FAQs about Pandora

What is the story behind Pandora?

Pandora was established in modest surroundings in Copenhagen, Denmark, by Danish goldsmith Per Enevoldsen and his wife Winnie in 1982.  The couple first began travelling the world in search of jewelry to import, but soon turned to selling wholesale to clients in Denmark.  In 1987, an in-house designer joined the company and began to focus on creating their own unique jewelry. In 2000, Pandora’s charm bracelet concept was first introduced in Denmark and quickly entered new markets like the US in 2003, and Germany and Australia in 2004.  Today, their products are sold in more than 65 countries on six continents through over 10,500 points of sale, including more than 670 Pandora branded concept stores.

What jewelry does Pandora carry?

Pandora’s main jewelry line revolves around their charms and bracelets, however, they also carry bangles, necklaces and pendants, earrings, rings and watches.  The collections are called, “Moments,” “Compose,” “Stories,” “Liquid Silver,” and “LovePods.”  The uniqueness of Pandora jewelry revolves around the modularity/interchangeability of all the pieces in that line so that each woman can design a unique piece of jewelry that fits her style and tastes.

Where do I buy Pandora?

Pandora Head Office does not sell jewelry itself (you cannot order from the main pandora.net site), instead each retailer operates on a franchise-style store with various levels to delineate their level of Pandora inventory and availability. These store tiers are: Silver Stores, Gold Stores, White Stores, shop-in-shop, Pandora Concept Stores:

  • The Silver level Pandora shops only carry Sterling silver made Pandora charms, beads, bracelets and necklaces etc. You can also buy other jewelry brands form these shops.
  • The Gold level stores also carry gold made Pandora jewelry products. Other jewelry brands are also sold here.
  • The White Pandora store can sell more variety of jewelry. These stores also sell other jewelry brands.
  • The shop-in-shop usually sells all types of Pandora jewelry items. In these stores there is a separate portion/shop dedicated to Pandora products. That’s why these are called shop-in-shop. These stores also sell other brands of jewelry.
  • The exclusive Pandora Concept stores are the stores with maximum available variety of Pandora jewelry items. In these stores only Pandora jewelry is sold and no other jewelry brand is available here.  There are a number of Pandora direct operated concept stores, but it is difficult to distinguish which ones are operated by Pandora corporate and which ones are franchisees.

Pandora can also be bought online via authorized online retailers:

To locate a store, go to the Pandora website and click STORE in the top menu. Then either put in your zip code or address (or some computers have GPS locators so your location is highlighted on the right), and a list of your nearest store will appear on the left.

I bought my bracelet/charms at one Pandora retailer but it’s too far away – can I return or exchange at any Pandora retailer?

No, unfortunately since Pandora is sold by independent retailers when you buy at one store, you usually have to return to the same store (or chain).  Some stores will be more lenient with this policy since all the jewelry is the same (especially if you haven’t used it), so definitely ask to make sure.

Something happened to my bracelet, is there a warranty?

All Pandora products are covered by a 1-year warranty covering manufacturing defects. Using non-Pandora beads can damage Pandora bracelets. As such, Pandora will not replace, fix or repair product that has been used with non-Pandora products. Stretching of Pandora chains and bracelets is not considered a manufacturing defect. Do not expose your Pandora bracelet to harsh chemicals or contaminants. Silver pieces are given detail by oxidation. Exposure to harsh chemicals or contaminants can alter the appearance of your Pandora bracelet. These include, but are not limited to, liquid silver polish, pools, hot tubs and spas. For warranty purposes please keep your receipt of all your Pandora purchases.

My Pandora broke and I got my bracelet/charm as a gift and don’t have the receipt, what can I do?

Take your Pandora product to your nearest concept store and inquire as to what can be done about the break. If it is under 1 year since you’ve received the item, it can be sent off to Pandora for repair. If it has been more than a year, you may have to pay your jeweler to have it repaired.  Contact Pandora if your local store does not provide any assistance:

I know silver tarnishes easily, how do I clean and store my Pandora items?

Check out my tips on how to clean and store Pandora jewelry – including how to maintain different types of materials.

I keep hearing about “retired” charms, what are these and why are they no longer available?

Pandora constantly cycles their inventory to make room in their collection for new charms so from time to time they will “retire” older or unpopular charms.  That just means that they will no longer produce those charms.  Now what happens to those retired charms once Pandora decides that they are retired is partly up to the individual store.  They can either keep them or send them back to Pandora, so you should definitely ask if the retailer you’re shopping at has a retired charms tray.

Why are some charms available in one country and not another?

Pandora is based in Denmark, but they have corporate offices in all different countries (e.g. North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, etc.), those offices are partially responsible for exclusive charms.  These could be to celebrate an important event for the country (e.g. the Royal Wedding of William and Catherine) or it could be to support a local charity.

I want a charm that’s not available at my local Pandora store because it’s country-exclusive, why can’t I get it online?

Most online authorized retailers are restricted from selling the products overseas.  This is part of their contract to carry Pandora and if they do ship outside the country, they can be found in breach of their contract and Pandora will no longer supply them.  The exception is Denmark because of the countries’ laws prohibiting a company from restricting the sales practices of its retailers.

Does Pandora have sales?

Pandora corporate headquarters dictates the prices and they have a Recommended Retail Price (RRP), most retailers are prohibited from undercutting their set prices so the cost is consistent throughout a market/country.  The only exception is Denmark because of the countries’ laws prohibiting a company from dictating the price of products.

How does Pandora set prices and why do the prices for Pandora differ throughout the world?

Many things go into the RRP for the country, chief among them the cost of the materials used to make the Pandora product (gold, silver, etc.) which fluctuates because of the commodities market.  Also, the currency exchange is taken into consideration, and another important factor is taxes – the European Union (including UK) charges VAT (value added tax), which can make the charms more expensive for these countries than say the US.

What is gift with purchase (GWP) or promotions and when do they happen?

While the retailer is not allowed to discount prices, the manufacturer (Pandora) can decide to offer GWPs or promotions that are carried by the individual stores.  Because the stores are franchises, they can independently decide whether they will offer the promo or not (since the GWPs are purchased by the stores) and also at what price point (Pandora suggests a value at which to give the GWP).  This is also different by country because the local office for the country will determine which GWPs or promos will be offered.

How do I find out about the latest and upcoming promos?

You can ask your local store, or you can find it on the Current Promos 2012 list :) .

How do I know a Pandora charm being sold online is the real thing?

Check out our handy “how to spot a fake Pandora” tutorial.

I want to buy a bracelet, how do I choose my size?

The best way to pick your bracelet size is to go to a store in person and try them on.  Some people like their bracelets tight, some people like it loose.  If you want to put Muranos on the bracelet be sure to go a couple cms up because they’ll pull the bracelet tight.  Here is a handy chart from the back of the Pandora catalog on how to measure you wrist size and ring size conversion:

Measurement diagram for Pandora bracelets

I just got a leather bracelet, how many beads can I put on it?

Pandora recommends no more than 5-7 charms on the leather bracelets as they’re not as strong as the metal bracelets.  You can put more on if it’s a double bracelet, but only 8-10 charms are recommended.

Is there anything that will stop the charms from sliding around on my bracelet/necklace?

There are two methods – if you only a few charms and keep them in the center of the bracelet, the easy solution is to get clips on the center threads.  If you really want to keep the beads from sliding around at all, you can get silicone O-rings from the hardware store or buy them online from Amazon.  To hide the O-rings, simply place a clip over the top and no one can tell!  For more detail, I’ve written a full post about stoppers :) .

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Comments

  1. Mary says:
    February 27, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    The correct way to measure for a metal bracelet fit is to put three fingers between your wrist and an empty bracelet, this will allow for a full bracelet of charms, given that the bracelet will also stretch as it is worn over time. And please inform your followers about the correct use of CLIPS , not stoppers. They really do serve a purpose and help to keep the bracelet from breaking and should be one of the first things purchased after the bracelet itself.

  2. Lisa says:
    February 27, 2012 at 6:54 pm

    Hi Mary,

    Thanks for the info, especially about using three fingers to simulate some bracelet stretch. Very helpful!

    As for the stoppers, Leann wrote another post about this later to clarify — this solution is primarily meant for pieces to where the clip threads are not an option, i.e. the leather bracelets and the barrel clasp necklace that has the thread lock positions on the back of the piece. For these items the stoppers are really the only way to control the slide, and it sounds like Pandora feels the same way with the production of the officially branded stoppers that are being distributed in Asia.

  3. Lauren says:
    March 20, 2012 at 11:05 am

    Hi everyone, question about sizing. I bought the 7.5 inch bracelet, but now I’m wondering if I should have got 7.1 inch instead. Right now it’s only the middle section filled but it hangs down to about the first 1/3 or 1/4 of my hand. I can put my thumb between the bracelet and my wrist and there’s still extra room. Do you find the bracelet stretches much? Thanks! :)

    • Leann says:
      March 20, 2012 at 3:32 pm

      I started with a 7.1 bracelet as well as it was the perfect size, but when it gets full mine got really tight and I ended up switching them all to 7.5. I haven’t found my 7.1 to stretch out enough where it would be comfortable on my wrist, plus with all those charms I would always worry about the bracelet breaking because it was so full. But really it’s your preference :) .

  4. Lauren says:
    March 21, 2012 at 6:59 am

    Thanks so much, Leann. I think what I’m going to do is go back to the jewelry store and have them fill the bracelet so I can see what it would be like full. Right now I have only the middle section filled and there are 2 glass muranos. I don’t plan on getting more muranos, I don’t think. Does yours have a lot of muranos?

    Right now with the middle filled, I can put 4 fingers under the bracelet. How far down does yours hang? I know some people like them to drape onto the hand but because I’m on a computer all day, I think I want it to drape to the end of my wrist but not onto the hand.

    Thanks again, Leann, sorry for all the newbie questions :)

    • Leann says:
      March 21, 2012 at 3:25 pm

      No problem at all! With a full bracelet I can put about two fingers underneath. I have bracelets with Muranos and ones without, with more Muranos you definitely need to move up a size. My bracelet without Muranos slides to about an inch down from my wrist. I’m at the computer all day too and it doesn’t bother me too much :) .

  5. Simpa says:
    March 29, 2012 at 6:06 pm

    Guess it worked. I’m a Pandora Newbie and I’m so thankful for finding you ;)
    All your information has been so valuable. Luv your site!! I can already feel the addiction coming on, can’t wait to fill my new bracelet!

  6. rick says:
    May 22, 2012 at 9:04 am

    I have gone crazy buying charms and think it is a wonderful hobby. My frustration is that there does not appear to be a source for looking up retired charms. I search the internet and only find a few listed at any single site. If these are true collectables should there not be a comprehensive sourch to determine dates and maybe origional prices with pictures. Pandora would lose some retail business but would create more demand based on collectability. I have a gold heart with a green stone (emerald or cz) on each side and haven’t found it any where. Also a silver bell with a gold ribbon draped from the top going down one side and I can’t find it either. Can anyone recommend a source to find information on retired charms?

    • Leann says:
      May 22, 2012 at 11:17 pm

      Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive resource for retired Pandora charms :( . The two charms that you’ve described don’t sound familiar to me – do they have the Pandora hallmark? 585 ALE for gold and 925 ALE for silver markings should be somewhere on the charm.