The Pandora Faceoff (1) – Are Pandora fans crazy?

Mention the word Pandora and a few things come to mind.

Silver bangles, glittery heart-shaped little charms with bits of bling on it, a little Chinese lantern, an Eiffel Tower – these were some of the little ‘charms’ I saw on my friends’ Pandora bracelets.

To be honest, before I started ‘researching’ on this article, I used to think that Pandora lovers were ‘siao eh!’ (out of their minds).

Why would someone wanna pay SGD80/ USD64 for a tiny little charm, with tiny intricate details (that could only be seen until I squint my eyes)? That was the first thought that came to my mind.

When I accompanied my Friend W to a Pandora shop at Ion Orchard, I was in awe. It was a small shop space, and women from different walks of life (students, sophisticated OLs (Office Ladies) and aunties alike) looking to get a peek of Pandora’s latest Summer collection.

As I wonder around the shop like a child who has accompanied her mother on lingerie shopping, I gawked at the prices of a Pandora bracelet, with five exquisite charms from the summer collection. It cost a mind-blowing SGD3,000/ USD2,400. More than enough to get you a Prada bag overseas.

And I was intrigued. What would make hundreds and thousands of women fall in love with a little bracelet, with a string of charms?

To find out, I did a dip stick survey of  15 female friends – asking them if they like Pandora, and if so, why.

A minority (5 out of 15) (33.33%) indicated they did like Pandora, and did so with heart-felt passion. A majority – expressed their vehement disagreement with the concept but one thing was clear – No one sat on the fence.

I also spoke to Boyfriends/ Potential Boyfriends who surprisingly took to Pandora charms very well, saying that they make good gifts.

For the second post of this series of five, I have shared – the 10 reasons why I and some Pandora-unbelievers never want to own a Pandora. To balance things out, I’ve also requested for Pandora lovers to share their views.

I also learnt that some types of men could actually pull off Pandora.

To each her own. Let me know your thoughts!

What are ‘charms’ by the way? For the clueless (like I once was), charms are small decorative pendants made in a variety of shapes, colors, and designs, and they often signify a special event or relationship, according to Wisegeek.com. At the end of World War II, soldiers returned from foreign lands with charms for their wives and sweethearts at home. (It’s quite sweet, when you think about it.)

Cheers,

The Travelling Squid

There’s a conclusion to the question – Are Pandora fans crazy. Read about it here.