The All Important Birthday

I’ve recently been invited to a 21st birthday celebration. I always get excited for occasions because it’s a reason to spoil your loved one and show them how much you care. Of course, the quest to find the perfect gift for my friend has begun and I’ve just struck gold with a fabulous idea!

For those particularly important birthdays like the 18th or 21st, it’s always nice to buy something that will last. One of my favourite bracelets, Pandora, is always a go-to bracelet and therefore it’s grown in popularity to buy a bangle or barrel clasp bracelet and one or two charms to go with it as a memorable gift. I myself received one for my 21st! As the bracelets can hold between 17 & 20 charms, starting off a special person with a charm bracelet means they can continue collecting themselves, or each year you can build on your gift. Pandora is my favourite because it has themed collections for almost any occasion… and Birthdays is one of them. You can choose to buy an appropriately themed within the Occasions collection which includes silver detailed hearts and a numbered “18th Birthday” Charm or “21st Birthday” Charm and the Birthday Dangles. However, if you want to choose something slightly different there are plenty of other options, too! Another angle is to buy a delicate charm that includes a birthstone. Each month is available in the collection, with May being a particularly beautiful example of a dangle charm with silver and Chrysostom complimenting each other perfectly. Most of the birthstones are floral designs with the centre as the garnet, moonstone etc.

Travelling Trinkets

I’m personally a Carnelian for July! Another way to use a charm bracelet is to collect the memories of a holiday that will stay with you forever. Whether it’s collecting charm destinations such as the Australia flag charm, or mementos such as the Suitcase, there’s plenty in the catalogue to choose from. The particular collection that stands out in this category is the Autumn 2013 Icons in which inspires a detailed Maple Leaf with an encrusted red gem, a New York Taxi with gold as the taxi light or the London Calling phone-box with detailing on each side, one of which displays a heart saying “call me”.  In the category Travel there are many iconic moments to choose from, such as Big Ben Charm, Eiffel Tower Charm or Statue of Liberty Charm. However, the most interesting are the charms with detailing or that include gemstones. Instead of going for obvious landmarks, there are charms such as the sterling silver Russian Doll Charm that’s complex and sets off the silver with a multicolour enamel bouquet.

Wedding Bells

Some people love to collect charms for the significant moments in their life, and thus the Pandora bracelet isn’t a bad idea for a wedding, either. Within the Occasions theme there is the intricately detailed Bride and Groom Charm made of sterling silver and perfected to such detail you can see the bride’s necklace as they stand together. What is striking in this category is the Pink Bouquet Pendant Charm where the sterling silver flowers dangle, held together by the pink enamel ribbon. If the present is ever to a significant other (I first have to find one!), there are also the Love themed charms, of which there are plenty of pendants, clips and pavés. The heart shaped pavé selections in Love are particularly dazzling because the stones are set so close together the mixture of silver and crystals set off a sparkle. Particularly mesmerizing is the colourful Red Pavé Heart Charm with cubic zirconia as the stone.

Whether you’re buying a special gift as a memory for yourself or as a present for someone else, Pandora certainly has a collection to suit every occasion!