Holiday memories are made of these

Manila Standard Today, Lifestyle | December 27, 2011

Remember the outdated style rule that you should never wear gold and silver together? For a few years now, that supposed faux pas is the hottest thing in fashion. Ladies (and even gents) are given the liberty to mix and match their metallics. This is a statement of contemporary style, and also a reflection of today’s personality-driven aesthetics and free-spirited lifestyle and outlook.

Like the proverbial Pandora’s box, you never know what kind of silver-and-gold combination you’ll end up with when you enter a Pandora store. The jewelry shop, famous for its charmbracelets, has all these different charms for customers to choose from that range from the classic to the trendy. No two charmbracelets are the same because you get to pick your own charms to express your individuality and personal taste.

“We want women to express themselves,” quips Pandora designer Lisbeth Eno Larsen. “With Pandora jewelry, anything goes. You can create any combination or look that you want.” Their bracelets, made with either 14K yellow gold or sterling silver, can be accessorized with over 700 interchangeable charms—also either in gold or silver and adorned with precious stones, pearls, enamels and glass—for a personalized appearance.

You may create a charmbracelet on the spot, but what makes this kind of jewelry item so special is its ability to tell a story and serve as a biography of sorts. This can be achieved by starting with a bare bracelet and slowly filling it with charms that mean something significant to the wearer. With every life event or milestone, you fasten a new charm as a form of remembrance. For example, when your boyfriend proposes to you, you can add a heart-shaped charm.

“Pandora jewelry has both an emotional and modern quality, which is interesting and appealing to many women,” explains Lone Frandsen, another designer for the brand. “We play from elements of nature and new trends in fashion, color, pattern and interior design. But we still maintain our well-known feminine style.”

The result of this continuous innovation is a range of 1,500 unique pieces, including earrings and necklaces, available from their catalog, with 200 new designs debuting every year. Pandora’s distributor in the Philippines, the Lucerne Group, emphasizes this with Christmas-, New Year- and Lunar New Year-themed charmbracelets and charms for the holiday season. Options include charms shaped like baubles and Christmas ornaments, and those with Chinese characters.

“Christmas is a time when we remember and celebrate special moments together with our loved ones. There are many unforgettable moments during this season, and there’s no better way to capture these than through Pandora bracelets,” Lucerne managing director Emerson Yao says.

He adds, “These, being on your wrist everyday, will remind you of those unforgettable moments you had in your life.”

Pandora is available at Lucerne stores (Greenbelt 5, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Newport Mall) and Wrist Pod (Bonifacio High Street). A new Pandora concept store will open in March 2012 at the Super Block in Bonifacio High Street.