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Pandora beads--what the hell?

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MorningGlow Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-12-11 08:07 PM
Original message
Pandora beads--what the hell?
Am I missing something? Are these things really that desirable, like Silly Bandz for adults? Or is it all hype? The radio ad onslaught has been unbearable recently. Somebody enlighten me! :hi:
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Curmudgeoness Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-12-11 08:18 PM
Response to Original message
1. Advertising. Ain't it great? They keep repeating the message
that everyone wants something, and all of a sudden you think you are missing something huge. These are the new "charm bracelets" if you are old enough to remember that. You aren't missing anything. Manufactured hype. Gotta give them credit though.
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Brigid Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-12-11 08:45 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. Aw, come on -- lighten up, willya?
Yes, the hype is ridiculous. But it's kind of fun to collect them and create your own piece of jewelry. :)
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Curmudgeoness Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-12-11 08:51 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. I'm just saying, advertising can be a great tool.
Sure, it can be fun, but there are a lot of ways to create your own jewelry. Advertisers amaze me, they can make you think that you are missing something that you didn't know you were missing. How cool is that!
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MorningGlow Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 07:57 AM
Response to Reply #4
15. I have to admit their campaign is very effective
Especially their excited "We finally have (insert name of apparently rare bead here) in stock!" ads. They make me listen. I just couldn't figure out why the jewelry is so in demand...perhaps because they say so? :shrug:
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petronius Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-12-11 11:58 PM
Response to Reply #1
8. It is a well-crafted campaign, isn't it? They perfectly hit the tone of
"Everybody knows about this, and everybody loves it! Everybody wants it - better hurry!" Much better than all that "He went to Jared... <swoon>" dreck.
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MorningGlow Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 07:58 AM
Response to Reply #8
16. 'Zactly
I was all "Wait, is this something I should know about? Why is everybody obsessing about these except me?"
:rofl:
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quakerboy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-12-11 08:45 PM
Response to Original message
2. I dunno. they have been all over the ebay for a while
I won a few on one of my "lets see what I can get for a penny with no shipping" kicks. They seemed poorly made and kinda useless for anything I might ever care to participate in in my life time, unless we encounter aliens with whom we can trade them in exchange for something far more valuble, until we can figure out how to get smallpox across the species barrier and be able to just take all their stuff cause they are too weak with disease to stop us.
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Duer 157099 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-12-11 08:54 PM
Response to Original message
5. Great. Another cultural cue that I've completely missed.
Blissfully ignorant I was until I read this post.
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Kat45 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 12:49 AM
Response to Reply #5
11. Me too! I never heard of them.
Don't think I missed anything. :shrug:
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ornotna Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-12-11 10:15 PM
Response to Original message
6. At $65 a bead
You're not missing anything.
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MorningGlow Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 08:00 AM
Response to Reply #6
17. No way--seriously?
But...but...I'm a beader, and I could get these type of beads for a fraction of that--even the silver and gem ones! (Okay, maybe not the gold ones, but still.) Of course they wouldn't have the prestige of being Official Pandora Beads, right?
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Skittles Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-12-11 10:17 PM
Response to Original message
7. I don't understand why people wear ANY jewelry
Edited on Sat Mar-12-11 10:17 PM by Skittles
let alone something that fucking ugly
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OhioBlue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 12:37 AM
Response to Original message
9. Well.... they can be a nice gift
My 2 brothers, sister and step-dad went in one Christmas to get a Pandora bracelet for my mom. We bought a bead for each grandchild - either their birthstone, or a bead that reflected them. Since then, we have added to it with gifts of beads for each of her children, her parents and one to reflect her and my step-dad's anniversary. She really loves it.
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Brigid Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 12:42 AM
Response to Reply #9
10. My neices love them.
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MorningGlow Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 08:01 AM
Response to Reply #9
18. That's a good point
Appeal to the "collector" tendency.
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struggle4progress Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 12:55 AM
Response to Original message
12. They look kinda fugly to me. But I prefer clean abstract lines
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krispos42 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 12:59 AM
Response to Original message
13. My sis-in-law-to-be has one
I think what companies like this target is that fact that if you feel the need to get somebody you don't know intimately a present (holidays, special occasions), it gives you a nice option you can grab on to. You don't need to know any measurements, shades, or styles, and you don't have to worry about color-coordination with clothing or furnishing or skin tones.


I think a similar reason is why sports-team merchandise is so popular... when in doubt, buy that person a Yankees keychain or t-shirt or Christmas ornament or throw pillow or fleece pullover or...



You get the idea.
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clyrc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 02:16 AM
Response to Original message
14. I saw a Pandora store in Dubai recently
I laughed, because there is so much jewelry here already, lots of it gorgeous and some of it affordable. I don't know how well Pandora will do here.
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blogslut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 08:13 AM
Response to Original message
19. meh
I'll stick with going here, thank you:

http://www.firemountaingems.com
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MorningGlow Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 08:52 AM
Response to Reply #19
20. LOVE that store!
I could spend beaucoup bux there--and I do, everytime I go to the site (thank goodness they've stopped sending me the catalog--that just makes it worse!)
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blogslut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 08:55 AM
Response to Reply #20
21. The discount after you select a certain number of items
...is what get gets me - every time.

Psst. Wanna make a Pandora bracelet? Click the Dione™ menu on the left. ;)
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MorningGlow Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 09:36 AM
Response to Reply #21
23. Oh noes! You've given away the secret!
Sterling silver beads for $12? Rose quartz beads for $3.50? Horrors!
:rofl:
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blogslut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 10:22 AM
Response to Reply #23
25. That shop is evil
When I worked at teh mall, we used to go out to the docks to smoke. There was a big dumpster there and one day we were poking around in them because shopping mall dumpsters have the bestest trash. We found these wholesale/retail pricing notebooks from the Zales store. SOP markup was 400%. Retail jewelry prices are the most inflated prices of all.
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peacefreak Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 09:32 AM
Response to Original message
22. The new Beanie Babies.
Can't wait for this craze to pass so I can pick them at the thrift store & re-bead them!
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hippywife Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-13-11 10:05 AM
Response to Original message
24. They've been around for a few years or so.
Too big and contrived for my tastes. :hi:
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