Today sees the launch of the brand-new Pandora Shine collection worldwide, and – huzzah – I am finally able to write about it! Pandora has been very cautious about this launch, but now that it’s all officially out there I’m covering its launch with HQ photos of all the new pieces, live shots, and commentary. :D
For those who really are unaware, Pandora Shine is a brand new line of 18kt-gold-plated jewellery launching with the Pandora Spring 2018 collection.
I’ve put in pricing where I have it, but I didn’t make it a priority to track down the full set of pricing ahead of time as I knew I wouldn’t be able to preview it before stores were listing these pieces anyhow. In retrospect, I should have done as I’m still writing this ahead of time and won’t have time to put the prices in for the article’s launch, so apologies for that! :)
There will be more pieces coming out in April with the Mother’s Day 2018 collections, too, although I am not permitted to preview those yet.
Pandora Shine – An Overview
Pandora Shine is Pandora’s first big new concept since the launch of the Pandora Rose line back in 2014, which is why there’s been such a huge marketing campaign to mark its launch, bringing in bloggers, promos and advertisements galore. To begin with, the collection will only be sold in concept stores and online.
The Shine jewellery is 18kt-gold plated sterling silver jewellery. It will look quite different to Pandora’s existing solid gold line, which is 14kt, and much less yellow in person.
The plating consists of several layers – the sterling silver is overlaid with a layer of palladium and then finished with a very thick layer of 18kt gold.
Pandora Shine Bracelets
The Pandora Smooth Bracelet is the closest thing we have to a traditional Pandora Shine charm bracelet – it has no threads, however, and you’ll need either silicone-lined clips or rubber stoppers underneath your clips if you want your beads to stay in place on it. It’s $175 USD.
The Sliding Bracelet is $175 USD or £150 – slightly eyewatering, but it is a lovely finish. I’d love to make a little mini Shine bumblebee design on this one!
I find myself really liking this Pandora Shine heart bangle – the contrast between the metals is lovely, and the price point is a little more affordable at $100 USD.
The Honeybee bracelet is the only non-charm bracelet option, and it will be a limited edition piece. 
Pandora Shine Charms
One of the pieces that has featured very heavily in Pandora’s pre-release campaign is this Queen Bee pendant ($90 USD/£70), and I can appreciate why – it’s detailed, very striking and yet rather sweet with its tiny heart detail. Also, the motif of the queen bee plays rather well into ideas of female empowerment, which crops up in Pandora’s marketing a lot at the moment – do celebrate, do shine, do Pandora.
The Heart and Bee is refreshingly free of any enamel or sparkle, and I love the little dangling bee detail. This one is another of my favourites, although I’d like to know if it’s threaded or not. It’s $55 USD.
This openwork, retailing for $50 USD, might be my favourite of the bee pieces, and I’m considering it to go with the Enchanted Garden Glass bee murano. 
The Golden Honey charm, priced at $65 USD, offers a beautiful colour combination. As I’ve said many times, I love enamel detailing done well, and the amber enamel is a perfect honeycomb.
The Honeycomb Lace is rather a statement piece, only loosely connected to the other bee pieces through its honeycomb detailing. It’s pricey at $90 USD, however.
Finally for bee charms, we have the Sweet as Honey dangle, RRP $100 USD. I’d have preferred this one without the CZs at the bail and across the beehive – and I think it would have been great to make the bee stand out a bit more against the hive with some more black enamel stripes.
What you might not realise from the stock image is that the gold swirls of the beehive actually surround a golden ‘tiger eye’ stone at the centre of the charm, which is pretty nifty. This must also account for some of the high RRP.
For this initial collection, Pandora have been careful to pick motifs and concepts that are actively complemented and enhanced by the use of a gold metal – as well as honeycomb and bumblebees, we have two sunshine-themed charms. The Rays of Sunshine openwork features ‘warm yellow enamel’ and CZs around the edge, and will retail for $90 USD.
I think I prefer the You are my Sunshine charm, however, with its secretly sweet message hidden inside it. The CZ at the bail seems superfluous, but the overall effect is warm and cheerful. It’s $75 USD.
There is one Pandora Shine murano, offering a swirled white glass design priced at $50 USD. White and gold are a lovely combination, and it’s nicely versatile.
The Filled with Romance charm is one of my favourite Pandora hearts, and I have it already both in Rose and silver finishes! ☺ This new Shine version will be $50 USD.
The only Shine safety chain available at launch is this clip Logo design. It’s silicone lined, which it would have to be to be effective on the Shine Smooth Moments bracelet. The price is high, however, at $150 USD, and I hope they come out with a more affordable and less heavily branded option soon.
The Shining Elegance clip is silicone lined, and will work on any of the three Shine charm bracelets pictured above. It’s $65 USD.
There are also two regular Shine clips being released – however, you’ll need silicone inserts to use them with any of the Shine bracelets above, as none of them have threads, which seems a bit odd. I’m surprised not to see a Pandora Shine traditional barrel clasp bracelet. This is $65 USD.
I am glad that they included a plain Shine clip, with no CZ, but it would have been nice to see something that wasn’t so heavily Pandora branded. A plain ball clip would have been great, or perhaps a honeycomb design to match the bees! This is $55 USD.
The Golden Pavé Ball has a lot going on, mixing CZs of different sizes and colours. It’s $100 USD.
Rounding off the charms, we have a bumblebee petite for the floating lockets. I am not sure about the idea of wearing a little bee inside a locket – it might look a bit like a specimen! This is $20 USD.
Pandora Shine Jewellery
The Rays of Sunshine charm has a matching pendant – this is very large and would probably be best suited to a necklace rather than a bracelet.
The Honeycomb Lace pendant is $90 USD.
The plain Shine necklace chain is on hand to complement the pendants, too.
The chain on this necklace is 45cm, but is adjustable to 42cm or 38cm.
The Honeybee choker is a limited edition piece. It’s beautiful, but chokers do float in and out of fashion.
The Honeycomb Lace is, like its sister charm, a very striking statement piece – it wouldn’t be for me, as I don’t like rings with very thick bands, but it is certainly wonderful to look at!
The Honeybee ring is another limited edition piece, and another bumble-themed piece that I think works incredibly well. The honeycomb shape of the ring is so pretty!
From the stock image, I’m not sure on the contrast between the yellow stone and the gold metal in this ring, but I’d have to see it in person to be sure.
The Enchanted Crown is coming out this Spring in Rose and silver finishes as well, and I’ve seen several live shots that pair contrasting metals together to beautiful effect.
The next set of rings all offer Shine versions of existing Pandora designs. I particularly love the Linked Love in gold – it’s such a pretty, but elegant little ring!
The Bee & Heart studs are just so sweet, although I’m not sure how I feel about having earrings that don’t match haha. They’re $45 USD.
The Honeycomb Lace earrings are a little pricier, shall we say, at $125 USD.
And, to finish off, the PANDORA Forever earrings are $75 USD.
Pandora Shine Live Shots
Stores have been teasing the new collection over their social media, and I’ve collated a few of my favourite shots here.
The pieces I like most are still the pretty little bee pieces, which look beautiful together. I love how the honey beads work so wonderfully with the bee beads but also a more subtle, decorative complement to them.
The Shine collection has its own special packaging, too, including a gift bag as pictured below:
Pandora Shine Launch Promotions
Pandora has made a huge marketing push with the launch of this new collection, and there are a number of promotions running to celebrate Shine’s launch. I will try and update this section tomorrow with any extra info that emerges.
In the US, Pandora will be offering this ring dish with spends of $150 USD or more on Pandora Shine until the launch of the Mother’s Day collection next month.
In the UK and some European countries, there will be a golden clutch on offer. In the UK, this will be available with spends of £125 on Pandora Shine; in Europe, this will be available with spends of 99€ on Pandora Shine (although check your local Pandora for availability).
The clutch bag is super cute in person! However, I have to say I was really very taken with the pretty box it comes in! I love the pretty gold floral motif they’re using for Shine.
If you’re in the UK, then you can shop Pandora Shine and get the beautiful clutch bag at official Pandora stockist John Greed – link is below! :)
They also have the totally cute Pandora Shine presentation boxes, FYI.
My Comment
I have only had good experiences with the plated Pandora Rose line, and have never been able to afford to collect the existing 14kt gold line; consequently, on a personal level I am excited for Shine, especially the bumblebees, but I can nevertheless understand the reservations of those who worry that this new line will devalue their solid gold Pandora jewellery. The price point, while quite high for some pieces, is still much more affordable than solid gold – exactly how much value for money you are getting will depend on how well the finish lasts.
I think the bumblebee motif was a very good choice; it embodies the good points of Shine, offering contemporary and cute designs that work well in gold but that are maybe not classic enough to merit the price point of 14kt gold. There’s nothing like it in Pandora’s existing collections, and it immediately gives Shine its own personality and character. However, I do feel like their Shine basics – clips, safety chains – could have been more interesting. These first options are either heavily branded or heavy on the CZs, and none of them are quite what I’d choose to complement those lovely bumblebee charms.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a little piece of Pandora Shine early, and am excited to be offering my first review from the collection later today!
What do you think of the Pandora Shine range? Are you planning any purchases?
The collection is lovely although I don’t wear gold plated jewelry. I think If over time I see that others pieces hold up well I may Be willing to give it a try. They did a great job with overall theme of the bees and that white murano is beautiful. Wondering if any of these bee pieces may be released in silver in the future ( hint hint pandora )
I imagine they’ll want to keep these designs exclusive to Shine, as an additional incentive to indulge in it, but you never know! :) I will keep an eye on how my Shine pendant (and anything else I get) wears and will do an updated review in the future.
Thank You so much for your updates ❤️ Do you know the price for limited honeybees bracelet?
$180 USD :) the priciest of the lot!
Hi!!
I’ve been waiting up for this launch and your post and you haven’t disappointed. Thank you.
Can I just check whether all the pandora shine products come in the boxes with the bee hive/honey comb detailing like the one pictured above?
Also do you have any pictures of inside the clutch?
I only had my eyes on the rainbow and heart swirl releases but now this has got me so interested
Hi Jessica! I’m really glad you enjoyed the post, especially seeing as we had to wait a long time for it. :) I think that all the Shine products come with the limited edition gift packaging, but I don’t actually know that for sure. I had assumed that that was the case, but now that you’ve asked me I don’t want to say yes without being sure! I assume that all the bee ones will do for sure.
If I have time tomorrow I will try and take you a picture of the clutch inside! :) Thanks for commenting!
Oh crumb, I like quite a few of the pieces, ha ha ha! I’m hoping that the Murano will look good with my Trollbeads Twisted Gold Plated Bangle. For those concerned about the plating, I can tell you that Trollies have been wearing the plated bangles for years without any problems, so I bet these Pandora pieces will also hold up well. These will be welcome pieces for those of us unable (or unwilling) to shell out the bucks for the solid gold pieces. I’m tempted to go to the mall tomorrow! ?
Aha, sorry Martha! ;) Thank you very much for the reassurance re the plating – that is very good to know. I have always found my Pandora Rose pieces to be very durable, so I am also not expecting any major issues with the Shine pieces I get – touch wood! ^^
Hi Ellie,
I must say I am impressm with Shine collection. Though I will wait and see what you get and read your review before going to the Pandora boutique. LOL I find the little petite bee perfect for the new locket ring… with a little flower if there is room for both.
Happy shopping!
Hi Rachelle! I went to the Pandora store yesterday to see the new collection (so much fun!) and the little bee looked gorgeous in the existing floating lockets, especially with the new little ladybird or some flower petites as you say. Definitely one to consider for the floating locket ring!
Yesterday, I went to the mall since I could not resist the temptation to see it in person. The petite is adorable, a must for me, including the ladybug.???? I will get these when the locket ring comes available here in CAN.
This collection actually makes me sad I can’t wear gold, the honeybee designs are so cute!
Aw, what a shame Laura! The bees are sweet.
Thanks for the post!I was looking forward to it!
I am in love with many pieces of the Shine Collection and so when I read that there were going to be promotions I got really excited.. only to be later disappointed, a plate? Really Pandora? When buying jewelry, I expect a jewelry related gift.
Regarding the plating I would love to know more details: how thick is it exactly? Is it enough to be considered gold-filled (the gold layer is at least 5% of the item’s total weight) ?
The dish is technically meant to be a trinket dish – the idea is that you keep your rings or bracelets in it, so it’s kind of jewellery related haha. We had a more substantial version come out in the UK earlier this year and I’ve been keeping it in the kitchen and popping my rings in it before I wash up or start cooking. But I get why you might be disappointed. How pretty would a proper Shine jewellery box have been, with all that gold floral detailing?
I have tried to find out more specific details and that diagram above is the best I can do currently! Pandora don’t seem to have released anything more technical – the layer of gold is termed as being very ‘thick’ or ‘deep’. Pandora have clarified that it is gold plated, and not gold filled, however.
Oooooh My Goodness, Ellie!
I was expecting to see your Shine post around midnight here in the US, thinking you’re six hours ahead. You can imagine my surprise to see it much earlier! Your presentation of the Shine introduction and overview is amazing.
First of all, let me just say, I’m sitting here choking on my words.lol. I had no plans of buying into the Shine Collection, but after seeing your intro, I’ve changed my mind (providing I like the color in person). As expected, it is very pricey and I’m disappointed it will only be sold in concept stores to start.
I really like a lot of the pieces and my favorites are the Queen Bee with the black enamel stripes and Sweet As Honey with the ‘tiger eye’ inside the beehive. I also like the honeycomb lace pieces. And the white murano! I see you already have the Queen Bee and I hope Pandora gave you this one. If not, they should have!
I’m disappointed the US is missing out on the pretty clutch and box. I’d much rather have the clutch than the dish. Guess I really should not be too concerned about it, tho’, since I didn’t save for the Shine thinking I would never buy in to this line. I’ll use Deborah’s famous words ‘never say never’.lol.
Thank you again for this amazing introduction to the Shine line. I do appreciate all the hard work and time you’ve put in to bring this info to us. You’re the best! I’m looking forward to seeing your review of the Queen Bee. So glad you have it.
Emily never say never is so true. I can justify in a hurry! Collecting is so much fun. Happy that most of this will not appeal to me. I have a pandora dish with the Gold and I actually use it on my bathroom counter on a glass mirror. It is for my bracelets as I remove them for the day. Use it more than I ever thought I would. Whatever would we do without Ellie!
☺️☺️ I have a trinket dish from Pandora as well and use it all the time! I have it in the kitchen, as a reader suggested, and pop my rings in it before embarking on the washing up or cooking. :D
Emily, this was such a sweet comment to get – thank you! :D I was so worried about not being able to post before release day, but I’m really glad that you enjoyed the post anyway. I put it to go out at midnight here in the UK, as I knew that I had two more posts to get through in Thursday lol! The blog was definitely creaking even with a good amount of space in between posts. ;)
Pandora didn’t give me the Queen Bee, that came courtesy of the generous John Greed! :) I absolutely love it, it’s a beautiful piece. I saw the others in store yesterday and I think it’s a super pretty collection in person! I love the honey/bee pieces even more after seeing them in person and I liked the Sweet as Honey as well – but it’s £80 here!
Thank you again for your thoughtful comment, Emily – I so enjoyed reading it! I so hear you about ‘never say never’. I only wanted to pick one bumblebee bead from Shine originally but after seeing all the collection in person, I so want to start a Shine bumblebee design. ??
Oh my goodness where is the BEATIFUL, ELEGANT, CLASSY Pandora of ten years ago? I feel the simple elegance is gone. Not everyone wants to look like a six year old who got into Grandmas costume jewelry. You have lost me and several of my friends as customers. Please go back to the simple sterling silver!!! Not everyone likes the showy, gaudy cubic zirconium, and the colors! Also I refuse to pay for the 24 carot gold and get a pubic zirconium! I know that everyone can not afford the 24 carot and diamonds; but I can! I have a bracelet that is 80% 24 carot gold and diamonds. I want to finish it in 24 carot gold and diamonds, looks like I won’t be able to.
Amy in many ways, I feel the same. I am purchasing those three pieces to commemorate the “bees in our walls” as a fun summer and spring joke, and they will be fun. But this collection will not become an investment for me and many of the pieces are just too gaudy!
I am really sorry you feel this way and I can understand, but pandora trying to appeal to younger clients and evolve the only way to this is to change. Trends and future trends are normally on a 2/3 year cycle and pandora has to keep up with that. They can’t please all the people all the time. I personally have never been inclined to purchase the gold or diamonds from them even though I could if I wanted. I use 1 or 2 pandora beads to accessorise and colour co-ordinate my leather bracelets which I layer and I wear them most days. Its perfect for that, when costume jewellery can cost the same. I alway felt the pandora gold and diamonds were very overpriced and if i really wanted to spend thousands on a gold bracelet I would more likely have one made to my own design, and then it is unique.
In terms of the 14kt gold Pandora, it does look like they’re focusing their efforts elsewhere for the moment. It remains to be seen whether they’ll continue to invest in the solid gold jewellery, although I did feel sorry for collectors who were frustrated with most of them having CZs in them, as you mention.
Amy, I agree with you 100%. I thought that the Rose was a low for this brand but IMO they have managed to go even further down with the Shine.
I’m so glad that I managed to finish my gold bracelet but it took a long time and I nearly gave up hope. I can’t stand the cubic zirconium either (btw IMO that’s best and most appropriate typo or autocorrection ever!).
As pretty as some of the pieces in the Shine collection are (love the Murano), it feels like a slap in the face to those of us that spent money of the gold charms.
Ellie, thank you for this presentation! I love the dangles, Queen Bee and the sweet as honey. So fun for summer and spring times. I agree about the open work honey bee charm and i have to have that one as well. I am excited to see the clips. Shining elegance is a possibility. What to do about bracelets!
My pleasure! I saw all of the pieces in store yesterday and love all the ones you mentioned. :D I’d love to get either the Sliding Bracelet or the two-tone heart bangle to wear some of the bees on. I find it a very pretty collection!
Amy in many ways, I feel the same. I am purchasing those three pieces to commemorate the “bees in our walls” as a fun summer and spring joke, and they will be fun. But this collection will not become an investment for me and many of the pieces are just too gaudy!
Oh my, bees in the walls……I love it. We get yellow jackets down our chimney every year and don’t dare go into that room without a fly swatter in hand. Killed 77 of those suckers in our house last summer. Now that you bring this up I simply must have the pendant to wear! I have more than enough gold bracelets, a couple full of charms so am not tempted to start a shine bracelet but the pendant is a must!
Hello Ellie, thanks for the preview of Shine and so excited that the new Spring collection is out tomorrow. While I do love your review I’m afraid I’m one of those people who can’t get past the plated bit! I never warmed much to Pandora Rose either. I have purchased most of my gold jewelry (non Pandora) from India or the Middle East which is proper 22 carat so I guess maybe that’s the reason I can’t get used to plated. I do however look forward to the lovely silver pieces and muranos in the new collection. I love love love Pandora’s solid silver pieces and hunting down the retired ones! But it is interesting to see the new direction Pandora is taking and I look forward to more of your reviews, both on Shine and other Pandora!
Hi Pauline! I can completely appreciate how you feel. When you have the real thing, I can imagine how you might hesitate to pay what is (comparatively) quite a lot for plated jewellery. Luckily there are so many beautiful things in their regular silver range to tempt you as well! I saw them all in person yesterday and so could have walked out with most of the shop lol! Thanks for your lovely comment, Pauline, I am excited to do some more reviews!
I would like to see Shine collection but won’t crazy about plated gold pieces. We used to buy solid gold pieces jewelry in Hong Kong. We can sell solid gold jewelry back to store get cash if need cash or change style. So no no plated gold pieces in fact not cheap.
No, I totally get where you’re coming from! I have never bought solid gold jewellery, so plated does not bother me in the same way.
Bees are a thing for me, but my preference is always silver over gold. So I’m going to be very good and wait until I can see these in person, but such cute designs it’s tempting anyway.
Silver bee with yellow and black enamel would be pretty or very detailed bee silver with oxidation to provide contrast and depth.
Haha, they are cute, aren’t they? I have never been tempted by the gold Pandora previously (although the price was a major factor in that ofc!) but these bumblebees are just so sweet in person!
If they did some of the bee charms in silver, I’d start a whole new bracelet as I think they would be very pretty but not like this I’m afraid.
Thanks for the detailed post, Ellie.
Very pretty designs but still uncertain about gold platted jewelry as never done gold plating before. I have Pandora rose but never owned any pure rose gold jewelry. I am psychologically resistant to gold plating as use to pure gold but I might get over it if the charms are as pretty IRL.
I really hope Pandora gifted the queen bee charm since they embargoed you for previewing their new collections which I don’t understand as seen previews up on other blogs and sites. So doesn’t make any sense as previews create buzz before release dates even if designs change or designs anre ever released and Pandora gets free feedback from customers to make changes before starting production.
I was thinking the same thing about the embargo and hoping it had been gifted. Ellie deserves it!!!
That is so kind of you, but it wasn’t from Pandora but from John Greed (a UK retailer I work with!). ?
I understand your hesitations, and get why you would hesitate more over yellow gold than the Rose. I did think that the Shine charms (or so I find) are very pretty in person. A couple of people have thought the bright yellow is tacky but it just looked really rich and luminous to me in store. But then the concept store lights always do make everything sparkle very attractively! ^^
That’s so nice of you to say – it wasn’t a gift from Pandora, it was from John Greed (a retailer here in the UK). I do not understand what the issue with the Shine embargo was; however I suspect that it should have applied to everyone who wasn’t an official ambassador for it but that Pandora were just too busy to police it. I don’t have any other explanation! :)
Thanks awfully Ellie for your tireless work. A brilliant review as always. I personally purchased the Pandora Shine silver bangle teith the heart clasp his morning along with the Pandora Shine Queen Bee pendant charm specifically for this bangle. For any Australian ladies reading this, please do not be at all surprised when you find there is NO GWP and only the standard gift bag. That took a little of the shine away from my purchase (pardon my pun) This being my 3rd Bangle and 21st charm purchase since I started collecting last August, I found this to be a little disappointing…. But that being said. I just love my new Pandora Shine purchases.
I too was sad there was no Shine GWP in Australia. Might have been persuaded to buy if there was.
I had heard that you guys were getting the dish, it’s a shame you didn’t get anything!
Thank you very much Jools, I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it! :) That’s so great that you bought a couple of pieces already! I love the Shine heart bangle, and would be quite tempted to get that one myself. Great punning aside, it is a shame that you didn’t get anything in Australia for the Shine launch. I don’t quite understand that! I had heard that you guys were getting the jewellery dish as well, but unfortunately that doesn’t seem to have been the case. Glad that you are happy with your new Shine pieces anyhow!
Hi Ellie!
So glad you finally got to post! I am heading to Pandora in the morning with my BFF to get my Shine fix.
I’m thinking the Smooth Clasp Bracelet, the Shining Elegance Clips, and just a couple of charms. That way I can wear the bracelet and my 18k watch on the same arm!
I really like the honeycomb lace the best. Might start there and see where things go.
IRL I’m allergic to bees, so we will have to see how I tolerate them. If I’m going to freak out for a second every time I look down and see a bee on my wrist, I won’t be able to do those. But I think they are beautifully designed. The charms with just the all gold bees will probably work for me a little better. Hopefully you can’t see their legs…
I see a couple of the internet sites here are already sold out of a lot of the items in the collection. So I think it’s popularity will make it a success.
I’m really excited to see your reviews. Thanks so much for hard work. We wouldn’t be able to plan without you!
Hi Deborah! Sounds like a very fine Shine plan! Which charms are you getting if you decide that you can’t stomach the bees? If I had all the resources in the world, my ideal would be the Sliding clasp bracelet with the logo clips (or maybe Shining Elegance), the Golden Honey, Honeybee Openwork, the White Waves Murano and my Queen Bee pendant as a focal point. And then maybe the Heart & Bee and the Sweet as Honey too! Basically all the bumblebees lol. I get why you wouldn’t want to wear them if you’re allergic though!
Thanks Deborah! :D I hope that you enjoyed the Queen Bee review – I have bought some more Spring beads yesterday, and so there are more on the way. Thank you for commenting, I always enjoy reading your thoughts and look forward to them with a new post! :)
It doesn’t matter how much Pandora spend on trying to persuade us otherwise, this is just plated jewellery. I can get fun plated jewellery for a fraction of the price at any department store. Some of the designs are cute, and different for Pandora, and I love the special bags and boxes, but I feel selfishly sad that all the design and promotion effort has gone into something I won’t be buying! I have never really been able to afford most of the Pandora gold jewellery, but I have a few pieces and the Shine range will devalue them. Pandora will be seen as a costume jewellery range from now on, with a predominance of Shine and Rose in the windows. It is probably quite an old-fashioned thing now to make such a distinction between fine and costume jewellery, and there is an argument that in buying Pandora you always overpaid for weight of metal and quality of stones anyway – the resale value doesn’t qualify it as an investment, so it was always more of a fun purchase. But I do like my silver to be silver and my gold to be gold! Even if the plating is really good, and noone else could tell, I would still know it was plating myself. I am glad that such a lot of people like it though and it is nice that others will enjoy it, I just hope Pandora will still bring out lovely silver and two tone designs too!
Also I am phobically scared of bees so, all in all sad times for me haha!
Aww, Debbie, haha! :) In a way, it’s kind of good that you’re not keen on bees in that at least you’re not at all tempted by this collection. It would be a shame if you loved the bumblebees but felt like you couldn’t indulge because of the plated finish. I absolutely get where you’re coming from on the plated jewellery though, and why you feel a bit excluded from all the advertising hype etc. It’ll calm down though and it’ll just become another offering from Pandora, like the Rose and the Essence etc. Hopefully you’ll be more keen on their next big concept! :)
Thanks for the tireless effort you bring in writing these posts and this one certainly is top notch. The pictures are pretty but I’m still on the side of the fence that says I’m not interested.
I have never been able to wear any plated jewelry of any kind because I have a very high content of acid in my system. Other lines that have guaranteed their plating just don’t work on me so I know I won’t be interested in anything that will touch my skin. I’ve longingly looked at the Rose jewelry for years but have been afraid to make the plunge and I’m afraid I’ll have to be the same way about the Shine. The only exception I see is the pendant to wear on a gold chain I already have. Since it will lay on clothing I can have it.
This definitely is a new direction for Pandora but I have to wonder how long it will last. Once the novelty of the cute little bee wears off will customers really be willing to spend the elevated price for plated jewelry? Of course only time will tell. I’ve never considered my Silver Pandora to be costume jewelry but I’m afraid I have to place the Shine in the costume jewelry category. I wonder just how many others will too.
I only wear plating for necklace pendants too, because they can remain away from the skin, and they never get scratched. I have two 18k plated pendants, a crucifix and an elephant, and they’re perfect, not a scratch, and zero tarnish after almost eight years. That’s the nicest thing, because when real gold tarnishes, it’s very hard to clean, especially chains. I have two gold box chains that will not come clean. I’ll have to take them into a jeweler eventually.
You are very welcome, Beth! I’m glad that you enjoyed the article, even if you are unconvinced by the jewellery. It’s a shame that you have such issues with the plated jewellery. I think you’re right in saying that there has been such a huge amount of excitement and marketing surrounding this release that it’s hard to be completely objective about Shine right now (although you are doing a very good job haha!), and it was how I concluded my Queen Bee pendant review. I feel like we’ll get a better measure of it once we’ve all had a chance to wear it a bit and it’s bedded in a bit more. I love the bees for their own sake, however, and will almost certainly be trying to get a couple more of those, regardless of how much I purchase from Shine overall.
This looks a lovely collection they have released. I don’t really wear any gold jewellery. I have enough to buy in the silver pieces and I’m just starting to get into the rose gold a bit now.
Haha, I hear you. The silver pieces from this collection will be taking priority for me too but I do love all the bees!
will they be bringing the bee collection out in silver as would love it
Not that I’ve heard! Some of these would look nice in silver though. I imagine they will want to keep the bees as a nice exclusive thing for Shine however.
Hi Ellie,
Thank you for the review. I agree with everyone one of your points on the use of pave and enamel. The Shine collection certainly looks nice, but I would caution Pandora designers to use pave sparingly so it doesn’t liook to much like Avon or other such brands of costume jewelry. Kudos to Pandora on the Bee theme. I don’t buy any of the overtly “Pandora” branded pieces, I know it’s Pandora. I have the two tone Queen bee that is a favorite of mine, next to this new bee representation it looks quite “Folksie” but I love her all the same. Well it looks as though I will have to wait a few weeks to see this collection as my store is a shop in shop. Need to travel elsewhere to see them.
This is a collectionI will wait to see in person. Over the past few years Ai have invested in 14k pieces and I hope Pandora will continue to release a few new pieces each year. It was nice to here about people’s experiences with other brands that gave produced gold plated jewelry. i think the two tone heart clasp bangle could be a nice option. If I were to invest in this collection I think I would choose one or two pieces that I could add to my existing collection. The honey bee charm with the two honey bees sitting on the honey comb is my Favourite. I suspect Shine Bee theme will do very well.
Shine is not my priority at the moment, and since it is not available in my area at the moment perhaps that is a good thing. Still want that snail and the water theme charms.
Cheers!
Lisa K
Hi Lisa! My biggest bugbear with the pavé is when it’s whacked on pieces that just don’t need it – the worst for me is a sparkling bail on a CZ-free dangle. It genuinely puts me off so much! It inflates the price without adding much to the design. I think that these Shine pieces for the most part hit a good balance, but I do wish the lovely Sweet as Honey didn’t have the CZs on the bail. I don’t mind Pandora branding as much, depending on what the item is. I’m not so keen when they add it to character beads (i.e. the Disney), but don’t mind it on bracelets or other core items.
The Shine bees are my favourites, as well, and I think are a really great opening motif for Shine. Bee jewellery is so popular at the moment, and in that the motif ties in really well to Shine’s USP – beautiful colour at a more affordable price. Where Shine goes next remains to be seen! Thanks for a very interesting and thoughtful comments. I hope you have had fun shopping the other Spring collections! ?
The Shine collection is incredible! I love the Bees, honeycomb and honey theme. I wonder where Pandora can take Shine for Autumn and Winter collections in the future?
Oooh, a shine Christmas collection would be amazing!
The bees are my favourites, too! I can imagine them doing something with Shine and stars for AW18.
Greetings Ms. Ellie, I really love the Pandora Shine collection and they’re affordable too. I sure looking forward to be getting a wonderful charms from the Pandora store.
Yay, happy shopping!
I don’t like yellow gold but there are a lot of cute things here. I also hope you were gifted the charm and that’s why you were unable to share ahead of time!
Although that kind of sounds like bribery now that I think about it…
Haha, well you’ll be glad/sad to hear that that wasn’t the case. The Queen Bee came from John Greed, who are a UK Pandora retailer. Pandora didn’t try and compensate me for the embargo!
I woke up this morning excited to read your review! As the other folks commented, you do such a fabulous job showing us lots of pictures along with your personal review. I just bought some of Pandora Rose a few weeks ago and now I’m wondering if I should have saved for the Shine collection. Unlike some of the other gals, I’m really loving this! What’s your preference in terms of Rose vs Shine?
I have loved the pandora rose for ages and have the bangle and two charm bracelets in the rose, however after seeing the shine today the rose isn’t as exciting! Possibly as the shine is new, but I’m now hooked, I bought the shine bangle with heart clasp today!
Ah, that’s so nice to hear that you were excited Linda! Thank you. :D That’s such a tough question, haha. I don’t really feel like I know Shine well enough yet to say definitively which I would prefer. At this point, Rose would be my preference if I had to pick one or the other – I love rose gold jewellery, and there’s more of a variety of styles. Rose looks so beautiful with soft pastel colours and florals, whereas Shine goes bolder I think. That suits my personal style more!
Hi Ellie I love the bee collection is the promo only on the shine collection are you planning on getting anything else.
Hi Nicola! Yep, just on Shine :) I am considering more Shine purchases but am focusing on my regular Spring wish list for now!
I wish the bees were made of gold and not gold plate. I won’t buy or wear gold plate. but I love this design.
Fair enough! :) They are really pretty designs.
I too would love to see some of these in silver!! The openworks honeybee is adorbs!
Some of these in a two-tone finish would be great as well!
Hi Ellie! Thank you so much for all these posts the last few days! I have been excited about this collection because I have been loving gold-toned jewelry lately, but the price point of the gold is just not an option for me. I went to the store solely to look at Pandora Shine today, as I will be buying the rest of the pieces I want during the spend and save promo (I do wish Shine was included in the promo though!). I thought the line was stunning and really love the bright, yellow-gold color! I hope the plating lasts. I ended up with Radiant Heart ring (I loved the combo with the yellow stone) and the Golden Honey charm. I will go back for the Smooth Clasp Bracelet—it’s beautiful—and I also really want the Enchanted Crown Ring. However, the prices are definitely higher than I would like. I was so tired that I completely forgot to ask about the Honeybee Choker and matching bracelet, which I did not see displayed with the rest of the pieces! I am going to make the little bit farther drive to the “better” store near me next week, so maybe they will have these pieces there. I know they didn’t have the Shine Sliding Bracelet yet.
The only thing about the color was that it kind of clashes with the 14K Pandora gold. I compared my new ring with my two-tone Puzzle Heart Ring, and they really didn’t go well together. I would have preferred the UK promo, but I did get the jewelry dish and special bag, which I was happy about, as you know I like to collect the special bags like you do! I also wish this wasn’t only going to sold at concept stores, as I buy from the Reeds Jewelers website quite often. Ellie, I’m so glad Pandora gifted you a Shine charm after the embargo!
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Hi Joanne! I feel similarly about Shine, in that it’s exciting for me as I have never been able to indulge in solid gold jewellery before. Or, at least, I haven’t wanted to spend so much on a single piece. I’m glad you like the pieces in person as well! I saw everything yesterday and thought the bees in particular were lovely. Once I’ve worked my way through my Spring wish list, I will probably come back for more bees. :) Love your picks, the Golden Honey charm is one of my favourites!
I agree that it clashes with the 14kt gold, though. A little two-tone is okay, but putting sold gold charms with Pandora Shine would not be my preference. :) I got a Pandora Shine bag at the store yesterday, even though I didn’t buy any more Shine! I guess they’re just after the advertising. I was also happy to get the special bag haha. Pandora didn’t gift me the Shine charm – it was from John Greed, who are a really lovely UK retailer I work with sometimes. :) It was the perfect Shine charm to get though, it’s a real symbol of the collection!
I work at Pandora and just wanted to let everyone know that the Shine Logo clip works on either the classic threaded bracelet or the smooth one (without rubber stoppers) was so excited when I discovered it!!!
What the what! How?
The edges have the silicon but the center is still hallow, it was a surprise to us too since it was no where in the description.
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing that. I didn’t notice when I was at the store.
That’s so great! And makes a lot more sense. Thanks Nicole!
I absolutely love this collection, I purchased the shine bangle with gold clasp today, it’s beautiful. I have put off purchasing any charms to go on it as I have the gold glitter ball charm and it looks fab on the bangle. Also I purchased the new teapot and tea cup charms at the same time so need to save up for more shine charms!!
Yay! I love the look of the bangle – it’s tied with the Sliding bracelet as my favourite of the Shine bracelets :) I can imagine the gold glitter ball looks great with it!
:-) I have received a leaflet on the Shine collection only today in the mail.
My favorite i the bumble bee. However, I’m not quite sure if I like the “gold”.
I guess I’ll have to go to the shop to see if I like it or not.
Have a very HAPPY weekend! :-)
Hi Claudia! Yes, the gold finish of the Shine is quite different to that of the regular Pandora gold line. Definitely one to see in person! :) have a lovely weekend too!
I saw the Shine collection today. I’m not a fan of bee jewelry, so none of the bee beads appealed to me. I wanted to see the Rays of Sunshine bead because I think I may like that bead, but the store didn’t have the bead or necklace pendant. I really liked the radiant heart ring though. I have a few Pandora Rose beads that I like (plating is okay with me), so eventually I’ll probably get some Shine pieces (but only if a silver snake chain/Shine clasp bracelet comes out, which likely will).
Oh, that’s a shame about the Ray of Sunshine bead! I saw the charm and thought it was pretty – the way the yellow enamel kind of blends into the gold is nice. I did wonder about the Shine snake chain bracelet, and wondered whether they’re maybe avoiding doing a two-tone traditional bracelet to avoid confusion with the regular two-tone. I imagine they want to preserve the distinction between the two lines where possible..
Yesterday, I went to the mall since I could not resist the temptation to see it in person. The petite is adorable, a must for me, including the ladybug.???? I will get these when the locket ring comes available here in CAN.
Yay! I really loved the new bee/ladybird petites as well. So cute with the floral petites too!
I just received an email from Pandora…
The March event at PANDORA Jewellery is starting tomorrow! Receive a FREE jewellery item valued up to $65 with your purchase of $150 or more to qualify. Gift with purchase, upgrades and minimum spent are excludes Shine & Disney collection.
I guess these promos are meant to clear their old stock. Not too happy! I might just keep my savings for my trip to Disney :)
Thanks for your detailed info. I’m afraid I don’t like the Shine jewellery. I saw it in my local store and I thought it looked cheap and the bees don’t do it for me. I just wish they would make more pieces in silver and two tone without cz.. I do love the birdhouse and the teapot in silver. No more hearts either please!
I am getting the Birdhouse and the Teapot in the US promo and am very excited receive both! :)
Thank you so much for your review! When I saw Shine I instantly fell in love with the bee motif. I have four pieces so far, the queen bee pendant, the bee petite, the white waves murano, and the golden honey charm. I loved the golden honey charm the minute I saw it but was disappointed to find that the enamel was less amber in person and more yellow. It’s still pretty, but not what I was expecting from stock photos. I love bee jewelry and bee motifs, and I think Shine was a perfect partner for these designs, but I just can’t see where Pandora might take this line. And I doubt I will keep interest past the bee theme. I also prefer silver or white gold, as my skin is too yellow for gold to look good. Most of my Shine charms will go on their own two tone bangle.
All that being said, I’ve been wearing my Shine jewelry for a little under two weeks now and I’m surprised how easily it shows dirt. Maybe it’s because I don’t wear gold that often to notice, but it almost seems to oxidize/tarnish. A quick wash brings it easily back to luster though. Shine also seems to lose some of it’s luminous luster the more it gets banged about. It’s still eye catching, but maybe not as bright as when displayed in a concept store/brand new. However it shows wear better than silver or white gold, I find. I seem to notice all scratches and wear on my silver/white gold jewelry, but Shine seems to end up with a more burnished finish than looking scratched/worn.
Okay, I am the first to admit it takes me quite awhile to admit I’m wrong. My husband will attest to that fact. He’d also say that when I’m presented with enough information to show me that I’m wrong I will always take a step back and say just that, I’m wrong.
When shine first came out I looked at it and said NO WAY!. I have multiple pieces of 14k gold and the shine just wasn’t attractive.
Well, today we went to the Pandora store as I needed one more charm to complete my rose bracelet. They had a very nice display of shine. I was wearing a sterling bracelet and a rose bracelet. I commented to the SA that I just wasn’t impressed with the shine. She smiled and said let me show you something. She pulled out a partially filled bracelet of shine, put it on my wrist with the rose and silver and it popped. It was stunning. I looked at my husband and he said “oh no”. Yep, it was stunning. So I am here to say I was wrong. I am now on a quest to have a bracelet of shine to wear with my rose and silver.