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Pandora Addict · May 13th, 2009, 12:16 AM

Just curious ...

When you start a new bracelet, do you have a theme in mind, or do you just buy one bead that you love and build on that?.

Do you have more than one bracelet, or do you mix and match beads to make several different looks from your one bracelet?.

tiffanystar · May 13th, 2009, 04:43 AM

I firstly bought a few beads I liked then I thought they would make a good princess theme (lots of crowns etc). But looking through the catalog there are beads I would like to get that don't go with the theme. I only hope to have one bracelet but with a few extra colourful beads so it can be purple for winter & maybe yellows for summer. Thats the beauty of Pandora, being able to mix it up.

MissyMomToTwo · May 13th, 2009, 07:31 AM

Hi,

I imagine that people approach building a bracelet a variety of ways. I know of a friend who receives all her beads as gifts from her husband, family etc. I approached my first bracelet from a "meaningfull" perspective and each bead represents something to me. My second bracelet is totally theme based and completely for fun. I'd like to do more theme bracelets down the road. I think lots of people do color based themes based on wardrobes and preferences.

Anyway you build your bracelet though, it's totally fun and they turn out so very cute.

take care,
Melissa

givemegold · May 13th, 2009, 06:12 PM

For my first bracelet, I just collected beads that I was attracted to or ones that had some kind of meaning. I also started collecting glass beads that I liked that were different colors. After a while, I noticed that it looked off...with different colors of glass...so I chose a color to stick with (green) and took the other glass beads off to save for another day and another bracelet. All of the beads on my green bracelet, that aren't glass, hold some kind of meaning or are just ones that I thought were fun at the store.

After a couple of years of collecting and playing with the bracelet builders on websites, I created a bracelet look that I loved (my yellow and black bracelet). It has been tweaked several times and it has changed color since the addition of the "orange" glass bead that was added this year. Now, it is exactly the way I want it and I won't be changing it up anymore.

My other bracelets that I have created over the years have been color themed, but I have changed my mind over and over again with the designs. I have taken them apart, looked at them crtically while keeping my wardrobe in mind. For example, I was totally thrilled with the way my pink bracelet was looking, especially with all of the gold splashes in it, but I never wore it! I don't have much pink and it looked silly with the colors that I do wear all of the time. I am not a super matchy-matchy kind of person, but it was going unworn in my jewelry box while I grabbed for more neutral things that can be worn with more. Now, all of the pink glass has been taken off and more two-tones that were on other bracelets have been added to create the bracelet that I wear almost everyday!

Lucky for my mom, she has a pink bracelet and lots of pink clothes so she is currently using some of my pink beads. (I think I will have to take pictures of them next!)

Sometimes, I think I want a bracelet to look a certain way or there is a bead that I was initally attracted to, so I got them, not I am not liking them anymore. For example, I was pretty sure that every lady needed to have the Queen Bee. I got one, put it on a bracelet, but when the bee scratched me over and over and got snagged on my clothes, I knew it was time to take her off. Now, I wish I could trade her in for a bead that I would wear.

My problem is that 5 years ago when I started to collect Pandora, I just bought the beads that spoke to me. Now, I am not sure what language some of those beads were speaking. LOL

vsminimoose · Oct 8th, 2009, 01:42 PM

I started a bracelet last month (believe it or not, living in Manhattan I had never heard of it before). As of now I want a predominantly GOLD bracelet but some of the charms that I like (ghost for my love of halloween) (cupcake for my obsession with baking) don't come in the solid gold so it will be a mix and match of silver. If I had buckets of money I would make theme charm bracelets so I could have all different kinds, but since I can only get a charm every so often I want to get the ones that mean something to me. It will be fun to have when I get older and see all the charms that "spoke" to me :)

bagshopr · Oct 8th, 2009, 03:28 PM

My glass beads were chosen by color, deciding on the color is the hard part! The silver beads are random, representing what I love.
One of my bracelets, with blue beads, does have all the fish/sea creatures on it.
My other bracelet, with alternating teal and hot pink beads, has more feminine beads like flowers, purse, cupcake, etc.

melmigs · Oct 8th, 2009, 04:13 PM

Besides the 2 Muranos on my bracelet, all of the beads are meaningful to me. I'm not *planning*

on getting another bracelet, so I'm slowly adding onto my current one with meaningful beads. I'm definitely not in a rush to finish it!

Bagladee · Oct 8th, 2009, 05:43 PM

I have drooled over Pandora for quite some time. Last week I was in Jared having my watch adjusted and saw the Pandora showcase. I ended up buying a bracelet and eight beads. I played online designing for the next few days and then went back this weeks and bought what I needed to finish my bracelet. I did a color design (pink murano beads, pink cz and pink saphires), some silver and some two-tone beads. So I think when I start my next one I will probably start with the color (either black or brown), buy the murano beads and then buy the rest a few at a time. I also want to do a lariat bracelet with knots and maybe about 10 beads. I don't think any bracelet will take too long to complete because once I start something, I usually have a very strong desire to finish it.

givemegold · Oct 8th, 2009, 07:10 PM

I ended up re-designing my bracelets...again. I have taken all of the beads that no longer speak to me off my bracelets. I sold and gifted them to my friends. With the money I got from the sales, I ended up buying a 14K bead that I love and ends my two-tone bracelets. I think a picture taking time is in order.

charmfan · Oct 8th, 2009, 08:20 PM

I have a combination of beads that have a personal meaning and beads that I find beautiful. When I started my first bracelet I had the two tone in mind and I ended up exchanging a few until I found the perfect fit and look, as not all beads are the same size or shape (that's one of the things I like about Pandora). I have found that once I get my bracelet to the way I want it to look, I don't move the beads anymore.

Kandi · Oct 8th, 2009, 09:07 PM

When I first started I got all beads that had serious meaning to me like the little girl, dog, cross etc. In fact, that seems to be the way all of my bracelets turned out; all of the beads are special to me in some way. Each bracelet has a purse on it for sure.

The only real theme is the color of the Muranos on each bracelet; I select stone beads that have the same colors as the Muranos. I also look at type of metal (gold, SS and mixed), and the texture that oxidation gives each bead... particularly with my two tone bracelet. So they really aren't "designed" they are just what I like. I've only repeated a couple of beads on my pink bracelet to make the color stand out. For some reason and I don't know what it is but I always have only three Muranos on each bracelet.

I love the bracelets that Ladies have added symetry but I don't have the discipline to stick with it. I just like a certain bead and put it on the bracelet.

That's the thing that draws me to Pandora is being able to do whatever you want with your bracelet and keep changing it around. I don't consider any of my bracelets as being finished. Plus, I don't know when and if I'll get tired of buying beads especially with new beads coming out every six months.

Everyone's bracelet is just beautiful to me and I love looking at the pictures on the sister thread.

This is a great thread as I've always felt that you could do a personality study on the beads we selected for our bracelets and where we place them. Any psychology folks out there?

divadivine682 · Oct 9th, 2009, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by givemegold

I ended up re-designing my bracelets...again. I have taken all of the beads that no longer speak to me off my bracelets. I sold and gifted them to my friends. With the money I got from the sales, I ended up buying a 14K bead that I love and ends my two-tone bracelets. I think a picture taking time is in order.

Yay!! please do! It sounds gorgeous......

Bethc · Oct 9th, 2009, 08:53 AM

I have two very different bracelets...

My first Pink colored one, has some mirroring to it where there's the same pattern on each side, moving away from the center. I have a different dangles or a cupcake and a bag. It has both silver and gold beads. It's a very sentimental bracelet, I just changed out one bead to add a dog, in honor of my Max that I lost on Wednesday :-(

The other bracelet has a hearts and flowers theme. It is much more patterned and has a purple theme to it. It has more gold and mixed beads. The two together work very well.

I've recently started one that is all gold, but that will take some time as those beads add up $$s very quickly!

Snowqueen! · Oct 9th, 2009, 11:12 AM

My first bracelet has all silver and gold beads. The two-toned look makes it look very cohesive. Also, all but four of the beads on it are just designs instead of things. I do have the queen bee, wedding cake, a Chamilia frog prince and a Christmas tree, on it.

My second bracelet is completely random and mostly gift beads. It is also a mix of gold, silver and a couple of two tones.

I love them both, but they are very different.

Maybe I need a third colorful one....

Faith · Oct 9th, 2009, 05:11 PM

I only buy two-tone or sterling beads for my bracelet. No dangles or stones. They're all meaningful to me- I'm not in a rush to finish mine.

May 13th, 2009, 12:16 AM	#1
Pandora Addict OP Member Joined: May 2009 Location: New Zealand Posts: 40	Pandora addicts ... how do you design your bracelet? Just curious ... When you start a new bracelet, do you have a theme in mind, or do you just buy one bead that you love and build on that?. Do you have more than one bracelet, or do you mix and match beads to make several different looks from your one bracelet?.

May 13th, 2009, 07:31 AM	#3
MissyMomToTwo Member Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 108	Hi, I imagine that people approach building a bracelet a variety of ways. I know of a friend who receives all her beads as gifts from her husband, family etc. I approached my first bracelet from a "meaningfull" perspective and each bead represents something to me. My second bracelet is totally theme based and completely for fun. I'd like to do more theme bracelets down the road. I think lots of people do color based themes based on wardrobes and preferences. Anyway you build your bracelet though, it's totally fun and they turn out so very cute. take care, Melissa
MissyMomToTwo Member Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 108

Oct 8th, 2009, 01:42 PM	#5
vsminimoose Member Joined: Aug 2006 Location: Manhattan NY Posts: 534	I started a bracelet last month (believe it or not, living in Manhattan I had never heard of it before). As of now I want a predominantly GOLD bracelet but some of the charms that I like (ghost for my love of halloween) (cupcake for my obsession with baking) don't come in the solid gold so it will be a mix and match of silver. If I had buckets of money I would make theme charm bracelets so I could have all different kinds, but since I can only get a charm every so often I want to get the ones that mean something to me. It will be fun to have when I get older and see all the charms that "spoke" to me :)
	__________________ All I want is a Black MC Speedy. It's all I want! One day... Give me the luxuries of life and I willingly do without the necessities." -- Frank Lloyd Wright

Oct 8th, 2009, 05:43 PM	#8
Bagladee Member Joined: Mar 2009 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 1,428	I have drooled over Pandora for quite some time. Last week I was in Jared having my watch adjusted and saw the Pandora showcase. I ended up buying a bracelet and eight beads. I played online designing for the next few days and then went back this weeks and bought what I needed to finish my bracelet. I did a color design (pink murano beads, pink cz and pink saphires), some silver and some two-tone beads. So I think when I start my next one I will probably start with the color (either black or brown), buy the murano beads and then buy the rest a few at a time. I also want to do a lariat bracelet with knots and maybe about 10 beads. I don't think any bracelet will take too long to complete because once I start something, I usually have a very strong desire to finish it.
	__________________ I love bags! My 2009 purchases: http://forum.purseblog.com/album.php?albumid=4324

Oct 8th, 2009, 09:07 PM	#11
Kandi Luv bags Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,211	When I first started I got all beads that had serious meaning to me like the little girl, dog, cross etc. In fact, that seems to be the way all of my bracelets turned out; all of the beads are special to me in some way. Each bracelet has a purse on it for sure. The only real theme is the color of the Muranos on each bracelet; I select stone beads that have the same colors as the Muranos. I also look at type of metal (gold, SS and mixed), and the texture that oxidation gives each bead... particularly with my two tone bracelet. So they really aren't "designed" they are just what I like. I've only repeated a couple of beads on my pink bracelet to make the color stand out. For some reason and I don't know what it is but I always have only three Muranos on each bracelet. I love the bracelets that Ladies have added symetry but I don't have the discipline to stick with it. I just like a certain bead and put it on the bracelet. That's the thing that draws me to Pandora is being able to do whatever you want with your bracelet and keep changing it around. I don't consider any of my bracelets as being finished. Plus, I don't know when and if I'll get tired of buying beads especially with new beads coming out every six months. Everyone's bracelet is just beautiful to me and I love looking at the pictures on the sister thread. This is a great thread as I've always felt that you could do a personality study on the beads we selected for our bracelets and where we place them. Any psychology folks out there?
Kandi Luv bags Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,211	__________________ http://forum.purseblog.com/your-bag-...ml#post6879142

May 13th, 2009, 04:43 AM	#2
tiffanystar Member Joined: Jul 2007 Location: Near Selfridges Posts: 1,053	I firstly bought a few beads I liked then I thought they would make a good princess theme (lots of crowns etc). But looking through the catalog there are beads I would like to get that don't go with the theme. I only hope to have one bracelet but with a few extra colourful beads so it can be purple for winter & maybe yellows for summer. Thats the beauty of Pandora, being able to mix it up.

May 13th, 2009, 06:12 PM	#4
givemegold Member Joined: Jan 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 138	For my first bracelet, I just collected beads that I was attracted to or ones that had some kind of meaning. I also started collecting glass beads that I liked that were different colors. After a while, I noticed that it looked off...with different colors of glass...so I chose a color to stick with (green) and took the other glass beads off to save for another day and another bracelet. All of the beads on my green bracelet, that aren't glass, hold some kind of meaning or are just ones that I thought were fun at the store. After a couple of years of collecting and playing with the bracelet builders on websites, I created a bracelet look that I loved (my yellow and black bracelet). It has been tweaked several times and it has changed color since the addition of the "orange" glass bead that was added this year. Now, it is exactly the way I want it and I won't be changing it up anymore. My other bracelets that I have created over the years have been color themed, but I have changed my mind over and over again with the designs. I have taken them apart, looked at them crtically while keeping my wardrobe in mind. For example, I was totally thrilled with the way my pink bracelet was looking, especially with all of the gold splashes in it, but I never wore it! I don't have much pink and it looked silly with the colors that I do wear all of the time. I am not a super matchy-matchy kind of person, but it was going unworn in my jewelry box while I grabbed for more neutral things that can be worn with more. Now, all of the pink glass has been taken off and more two-tones that were on other bracelets have been added to create the bracelet that I wear almost everyday! Lucky for my mom, she has a pink bracelet and lots of pink clothes so she is currently using some of my pink beads. (I think I will have to take pictures of them next!) Sometimes, I think I want a bracelet to look a certain way or there is a bead that I was initally attracted to, so I got them, not I am not liking them anymore. For example, I was pretty sure that every lady needed to have the Queen Bee. I got one, put it on a bracelet, but when the bee scratched me over and over and got snagged on my clothes, I knew it was time to take her off. Now, I wish I could trade her in for a bead that I would wear. My problem is that 5 years ago when I started to collect Pandora, I just bought the beads that spoke to me. Now, I am not sure what language some of those beads were speaking. LOL

Oct 8th, 2009, 03:28 PM	#6
bagshopr Member Joined: Apr 2007 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 988	My glass beads were chosen by color, deciding on the color is the hard part! The silver beads are random, representing what I love. One of my bracelets, with blue beads, does have all the fish/sea creatures on it. My other bracelet, with alternating teal and hot pink beads, has more feminine beads like flowers, purse, cupcake, etc.

Oct 8th, 2009, 04:13 PM	#7
melmigs Member Joined: Jul 2009 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 20	Besides the 2 Muranos on my bracelet, all of the beads are meaningful to me. I'm not planning on getting another bracelet, so I'm slowly adding onto my current one with meaningful beads. I'm definitely not in a rush to finish it!

Oct 8th, 2009, 07:10 PM	#9
givemegold Member Joined: Jan 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 138	I ended up re-designing my bracelets...again. I have taken all of the beads that no longer speak to me off my bracelets. I sold and gifted them to my friends. With the money I got from the sales, I ended up buying a 14K bead that I love and ends my two-tone bracelets. I think a picture taking time is in order.

Oct 8th, 2009, 08:20 PM	#10
charmfan Member Joined: Sep 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 21	I have a combination of beads that have a personal meaning and beads that I find beautiful. When I started my first bracelet I had the two tone in mind and I ended up exchanging a few until I found the perfect fit and look, as not all beads are the same size or shape (that's one of the things I like about Pandora). I have found that once I get my bracelet to the way I want it to look, I don't move the beads anymore.

Oct 9th, 2009, 08:53 AM	#13
Bethc Member Joined: Oct 2007 Location: NYC Posts: 2,193	I have two very different bracelets... My first Pink colored one, has some mirroring to it where there's the same pattern on each side, moving away from the center. I have a different dangles or a cupcake and a bag. It has both silver and gold beads. It's a very sentimental bracelet, I just changed out one bead to add a dog, in honor of my Max that I lost on Wednesday :-( The other bracelet has a hearts and flowers theme. It is much more patterned and has a purple theme to it. It has more gold and mixed beads. The two together work very well. I've recently started one that is all gold, but that will take some time as those beads add up $$s very quickly!
	__________________ Check out my babies... http://forum.purseblog.com/your-bag-...on-226274.html

Oct 9th, 2009, 11:12 AM	#14
Snowqueen! Member Joined: May 2008 Location: The Sunshine State Posts: 421	My first bracelet has all silver and gold beads. The two-toned look makes it look very cohesive. Also, all but four of the beads on it are just designs instead of things. I do have the queen bee, wedding cake, a Chamilia frog prince and a Christmas tree, on it. My second bracelet is completely random and mostly gift beads. It is also a mix of gold, silver and a couple of two tones. I love them both, but they are very different. Maybe I need a third colorful one....

Oct 9th, 2009, 05:11 PM	#15
Faith He makes me smile! Joined: Jan 2006 Location: Long Island Posts: 2,223	I only buy two-tone or sterling beads for my bracelet. No dangles or stones. They're all meaningful to me- I'm not in a rush to finish mine.
	__________________

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