Can men wear Pandora charm bracelets?

I am a very happy man as I type this as today is Christmas day and I have just finished opening my gifts. Santa must have read my mind this year as I got exactly what I wanted! I won't show you what I got quite yet - I want to finish this story first :)

My mother in law has always been a fan of charm bracelets. I must admit that ever since I saw her Pandora one I fell in love with the endless design possibilities and the hundreds of charms one can buy to make each jewellery piece unique and timeless.

At first I (like the rest of you I'm sure) assumed that only women could wear charm bracelets. I have been known to push the boundaries when it comes to wearing things that are sometimes labelled as "females only". This was the case when I bought my first bomber jacket with faux fur on the hoodie - at the time only girls were wearing this - fast forward three years and you now see men wearing them everywhere.

Another good example is my previous obsession with UGG boots. The trend has certainly caught on amongst male celebrities and UGGs has even released a recent product line specifically targeted towards men as shown here. I must admit that even though I did end up purchasing a pair I haven't worn them as much as I would like and it certainly hasn't been because they are mostly worn by girls, it has been due to the non-stop rain we get year-around in Vancouver - UGGhhhhh :-(

So am I saying that in three years from now you will see men all over the world wearing Pandora charm bracelets? Probably not. However, there are lots of men out there who enjoy wearing and customizing their own jewellery pieces. Pandora doesn't seem to know this though as they continue to target their marketing campaigns and email newsletters specifically to women and those who may buy gifts for them. As you probably know by now I like to speak my mind so I decided to send them an e-mail to express my concerns:

I did get a response from one of their customer service specialists but I'm still not sure if they get the full picture or not... What do you think after reading it?

Enough angry ranting from me though... let's get back to the fun stuff - learning about the different kinds of bracelets and the best way to design your own "mandora". Pandora's website is very user friendly and it serves as a great online catalogue for you to be able to choose charms and bracelets. If you join their Pandora Club you can also gain access to my favourite part of their website: the bracelet designer. The designer is a flash-based tool that lets you customize your bracelet and charms without having to go to a store in person. I would recommend playing with the designer before going to an actual store anyway as looking at all the charms and options in person can become quite overwhelming.

Bracelet Designer

The first decision you'll have to make is whether you'd like to have an all silver, gold, or oxidized silver bracelet. I decided to purchase the oxidized one for mine as it looks a bit more masculine and modern due to the darker tones. I bought the regular silver bracelet for my husband as it matches the other white gold jewellery he wears on a regular basis. You can't go wrong with any of the bracelet options - they are all gorgeous. Keep in mind that Pandora now offers leather bracelets as well. Here are some photos of the silver and oxidized silver options.

Silver Bracelet

Oxidized Bracelet

For our bracelets we decided to incorporate some neutral tones and add some colour splashing through the murano glass charms. It is also a good idea to add a "centerpiece" to your design to make it even more striking. Our bracelets are quite symmetrical but you can make yours asymmetrical if it better suits your personal style or the style of the person you are shopping for.

As promised earlier here's a picture of my actual bracelet:

Another great way to find inspiration for your designs is to use Instagram. As explained in my previous article, Instagram is a great tool to discover images from people who share similar interests and Pandora is no exception!~ If you use the hashtag #mandora you will find lots of men-friendly designs :)

Now that I've shared my new obsession with you feel free to ask me questions about Pandora bracelets or any other fashion ideas you may have... Happy shopping!