Review: Pandora Lucky Penny from Summer 2014

While the blog has recently been all about the new details emerging about upcoming collections from Pandora, in this post I’m returning to the recently-released Summer 2014 collection with a review of the adorable Lucky Penny dangle! I’ll say up front that I love lucky charms, and I have quite a few from Pandora – consequently, this was instantly a design from the collection that appealed to me.

Apologies again for the slight delay in posting updates at the moment – I’ve started a new (albeit part time) job, and I’m still getting to grips with a few changes in my life after finishing university this summer!

The Charm

The Lucky Penny has that quirky, cute feel that I really love in a charm – something of the same aesthetic that attracted me to the Bicycle charm from the Spring 2014 collection. It’s a sweet concept, and one that I’ll imagine will be popular.

The feel of the charm itself is very small and light – this probably accounts for its very reasonable pricing of £25, as there’s probably not a lot of silver actually there. On the other hand, the detailing, as ever, is beautiful. The texture of the penny itself mimics that of old pennies, with deliberate blemishes and scores in the oxidisation of the coin face – you can see this particularly in the detailing by the number ‘1’.

On the back of the charm, the words ‘Keep me for good luck’ are inscribed, alongside a little clover and horseshoe. You can also see the ALE mark, which is stamped on the base of the charm.

Styling

As I don’t really have any bright summer colours in my collection to experiment with, I decided that, to showcase the Lucky Penny, I’d make a lucky bracelet! Lucky symbols vary from culture to culture – for example, I’m pretty sure that, while butterflies are considered lucky in some places, they can represent bad luck in others. Consequently, the charms in this design represent the motifs that I find lucky or inspiring – a bracelet to wear on a challenging day.

I put the Lucky Penny as the focal point in this design – the inscription on the back, ‘Keep me for good luck’, sums up the message of the bracelet and consequently makes a great centrepiece! Also on this bracelet are the Hong Bao and the Waving Cat charms, symbols of good luck in Chinese culture.

Elephants are meant to be lucky, I think, when their trunks face upwards, but Pandora don’t currently do one like that. :/ The dice charm was my first lucky charm – I bought it two years ago before my first university exams!

I included the Owl charm to represent wisdom – in case the luck falls through, I guess – and the butterfly charms just as some inspiration. I love the original blue enamel butterflies charm, and I was sad to see it retire this year!

However, I also really liked the simplicity of the penny on its own on the bangle. While it may be small, it is still a striking piece and capable of creating a beautifully simple look styled on its own.

My Comment

This, for me, is such an appealing little charm. Its littleness, in a way, perhaps adds to its attraction and message – it may be slight, but it remains a striking and attractive piece, with some gorgeous attention to detail in its design. Plus, here in the UK it has a correspondingly lower price point. ;)

Speaking of which, the Lucky Penny is £25 in the UK and $45 in the US.

What do you think of the Lucky Penny charm? How does it compare to the rest of the Summer 2014 collection?