Pandora Beads Or European Beads
If you watch television, listen to the radio, read newspapers or magazines, you have most likely been inundated with the buzz about Pandora beads and bracelets.
If for some reason you have been able to avoid the onslaught of Pandora commercials you are among the very few. Pandora beads and bracelets are being advertised for every occasion and for every age group.
What exactly are Pandora beads?
They are the European beads that have become very trendy worldwide. The beads are often called charms. Unlike traditional beads or charms that attach via a jump ring to a bracelet, European beads are a modular unit that slides or screws on to a bracelet.
European beads have every traditional theme represented, from animals to alphabets and everything in between. They are made from a several different beautiful materials including sterling silver, sterling silver with a touch of gold, glass, and the ever popular glass lampwork bead. Their huge popularity can be attributed to the wide variety of beads.
Probably the biggest advantage of European beads over traditional charms is the ability to interchange the beads quickly and easily. You can have a color themed bracelet with all the beads the same color, or you could opt for one that has a specific theme such as animals, or you can mix and match to your heart’s content.
In 2002 Pandora introduced their innovative bracelet which is another reason for their popularity. The Pandora bracelet allows the beads to be screwed on and then securely closed with their patented locking mechanism. While the Pandora bracelet comes with all the bells and whistles, you can wear the beads on any bracelet, and you can also wear the beads on nylon cording or leather cording as long as the cording has a diameter of 3-5 mm.
Pandora Beads Not The Original European Beads
Pandora was the company that many consider the original European charm bracelet creator, however they are not, the Pandora beads are just the most advertised.
Actually, Troll beads introduced this concept of bracelets in 1976. Troll beads, Biagi, and Chamilia beads all work interchangeably. One note to consider, the threaded beads (Pandora, Biagi and Chamilia) beads will fit on a Troll Bead bracelet but Troll Bead beads will not fit on a bracelet from Pandora, and Biagi. The cost per bead ranges from $25.00 to $300.00 per bead for the authentic designer beads.
Pandora Beads A Financial Giant
Make no mistake, the jewelry firm Pandora is a financial beast. The net profit for this company in 2010 was $364.6 million, (PROFIT, not revenue).
Everyone is in agreement that European beads are beautiful, however the steep price tag keeps many from buying “authentic” Pandora beads. In addition, there are numerous knockoff manufacturers that try to pass their beads off as authentic Pandora beads. Unaware customers pay exorbitant prices for these counterfeit beads only to find out later they were not real Pandora beads.
So, what are some alternatives for those unable or unwilling to pay the high prices for name brand beads? You can buy from excellent well-respected companies that offer beads that look like Pandora beads but for a much lower cost. These manufacturers offer well-made, quality and beautiful beads that include every color, every theme and basically everything the designer beads offer, but at a price everyone can afford.
What makes the expensive name brand beads different from the inexpensive knockoff beads? Simply put, it is the difference in the makeup of the center core. The high-dollar beads use .925 sterling silver in the core, while the less expensive look-a-like beads use silver plating (a metal with only the outside covering being silver). Other than that, there is little to no difference in the Pandora beads verses the inexpensive silver plated beads.
