Today brings my next Pandora Spring 2018 review, with a closer look at one of the most popular beads from the collection – the Enchanted Garden Glass murano! It doesn’t feature heavily in Pandora’s campaign material, but it’s been in fan photos all over social media in various beautiful designs.
This murano was love at first sight for me, with its combination of bees and my favourite pastel pinks and purples, and so I was straight down to my local store to get one after this collection launched! Read on to see my thoughts on the bead in person, and how I’m wearing it. ???
Pandora Enchanted Garden glass review
The idea of this glass bead is that it offers a little garden scene, with bumblebees hovering lazily amongst pink blossoms and pastel green leaves, and swirling vines snaking throughout the design. This is a far more ambitious design than Pandora has attempted before, with so many different elements within one bead, and I have to admit that when I first saw the stock image, as lovestruck as I was, I feared that it might be struck by the dreaded production issues.
Thankfully this hasn’t been the case, and there have been plenty of these muranos to go round. I heard from a Pandora store that the bumblebee details are made separately by an American glass maker, and that they are then placed inside the murano glass by Pandora’s artisans. I’d love to see a ‘making of’ for this bead! The stock image is itself a work of art – including the profile view:
In person, the details don’t melt into each other in quite the magical way that the stock image suggests, and the colours in actuality are much softer, too. This is no real criticism of the bead – which is lovely – it’s just not exactly as the stock image makes it seem. There’s an alternative stock photo that I would consider more accurate:
Nevertheless, the effect is quite lovely. I love the apple green crispness of the leaves, and the pretty pink flowers remind me of my favourite Cherry Blossom murano. It’s just a lovely collection of motifs, all nestled into one design. The murano has the smaller Pandora core, with branding on just one side, which allows you to see more of the design from sideways on.
In low light, the base lilac colour can be duller, as below, and the details of the bead become muted. The flecks of glitter beneath the glass don’t leap to illuminate all the details.
Catch it in bright, natural light, however, and it’s an entirely different story. The whole design comes alive as the light runs through it, illuminating the iridescent flecks beneath the glass and pulling together all the details in a way that transforms it from an ordinary glass bead into something more special.
As with most murano glass beads, this is definitely one to pick out in person. The majority of the beads I saw were lovely, but there were a couple that had very small or blurry bees, and the detailing of the vines and leaves varied a bit as well.
Styling
My first styling idea marries blue and purple, which is a favourite combination of mine. The Blue Blooms murano looks super bright in this picture, and it can be under direct light, but normally its effect is a tad more subtle. This is another garden life-themed bracelet, picking out butterflies and ladybirds, and a little sneaky frog prince too!
My next images focus on how I’ll actually be wearing this charm! This is the beginning of my bracelet design. Obviously, it’s far from finished – but I really like the Lavender Radiant Droplets with this murano. However, beautiful as it is, the colour of the Enchanted Garden is much less vibrant than other Pandora murano glass beads. The design overall is going to have a much softer tone to it than most of my bracelets.
I was considering adding more colour (possibly a more vibrant purple, soft pink/white enamel, or pastel green), but I think I’m just going to embrace a more subtle design. The little Cute Mouse and the Teacup beads will be going on there, which will add a little pink.
The Wildflower Meadow bracelet & safety chain are also quite a pale purple, so they don’t bring much additional colour to the design.
I did have these clips on my Victorian Floral bracelet, but then I got the oxidised Star clips and they looked so great on it instead! So I switched out the clips, and my Wildflower Meadow bracelet inherited the abstract CZ ones instead.
They look great stacked together, in any case, and I have been wearing them like this all week to work! As you can see, I rearranged the order since taking the pictures above a little – I’ve put the spacers in the middle with the purple and moved all the character beads to the outer sections.
Conclusion
I know that other brands have a better rep for glass, but I love that Pandora continues to work on improving and expanding their own murano glass offering. The little bees are a nice nod to the Pandora Shine launch, too. This particular bead happens to hit all my favourite things – pastels, florals and adorable bumblebees – and so I was always going to love this design! The concept of this garden scene murano is so pretty, and I am looking forward to future glass beads with the same ambition as this one.
The Enchanted Garden Glass is $55 USD or £35.
What do you think of this bead? Have you bought it, or is it on your wish list?
I ordered 2 of these beads for my daughter and returned 1 as the bee looked like a moth and there was a loose glass chip in the box. I ordered another 5 of these beads to compare the bees as I wanted to get ones that looked like perfect bees. Out of the 7 beads there are only 2 beads that look good so will be returning the rest. It’s definitely one, as Ellie said, to pick in person, unfortunately I do not have a Pandora store so can only order on line..
This is a beautiful bead if you can get one with good bees instead of blobs and smudges
I was looking at another one in the store this morning Kay and thought that the one they had out on display was very poor! The bees were fine, but the pink centres of the flowers were barely visible and the black vines very thick. Most of them I’ve seen have been nice, but the difference between a ‘good’ and a ‘bad’ one is extraordinary.
Yes, after comparing all 7 together and looking at them under a magnifying glass I was amazed at the differences between them. I’ve managed to get 2 that aren’t too bad but I wanted 2 for myself too. I’ve returned the 5 today. There was also quite a variation in the sizes of the bead, some were quite thick and heavy and some very small and thin.
I just got this one today! After I read the comments I thought I would just go and look at one in store, but the one the SA showed me was SO perfect, i just had to have it! Its got tiny really clear bees and flower petals, and it is such pretty soft colours. But I only meant to look! I cant be trusted near a Pandora shop haha!
HAHA your are so cute! I am happy for you Debbie that you got a perfect new Bees murano.
I am staying away from Pandora for a while because temptation is too strong. LOL
Good morning Ellie,
I am pretty early for a Saturday but just could not sleep and what a gift to see your preview in my mailbox ?
I love your lilac bracelet and it’s giving me ideas for starting a new one ? I wonder if the Wild flower murano would match the green of this new murano. I could place them with Tinkerbell’s dress and shoe. I also like the new lilac spacers which would add a bit of color in between. What do you think?
Have a great weekend! Hoping Spring is on its way? It is still snowing with a minus 11 degrees C with windshield.??
Hi Rachelle! Ooh that’s an interesting idea! I will see if I can include a styling with the WF murano and this one in a future review for you. I imagine that would look really pretty! I love purple and pastel green together, and have featured pastel purples with the mint shimmer muranos before.
Have a lovely week ahead, I hope that your weather improves soon! Snow in April is no fun! Thank you for commenting :D
Great review & I agree with all of your points on this bead. I ordered mine off line and one of my bees is fairly crisp, the other a little blurry. It doesn’t bother me however, for those that would be put off by such an imperfection should hand pick from a store if possible. Mine is also pastel and I like the subtlety of the charm as a whole because the spring time bracelet I’m building is pastel colored. this is a beautiful charm.
Glad you love yours too! I am not as concerned about getting the perfect murano as some also, but I’d have been disappointed to have very blurry bees or flowers that weren’t very pink. It is a lovely bead!
Such a lovely murano, love seeing your different bracelet designs
Thanks Nicola!
When are we going to see a preview of the summer collection? I was in a Pandora store and I saw a picture of a locket ring a tourquis ring and I think some travel/vacation charms?
The summer beads are in the new catalog
When will that be?
And When does the new catalog come out?
Is there a turquoise ring? Yay!
The Summer beads are only in the US/Canadian catalogue (which is available now).
I was meant to be allowed to preview it at the end of last month, but some kind of hold-up has come up on Pandora’s side. Soon, I hope.
I’m going to get this murano eventually. My local Concept store had a few (just 3 or 4) before the spring promo, but didn’t have any in stock during the promo. I’ll see what they have when I go see the Mother’s Day beads.
I really like the light lilac color. I noticed I prefer smaller flower petals so the lilac shows through better. I don’t like the muranos that have a thick black vine. I’m pretty picky so I’ll have to select mine in person! I’m glad you got a good one.
Ah, well the one I saw in store today had smaller flowers – they were less vibrant though as the pink centre didn’t show very clearly. And the vines were thicker, which also obscured the lilac. So many different finishes in one single bead! I hope you find a nice one when you start looking! :)
Hi Ellie, great review as always. Love seeing how you style your bracelets.
This is the only new Pandora charm I have purchased so far (went a bit crazy in UK sale!) . I have styled it on my pink themed bracelet between two darling daisy spacer charms. The pink pave on the bracelet actually picks out the subtle pink in this charm really well. Very happy :-)
Thanks Emma! Sounds like a stunning combination. I would have added pink to my bracelet styling, but I have a couple of spring designs that have pastel pink and purple now so really just want to stick with the purple this time. :D
Hi Ellie,
I woke up to snow! Yup it is looking like Christmas, Again!! It will melt off in a day or do. The birds are chirping (probably to keep warm) and the snow falling, all a little surreal, so you can imagine how happy I was to see your lovely, Spring post that I could absolutely get lost in and pretend the snow isn’t real.
This murano is amazing. I picked two out at the same time. The gals at my shop in shop are very patient and kind to indulge me. I line up all the muranos and check consistency of size, colour shape etc. This murano tells a story!! Yes, other brands do amazing muranos and I have a few of them but I agree Pandora has stepped up their game. Seeing a how it is made video would be worth watching for sure! The story telling and relating the charms to my own life themes & interests is what hooked me into this brand.
This charm is a dream to style, & Ellie, again you have done a lovely job. I have played around with the purples, pinks, ochre muranos, pulled out my citrine moonstones, but had not considered the blue blooms!
The droplet charms have not made it into my collection, in part because I couldn’t see how they could enhance a design using what I have, but your design really makes great use of them.
Thanks do much for this review, I love the styling inspiration and hearing about the charm in more detail.
Cheers!
Lisa K
Hi Lisa! Aha, snow in April? That’s no good! We’re having plenty of rain and cloudy days, but no more snow, thankfully.
My SA was great when I bought mine as well. The first one I saw was not great at all, so she let me go through the lot to pick out the one I wanted. She was as excited as I was about how great the new collection was! Ah, I bet citrine spacers look nice with it. I love the old school cabochons. :)
These are the only droplets I have. I hadn’t really considered properly until they went on sale here in the UK, but the lavender ones are a beautiful match for the Enchanted Garden Glass. Thanks for commenting Lisa! I hope nicer weather comes your way soon. :D
I love your design with the purple droplets. I’ve been eyeing those for awhile now and have them on my wishlist. Now I know where I’ll put them They are a ways down on the list though. Found out last week that my husband will be taking a business trip in May and the hotel is across the street from an outlet store. Needless to say I’m saving all my pennies for that trip. I’ve heard it is hit and miss at the outlet stores depending on how new their stock is though. Fingers crossed I’ll find a few goodies. If not those droplets just moved up in time on the list.
Thanks again for your lovely post.
Yay, thanks Beth! They went on sale here in the UK and I snapped up two. They’re a lovely complement to this bead, and the pastel pink ones would also bring out the flowers in this bead, too. How fun that you’re going to an outlet soon, as well. There’s one in the UK that I would love to go to and may have to plan a trip soon! :) Thanks for commenting!
I have no plans to buy this murano but not because I don’t think it’s adorable! I love your current styling. I agree with the second arrangement as your flourishing heart looks like it needed some breathing room with those adorable flower spacers that I missed out on (being a more recent collecter – I’m trying to learn to let go of some of those that I wish I had, because it’s impossible lol). I don’t care for the blue murano with it but that’s just me.
I like Rachelle’s idea above to do a pastel purple and green theme. I’ve always loved those colors together. And being a mother of two young daughters who love the tinkerbell movies, I know that the fairies have a hand in all things nature including helping flowers bloom and painting the stripes on bees.
Absolutely, I like having the space in the middle section as it is – I won’t add anything else to the centre now. I just need to get some murano beads for the outside sections, I think, and the little mouse as well! I think the blue murano looks better with it in person… something about the camera makes it seem even more electric. It’s *slightly* more subtle in person.
PS: yours looks really close to the stock image so good job finding a nice one! Enjoy and happy Spring.
Thanks, Sarah! I am pleased with it :D have a lovely week ahead.
I ordered 2 of these Muranos on line. To my surprise they are perfect. You can see the bee ? clearly in both charms. Colors are very bright pink and purple. I put them on a bracelet with dazzling snowflake twilight blue crystal charm in middle and Muranos one on each side. It brings out the blue in twilight charm. The sales associate in my local Pandora store really liked the combination. Thanks again for a great review.
Oh good! The colours in mine are very vibrant, too. I saw one in store today in which the flower centres were much duller. It was like a completely different bead. I would never have thought to put it with the navy snowflake, but that sounds stunning. I love more unusual colour combinations like that, and can picture how striking that would be. Thank you for commenting! :)
I was going to buy this murano at my local concept store because after seeing all the photos of the bee it really looked gorgeous. I was so disappointed to see it in person because the bee was so small and blurry you couldn’t make out what it was. After seeing your bracelet, I think I will revisit and look through all their stock because it sounds like they don’t have a consistent look to them. From the new spring collection I did buy the tassel to wear on a necklace because it’s just too big for a bracelet, the cute bird hoop earrings and the birdhouse charm. I think the snail and mouse are coming home with me the next visit. BTW, your styling of your bracelets are beautiful, as usual.
Oh yes, you should definitely take another look – these muranos vary so much and in quite a few different ways. The thickness of the vines, the vibrance of the flowers, as well as the bees themselves. See if you can pick through a few and find a good one! :) I love the bird earrings, and got the bird house myself – you picked well! The mouse is on my wish list as well. Thank you for commenting! ?
Hi Ellie!
Thanks for the lovely review. I really like your designs, but this Murano not so much.
I too found all the wildflower meadow collection to be a duller purple. Once I assembled my bracelet with some things from other collections it came to life. I added the dark purple shimmer Muranos to the mix, along with floral vintage spacers and love you violet enamels. The layers of lace clips complete the enchanted look because they reflect the sides of the enchanted nature charm, which I fell in love with because of the silver work on the sides. Dreamy dragonflies, glorious blooms, and butterfly gardens round out the design.
The only ones of these Muranos I saw in the store seemed more gray than lavender to me. Perhaps I need to have another look, but I really like the way mine turned out with the dark purple shimmers.
Thanks again for the peek into your jewelry box. I always get so much inspiration from your designs. Can’t wait to purchase that flourishing hearts dangle!
PS – Autumn bliss leafy charms are on there too!
Deborah, I love how you describe your bracelets! They awlays sound so nice! I can picture them in my head.
Thanks! I think this one turned out especially well! I’m wearing it a lot.
Hi Deborah! That sounds absolutely beautiful. I am going to embrace the more subtle colour in mine, I think, adding some neutral muranos to the outer sections and a little dash of extra pink enamel with the mouse and tea-themed beads. It looks nice stacked with my other Spring bracelets, so it’s nice to have something a bit more silver-based and neutral in its colour. The Floral Vintage spacers are a lovely idea for yours – I have mine on another design, but would have been tempted to add them to this one.
This murano can certainly look much greyer in certain lights. I think it looks quite grey in that first Instagram picture of mine. This is kind of what I mean when I say that it looks a different bead in different lights. :) The purple Shimmer is a nice alternative though. Your Spring bracelet will look a little different to everyone else’s, which is nice too!
Thanks for your lovely comment!
This is definitely on my wishlist! Your bracelets look lovely :)
Thanks so much Kathryn! :D
This murano is a my much have.
It was one of my must-haves too!
Pics don’t do justice to this bead. It is really gorgeous in person! ?
PS. Your bracelets are wonderful. I always find their names sooo romantic! Victorian florals!.My faourite is the one with the purple droplets as I´m a bit “maniatic” matching colours but the other arrangings are pretty, too.
On the negative side I won´t be buying this bead because of my size issues. I have tried on muranos in different positions but the always look too big on my wrist. Shame!
Haha, I quite like putting together colours that are a bit more out there! I have a cerise and powder blue design that I’m kind fond of. :) so glad you like the designs though, thank you!
Definitely! You need to pick it up and tilt it in some clear natural light. The effect is stunning. I should start making little videos of charms to show this kind of thing!
Hello Ellie, this is a beautiful review and I love the way you have styled this bead with other light purple ones. I was looking at a few of these muranos in the shop but decided to hold off until I could find one with finer details, as most of the muranos had the bees really tiny and not a lot of colour in the flowers. It is not on my must have list but I think I will get it at some point. That’s a lovely stack you are wearing, the colours blend so well. Also I am happy to say that I got the Mickey and Minnie in the vintage car today!! It is on it’s way to me and hopefully will arrive Friday yay!!