Today’s post brings my first review from the Pandora Mother’s Day 2018 collection, with a closer look at the new Flourishing Heart pendant! This charm was released early in the UK, as we celebrate Mothering Sunday this coming weekend – it will come out in most countries in April.
Read on for some close-up shots and styling ideas!
Pandora Flourishing Hearts pendant review
The Flourishing Hearts pendant is lovely in its simplicity, featuring arching silver branches encased in a beaded silver heart. It isn’t overly oxidised, but the branches refletcing each other give it a darker look that make it seem as though it is. All the branches are beautifully defined, and the design curves outwards, adding to its shine.
A common complaint among Pandora collectors is that they produce too many on heart charms – and yes, this is yet another heart design, but I am always more forgiving when hearts are used in a more interesting way. The little silver heart tucked away to the left and the overall shape of the pendant are sweet, but not bland in the way that some of the button heart designs are. As the stock image shows, the hallmarks are on the inside of the bail.
The back of the charm does not offer so much to look at – the branches are flat and not so sculpted, and the light doesn’t catch the details as much on this side. It’s still pretty, though. The charm overall is very light and delicate – it would also hold its own as a necklace pendant.
I love that it’s plain silver, and it makes a beautiful alternative for those who liked the Valentine’s Tree of Love pendant but were put off by the pavé:
Styling: All Purple Everything
I have purple on the brain for this review, as ultimately I want to use this pendant with the lilac Enchanted Garden Glass murano from the Pandora Spring 2018 collection. I’ve earmarked the lavender Radiant Droplets, the oxidised Star clips to go with them, but I’m just waiting for the Wildflower Meadow bracelet to style them. In the meantime, I’m wearing them in a mini bangle design:
Continuing with this colour scheme, I put together two additional stylings using some of the older glass beads. They used to do a lot of really pretty deep purple glass, and it really brings out the details in shining plain silver beads.
The Purple Zebra murano is one of my absolute favourites. It has such a beautiful colour, especially when you catch it bright light. I think the Flourishing Hearts has a simplicity that goes very well with older beads and glass.
Finally, I went for a softer styling, using the long-retired Lavender Candy-stripe murano as a focal point. The Lavender Droplets from last year go very nicely with it.
Conclusion
While Pandora have attempted the tree of love / family tree motif multiple times over the past few years, the simplicity of the Flourishing Hearts pendant makes it my favourite so far. It’s sentimental without being saccharine, and would fit beautifully with some of the upcoming Spring florals and enchanted charms. My only quibble is the price point. It’s very light and delicate, and yet it’s £35. It contains a lot less silver than I think I’d expect for that money. Nevertheless, the intricacy of the design is lovely.
It’s not as exciting a bead as some of the upcoming Spring character charms, but it’s a lovely decorative piece and one that will complement those beads nicely. The bonus was that I also got the gorgeous Mother’s Day gift bag for this year with my purchase! All in all, I am a very happy bunny! ?
What do you think of this design? Is it on your wish list?
Hi Ellie,
Thanks for a great review! I quite like thie Flourishing Hearts Pendant and I’m glad it’s all silver. Yes, I’m one of those that gets put off by the pink CZs of the Tree of Love one from the Valentine’s 2018 collection. This and the matching bangle are what I’m looking forward to in April when they are available for sale where I’m from. ?
Hi Jen! I love that it’s all silver as well. I like the pink and red enamel hearts on the Tree of Love, but the pink CZs at the bail are harder to style. I’m sure you’ll love them when you’re able to get them yourself! :)
Hi Ellie,
Thank you for reviewing. It’s a beautiful charm and I’m considering it myself.
Hi Marie, it is lovely! The perfect purchase to tide me over until the big Spring launch. ? thanks for commenting!
Hi Ellie,
I think you will get a lot of wear outof this heart design. I have a number of dangle hearts so I won’t be purchasing this one but you have done a lovely job of showcasing this charm/pendant. I agree the absence of pave on the bail works great. Your third bracelet design is my favorite.
Love that you pulled out the older muranos! I have been trying to add more from my older beads to my necklace and bracelet. Love mixing old with new.
I think this new charm/pendant is a nice use of the heart & tree of life. Last year I went to Turkey for part of my vacation & the tree of life is a prominent symbol there, and perhaps in other countries too, so it could be used as a travel bead.
Ellie, I am appreciative of all your posts & hard work but I have to say your charm reviews and stylings are my favorites. Again you have given me some great inspiration.
Cheers!
Lisa K
Hi Lisa! I have lots of dangle hearts as well, but I like the added floral element of this one ^^ I think it’ll work well when I get to put it with my other planned Spring 2018 purchases. Can’t wait! <3
I know, Pandora's glass often gets a bad rap in comparison with other brands such as Trollbeads, but I have such a soft spot for some of their older muranos. The Purple Zebra in particular is lovely! Old & new is always my favourite way to style. I like to pick new beads I want from a collection and then go in search of older designs that would work well with them. For the new Spring beads, I've picked up the Perfect Posies, retired Butterfly and the retired Ladybird so far!
I like your idea of using it as a travel bead. I didn't know that it was so prominent in Turkey. It's always nice when this hobby opens up little windows into other cultures. ^^ I'm so glad you enjoyed the review, Lisa - thank you for commenting, as always!
You’ve styled it well. The Tree of Life is a generic design tho. I have the exact tree on a 2 inch silver pendant I picked up at a little shop a few years ago. All Pandora has done here is turned the leaves into hearts, and of course charging more. Lol. I paid 25 CAD for my pendant.
Thanks, Lola! It was very easy to style. ^^
Hi Ellie!
Yes, this charm is on my ever growing list. I did purchase the Tree of Love gift set, and I love the delicacy of that charm too. I dressed the pendant down with the darker colors of the faceted heart and the Cerise Heart Murano. So this one is an absolute must. What’s one more heart at this point? And I love how delicate they are. Is the Flourishing Hearts Pendant curved like the Tree of Love? It looks to be, which would help it lay flat when worn as a necklace.
I love the way you styled it. It will be a quite versatile piece I think. Wonder what it would look like with the forest/lake theme I’m planning? After all, every forest needs a tree!
Thanks for the review. I always love to see your designs. They always inspire me.
Hi Deborah! Haha, very true – if you collect Pandora, it’s almost inevitable that you will have a fair few heart beads in your collection. :) I might have a look through y bracelets and see how many there are whee a heart motif of some kind doesn’t pop up. ^^
The pendant is curved, yes. It sounds like it would be perfect for your forest theme! A very delicate way of adding a little more foliage, haha. Thank you for commenting, Deborah! ??
This charm is beautiful and will be on my list just as I was tiring of all the hearts. At least this one is a hit!
Definitely! Some of Pandora’s heart beads are far more interesting than others. I’m glad that they seem to be moving away from the button hearts a little!
Hi Ellie I love this charm I really want to put it on a necklace it’s very high on my wishlist.
Hi Nicola, it would be beautiful on a necklace! :) I have two necklaces that I wear all the time – a Tiffany open heart, and the Disney Frozen pendant on a Pandora chain – but if I were looking for another necklace option, this would be a very nice one!
Will the flourish heart charm and pendant come out in the usa. I don’t like the color and pave on the ones coming our way.
Yes, both are due out there on 12 April!
I love that zebra murano! I can think of so many ways to wear this and I especially think it is fun the ways you display it. I may need several of these! LOL. Thanks for the notes, as always!
The Purple Zebra is one of my absolute favourites! It’s such a lovely, vibrant shade of purple. It would be fun if they made some more murano glass with that kind of vibrancy of colour. Thanks for commenting! :D
This is my first time on this site and I love it!!!!i cannot wait for April and this new collection to come out. Beautiful as always. I’m a big fan of Pandora.
Yay, welcome to the blog! :D You are definitely in the right place if you love Pandora! ?
Hi Ellie,
This is a lovely delicately designed little pendant that doesn’t fall short on presence. Thanks for sharing your bracelet designs. I think my favorite is the lavender candy stripe.
Hi Emily! It is really pretty, and a beautifully delicate focal point if you want to wear it on a bracelet. The Lavender Candy-Stripe is another older glass bead that I really like, even if it isn’t as technically good as some of their newer glass beads. :)
I agree with you and the others that no CZ makes charm more versatile as can always add color using other beads so doesn’t limit design options. Sadly, I am on a Pandora no buy for now as unexpected car repairs so reallocating my Pandora fund. :-(
Oh no, I’m really sorry to hear that Kelly! What a pain. :( I hope you get it sorted soon!