms, aha.
And thank you so much! I’m so pleased you enjoy them; thank you for reading, and taking the time to let me know. <3
I really love this bead and especially like it on your mini Asian leather bracelet. I’ve never tried to hunt down beads from another country before but I might be tempted to try with this one!
Oh you should! I’m sure you could find someone who would be willing to help you. <3
Such a lovely and unique charm, Ellie. Since I was just in the Japanese shop in the World Showcase at Epcot, I definitely have origami on my mind! I love your styling with the Asian beads! Unfortunately, you are right about the US passing on the more unique Pandora designs. I just can’t understand why! :/
Ah, what a shame that they don’t offer this bead in the US – it would have been a perfect souvenir for that aspect of your trip. :) I’ve been following along with your trip through your lovely photos on IG! Hope you’ve had/are having a wonderful time.
It is odd, isn’t it? I could understand them maybe not ordering as many of the quirkier beads, but to not to stock them at all is a bit of a shame!
Wow it’s really beautiful. I’d love it for my lucky bracelet. Might have to keep an eye out for that one. Wonderful review and fantastic bracelet designs as usual xxx
It would make a lovely good luck charm! It has such an interesting and lovely set of good luck & peaceful associations with it. <3 Hope you find one! Thanks for commenting, Libby, so pleased you enjoyed the review xxx
Hi
I managed to get this charm and I’m so happy that I did I love it’s simplicity and that it’s all silver. It’s reminiscent of the charms that were available when I first started collecting Pandora. While not a tiny charm, it wasn’t difficult to find a place for it. I really like the idea of using it as a pendant as suggested by an earlier poster.
Thank you for another great review and for sharing your bracelet ideas. I particularly like the red leather.
Hi Janet! It would definitely look nice as a simple necklace pendant – I’ve seen a few people wearing origami animal pendants from other brands and they look so cute and pretty! Glad to hear you enjoyed the review, thanks for commenting ♥️
The zebra murano is on the angels fb page as of four hours ago. Don’t know the condition you’re looking for, but worth a look since selling in £s. Search for “animal print.” Just saw it and thought of you.