Introducing Chamilia and a Sneak Peek of Fall 2013

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chamilia-fall-2013-previewBy popular request, I’m so happy to be presenting a new brand to the blog – Chamilia!  It’s been a busy few weeks here as we’ve added a couple different companies and previewing many upcoming collections as the seasonal releases have started to hit the stores.  Chamilia was started in 2002 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Arguably one of the big three charm bracelet companies in the US, I’m so excited to be covering Chamilia in addition to Pandora and Trollbeads.

This brand has more than 600 beads created in a variety of materials – sterling silver, gold, Swarovski crystals, Italian Murano glass, and the only line to offer Disney themed charms.  Chamilia is all about the bling with a large part of their collection featuring the sparkling Swarovski crystals, perfect for the fashionistas out there.  However, I’ve always been intrigued by their Murano beads and I’m looking forward to reviewing them here.

The Chamilia bracelet is threaded on the end, but there are no threads on the middle, instead they rely on “locks” to segment the bracelet.  The bracelet is available in sterling silver, two-tone (gold clasp, silver chain), 14K gold, and leather.  The snake chain is similar to Pandora and Ohm Beads and the beads are completely compatible with these other brands and vice versa.  Chamilia was also the first to offer the open-ended bangle in solid and flex metal, with screw-on ends to add and take off charms.

Bangles on BambooAfter that short intro, I’m pleased to offer a sneak peek at the upcoming Fall 2013 Collection, courtesy of Chamilia!  The official release is scheduled for August 12th, so just one more week until these will be available for sale.  There will be 3 new additions to their flex bangle set with crystal jewel end caps in blue, pink, and clear; these come with stoppers as well.  I’m also excited for the new glass beads that have iridescent flecks in a snakeskin pattern.  Otherwise, the collection consists of more sparkly delights in all colors.

I haven’t covered Chamilia before mainly because there aren’t any retailers in my area that carry this brand, not for lack of interest.  I’ve heard from many of my readers that they would like me to cover this brand and I’d love to know what you think of Chamilia in general and specifically, are you excited for their newest release?

  • Amy w.

    I like Chamilia, I have one of the flex bangles and about 4 crystal beads. They or my store at least have great promotions.

    • Leann

      I need to find these promos ;). I’m liking the look of their bangle more and more especially after trying on their competitors.

  • Rachel

    i have a chamilia bead on my pandora the filigree “21” bead i LOVE but i believe is retired now. Got my mom two muranos last year and they are soo cool! One looks mosaic and the other looks kind of plaid

    • Leann

      That’s great! I really like the look of their muranos too, can’t wait to get some :D.

  • Aida

    I have received many Chamilla offerings via email; they have several promotions for free beads and discounted items, as well as free bracelets, jewlery pouches, and so on. As with you, I do not have a local retailer nearby. However, I recently had the pleasure of purchasing some Ohm beads with a store in Maine and in one of our coorespondances it was mentioned they carry Chamilla as well. While I find it better to look at the beads in person, my interaction with the store has been very positive regarding online ordering and exchanges. Looking forward to hearing more from you regarding this brand.

    • Leann

      That’s great, Aida! Do you mind letting me know which company offers these promos? I love a great deal ;).

      • Marilyne

        I also love a good deal. Can you share these promos with all of us when you find out Leann?

      • Leann

        You know I will ;).

  • Marilyne

    I have the flex bangle which is oval shaped and does not move around on the wrist. I love it. I have also several of their Swarovski beads which I have incorporated into my Pandora.

    • Leann

      Oooh, I definitely have to try their flex bangle. It’s on my wish list ;).

  • sara

    I have been collecting Chamilia alongside Pandora for 3 years now. I LOVE Chamilia’s Murano beads – the colors are stunning! I have practically every Murano that they produced. 🙂 But I’m not a fan of their crystal or silver beads. I like Pandora’s silver beads much better.

    The first bead bracelet I bought was the Chamilia flex bangle, and it is still one of my favorites. It is very comfortable, and I get many compliments.

    • Leann

      Wow, that’s great Sara! Glad to hear such a ringing endorsement. I have to say I prefer their glass as well, the sparkling charms are a little too blingy for me but they have some cute silver charms. 🙂

  • Ann

    I have a very extensive collection of Pandora, Troll, and Chamilia charms, which I wear on either Pandora or Troll bracelets. I don’t care for the clasp fitting on the Chamilia snake chain bracelets; while charms can not get stuck on it, neither do spacers nor openwork beads fit over it to camouflage it.

    Also very significant is that it is stated ALL Chamilia charms fit on Pandora, but in actuality that’s NOT ALWAYS true! It is really important to test each charm on all three threaded areas of a Pandora bracelet. Over the years I have had at least four Chamilia charms that would not pass over the threads of different Pandora bracelets. When I switched exclusively to Pandora bracelets, I had a jeweler drill out the cores to make them work!

    • Amy

      Is is true that they don’t always fit. I have even had the jewelers selling Chamilia warn of this problem 🙁

      • grace

        I agree. I have a couple of chamilia charms that didn’t fit my Pandora bracelet but it did fit my persona bracelet.

      • nelia

        yes it is true but what i did i tried the charms on my pandora bracelet in the store and made sure they fit

    • Leann

      Good to know, thanks Ann! It’s so frustrating they’re not just all interchangeable :/. Good idea with the drill though :D.

  • Barb Kramer

    Have you ever considered reviewing Brighton products? They are “costume” jewelry but are very nice alternatives in a lower price range.

    • maddashin

      Funny you should mention Brighton. I happened to their shop yesterday. They do have very nice costume jewelry but they are also very expensive. For the price one has to pay for the costume pieces I know it is just better to get real silver. When I go to BJs the price of their gold jewelry is a better buy compared to what one has to pay for Brighton.

      The charms do look like silver. You can tell. Just my opinion. I have tons of Brighton. Do love their luggage though!

    • Leann

      Hi Barb, I have looked at Brighton, but I didn’t think they would match with my other beads :). Love their purses though, that intricate filigree is right up my alley!

      • Carolyn Klement

        Agreed, they don’t match the blog at all. But great suggestion.

  • sandy

    I want the glass beads with the iridescent flecks!

    I wish Chamilia had more locks to choose from. My favorite is the hibiscus one but already have 4 of them. Thus I buy Pandora clips to put on my Chamilia bracelets.

    Chamilia: Please offer more types of silver locks such as different types of flowers (daisy, tulip, rose, wildflowers, etc.)!

    • Leann

      I like those too! That hibiscus lock caught my eye too, it looks great. I hope Chamilia are listening ;).

  • Amy

    Their muranos are drool worthy!

    • Leann

      Definitely! I especially like the iridescent ones :).

      • Amy

        I like the radiance collection, especially “Purple Shine”.

    • Carolyn Klement

      Radiance, iridescent, glitter, city lights, lace @,@ zomg so prettah!!

  • Lori

    Chamilia’s flex bangle is a great ! You can wear it two ways. Any bead brand can fit on this. The Swarovski pieces are stunning if you like a little bling. Their muranos are my favorite. If you are a Disney fan then chamilia is for you. Overall I like chamilia, pandora, trollbead, and redbalifrog. Just depends on what I am doing or wearing for the day.

    • Leann

      Great suggestions, Lori. I will have to keep all that in mind :). I’m thinking the Muranos are at the top of my list and their Disney beads are so cute!

  • maddashin

    Love my Chamilia too! I have several from Disney.

    You do know that you are responsible for my current addiction. I would only buy a charm to commemorate a trip or place I have been.

    I alway bought Chamilia and Pandora. Now I also like the Ohm and red bali??? Not impressed with Troll though.

    • Leann

      Hehe, I’m a terrible enabler ;).

    • Carolyn Klement

      3rd Disney release has been leaked 🙂

  • Carrie

    I’ll be impressed with Camilla after I start seeing your bracelets referencing Camilla beads along with trollbeads and pandora. They look sort of cheap to me actually…I never read comments from your fans clammering for Camilla? So you post that Camilla has never seemed interested in your blog and then suddenly you feature them? What’s up Leann? And these comments should be posted in chronological order!

    • Leann

      As I mentioned in the post, Carrie, it’s never been lack of interest in Chamilia but rather lack of funds and opportunity to explore them. The company offered these pictures and I thought it was a great time to preview the brand on the blog.

      The new comment system posts the recent comments on top and ranks comments higher that get up voted.

    • Carolyn Klement

      I don’t care in the slightest about their silvers or the crystals or bracelets LOL – we all love is the muranos!!
      But there have been a number of mentions on the website – we mentioned and recieved 😉

  • dizchik

    I’m so glad you’ve added Chamilia to your blog! I had been looking into Chamilia since I started my charm bracelet (since May) but wasn’t sure of the quality because it wasn’t mentioned in your blog – which I pretty much used as my bible during all my research. So far I only have one Chamilia charm to go with my Pandora collection, but I’m sure that will change soon.

    • Leann

      Thanks, I’m so happy to feature Chamilia on the blog too :D. Aww, I’m glad you find all the info helpful <3.

  • Shannon

    When I decided to get my mother a bracelet, I went with Chamilia. The bracelet, as well as all of the Chamilia beads I’ve purchased for us both, have been of the same quality as Pandora. The Chamilia clasp did seem easier to open than my Pandoras. This could be unique to the bracelet I bought, but it still holds tightly, you just don’t have to break a nail getting the thing open.

    Chamilia definitely seems to like swarovski, but the details are lovely and the pieces are very solid. After looking over them in a shop I can add to the chorus of praise for their muranos as well.

    I think my favorite bead of theirs is still the floppy bunny. It has adorable detailing, complete with crystal accents on the ear and tail.

  • Shannon

    When I decided to get my mother a bracelet, I went with Chamilia. The bracelet, as well as all of the Chamilia beads I’ve purchased for us both, have been of the same quality as Pandora. The Chamilia clasp did seem easier to open than my Pandoras. This could be unique to the bracelet I bought, but it still holds tightly, you just don’t have to break a nail getting the thing open.

    Chamilia definitely seems to like swarovski, but the details are lovely and the pieces are very solid. After looking over them in a shop I can add to the chorus of praise for their muranos as well.

    I think my favorite bead of theirs is still the floppy bunny. It has adorable detailing, complete with crystal accents on the ear and tail.

  • Carolyn Klement

    The 3rd line of Disney charms have been leaked 😉

  • nelia

    i like there stuff i have 2 disney charms from them and they are very well made and have seen there collections, really beautiful

  • Leann

    That makes a lot of sense! They seem to be using more and more crystals in their designs.

  • Gillin

    Do any one know where can we buy camilia beads online?

    • Leann

      Hi Gillin, they sell through their online website: chamilia.com. You can get to this collection through the first hyperlink in the post.

      • Marilyne

        I’ve been on a mission and found a company in North Carolina that sells retired beads as well as new ones at a very good price. The retired ones are reduced approximately 35%. They also give points for beads you order which can be used towards future purchases. I just placed an order and they do take PayPal. The ship to US, Canada, UK and England. Here’s the link: http://www.rockcreekgifts.com/Chamilia_Jewelry_s/57.htm

  • Leann

    Great tip, thanks Marilyne!

  • Nancy

    looking for any blog on winter Chamilia beads. Seems that Pandora is already out. Please cover Chamilia. Thank you.

    • Leann

      I don’t have any info on that yet, but will update it on the blog when I do find out!

  • LovingSarasota

    The Disney Store has started selling Chamilia beads. I also have a Pandora collection, but reserve my Chamilia bracelet for my special love of Disney.

    • Leann

      Nice! I was at Disney World earlier this year and I was scouring every shop to see if I could find the Chamilia beads but they just had kiddie jewelry :(. I will have to check this out!

      • Kimberly

        The big store in Downtown Disney has them in the back where the pins are and the rest of the jewelry is. A couple of the stores on main street in disney world also carried them

      • Leann

        That must be it, Downtown Disney is the only park we didn’t go to! 🙁 Next time ;).

  • xoxo

    I have a question that i wonder if you have any insight on… I have been hearing rumors that Chamilia is being bought by Swavorski, and they are loosing their contract with Disney. I have also been hearing that Pandora will gain the Disney contract and start producing disney charms. Have you heard anything about this? I love pandora and i would LOVE if they started producing Disney <3

    xoxo

    • Leann

      Chamilia was bought by Swarovski in May of this year. Now they’re being distributed in Swarovski stores as well as other retailers. I actually wrote a paragraph about the rumors of the Disney license – Chamilia definitely didn’t lose it so whether Pandora will be getting it remains to be seen.