Hello all! Today I will finally be blogging again! So sorry for the lack of actual real posts, I’ve been very busy lately; as always life gets in the way, and of course with life comes stress, and with stress comes shopping, and with shopping comes shopping haul videos!
It’s been easier for me to just post videos vs real blogging, but today I carved out some time to actually review something!! This is also my 200th post so yay me LOL! I think I would’ve reached this small milestone a couple of months ago but oh well! Let’s keep moving forward! I finally got my hands on Pandora’s newest creation, the open bangle and I have to say I was very surprised to see it in stores again, so read on for my thoughts on this bracelet.
First Impression:
My first impression on the open bangle was mixed. At first I thought it was just a copy from other popular brands out there, see this post for a more in depth first impression.
Review:
Let’s talk about the size of the bangle first, I wear a medium sized Pandora bangle (size 7.5in or 19cm). The sizes for this type of bangle come in size 1, 2, or 3. I wear a size 2 which is the same as the Pandora Signature bangle I already own so sizing for me was easy to figure out. For all those Trollies out there, I wear a size small in the Trollbeads bangle, here is a photo comparing them:
When handling the bangle, it’s not terribly heavy, I wish it were heavier but I guess the silver needs to be flexible enough to wrap around the wrist. For some reason I feel like this bracelet is fragile, perhaps it’s because of the end caps? Upon closer inspection I also noticed that both end caps twist off, I’m 95% sure that in the first edition of these bangles only one cap came off, the other one was soldered on, unfortunately when I first handled the recalled bangles it was extremely quickly so I am unable to confirm this now. Update: A lovely reader just confirmed that the first generation of this bangle had both end caps screwing off so there you go, no change then from the first generation to this version.
Again I’m not completely sure why Pandora felt the need to add end caps to their bangle, perhaps because it looked too much like it’s TB counterpart? I really don’t think they are necessary and I’m thinking maybe, just maybe I’ll be wearing mine without them, I’m not too confident on their mechanism, here is a close up of the ends:
Unfortunately the end caps always feel like they are not 100% on, to remove you have to push in and twist and the same to take off. The stoppers are surprisingly small, especially comparing them to Trollbeads stoppers:
The stoppers so far do a good job in keeping the beads on, even though they are very petite, and I would suggest and hope that Pandora starts offering them separately as again they are tiny and would render the bangle useless in the event that one loses one or both stoppers.
Soooo, as I was looking at the stoppers and examining them more closely I came to a realization, as I mentioned before, this bangle is not as heavy as I’d expect, but what exactly does that mean for us bead addicts? It means that this Pandora bangle is thinner than their regular snake chain bracelet or regular bangle, which means that this bangle fits Trollbeads charms!! I confirmed my theory and here is the proof:
These are all classic core Trollbeads, not universal so there you have it! I don’t tend to mix brands as you all probably know by now, and I already own a Trollbeads bangle, but I only own one, if I ever want to layer TB bangles I can’t, but now I can cheat by using the Pandora one! There are pros and cons of course, the TB bangle isn’t made to be flexible, it’s a sturdy piece of silver and the price reflects that, if you are a strictly a Trollbeads fan but find the price of their bangle a bit steep, you can enjoy the same look at the more affordable Pandora price!
Below are some samplings of how I styled my bangle, these sets were meant to be worn on the snake chain bracelet, but now that I have this bangle, I’m pretty sure this is how I’ll be wearing them from now on!
I thought this was a good idea, but then…
I guess it doesn’t really matter how the watermelon charm will sit, either way it’s still cute and the same thing would’ve happened on a snake chain bracelet.
Conclusion:
Aside from the slightness of this bracelet, it is a welcome addition to the Pandora collection in my opinion. It opens up a world of different designing possibilities that is for sure. This bangle comes in two version, the plain one I’m wearing for $75 and the sparkly one for $125. What do you think of this new bracelet? Will it end up on your wish list?
Thank you for the great review, and for including sizing comparison. Still waiting for these to be released in Australia. They appeared in the catalogue with the “summer” release (“” because it is currently out winter) but not arrived yet. Can’t wait to see them in person.
No problem! Trying to catch up on blogging here LOL. I think you’ll like them, they are very versatile and fun to wear! Surprised they made it back to us the customers after the fiasco of the release.
Hi, in the original version of the open bangle both endcaps did come off. I’m sure this was done so interchangeable endcaps could be offered later.
The new version of the bangle has the endcaps still pushing and twisting, but the endcaps fit more tightly and more securely. I actually purchased a 2nd generation one after I returned the original one. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I really bought it as a variation to wear with my other pandora bracelets. Originally I bought the plain one, but rebought it with the cz, which I liked better.
Thanks for clearing that up, I couldn’t remember, I swear one was soldered on LOL. I really don’t like how the go on and off, they don’t feel secure to me at all, but like you I purchased it to wear with my other bracelets. I didn’t think I would like the sparkly version but i do have to say it has it’s appeal!
Thanks so much for this review! Super detailed and really helpful. I absolutely love your little fruit styling, how cute! 😀 I’m planning on wearing a single murano on mine when I get it.
Thanks Ellie! I figured it’s been awhile since I last did a review so I tried extra hard on this one LOL. You must showcase yours on Instagram when you get it, it’s very cute!
Lovely post! I’ve never been much of a bangle person, but I sort of want one for my bottom heavy beads like the teddy bear or elephant, so that I can maybe secure them so they sit better on my wrist. Plus if I can wear my trolls on it all the better!!! 😊
I know right? Who would’ve thought we could wear trollbeads on a pandora bracelet now LOL? Yes that is why I like this bangle, bc now I can wear my beads on top instead of them always going on the bottom.
I owned this bangke for bit even a year and I look down and one of the end beads was gone! If it wasnt for the rubber stoppers my beads would be gone. I went to the store to have it replaced and none can find any info or account. I asked ifbI could at least buy a replacement bead and they said no and that they don’t sell them separately.I am hoping CS can fix this for me
I’m so sorry to hear that you lost your end cap…SMH tsk tsk to Pandora. Yes I think a year or two after the release of this bangle they decided it was a good idea to retire the end caps and I couldn’t understand why. It was the dumbest, densest thing Pandora could’ve done. You might have some luck on ebay or Rue La La, sometimes they still have retired stock and I’ve often seen these on sale there. I wish you good luck and I hope you find one or several!
Hello thank you for your article.
I was wondering if you new the weight of the pandora open bangle? You wrote that it was not very heavy. Does this mean the pandora open bangle is hollow? Thank you for your response. Have a great day 😊
I thouroughly apologize for not seeing this comment earlier…I am not very active here anymore. I don’t know the weight of it unfortunately, but I don’t think it’s hollow. Are you familiar with the regular closed bangle? The one with the clasp, that one is hollow to make it flexible, and actually it being hollow makes it stronger. The closed one I really don’t think is hollow, it’s not too lightweight or heavy. If you can I suggest you visit your local shop if you have one nearby so you can see them for yourself, I guarantee you’ll have fun looking at all the pretties!