Today’s post offers my first review from the Pandora Spring 2015 collection, with a closer look at the new Sparkling Ladybug (or Sparkling Ladybird, if you’re in the UK like me!). This charm surprised me by becoming my most-anticipated piece from the new collection, and it did not disappoint in person! With its adorable face and pretty pavé detailing, the Ladybird has a lot of character and is one of the more unique designs amongst all the floral charms that Pandora have produced this season.
I’ll be offering some close-up shots of the new charm, plus a couple of ideas as to how you can style it! It looks great with the white enamel pieces from the Spring collection, and the subtlety of its colouring means that it is quite a versatile little charm. :)
The charm
I have to admit that I absolutely love Pandora’s animal charms; they are among the ones that I get most excited for! I also really like Pandora’s more cutesy style (in contrast to the more realistic style of say, Trollbeads): for example, my favourite detail of this charm is its face, with its simple, stylised look. He’s quite a chubby little charm, but in the most adorable way!
On his back, we have some pavé detailing, with the ladybird’s spots detailed in red and black cubic zirconia. The stones are described as red, but in person they’re quite pinky. It’s a pretty shade.
For me, this an example of how to get pavé right. There’s a lot of plain silver detailing on this charm and the pavé works really nicely in contrast with it. If Pandora included more plain silver or two-tone options, with some beautiful pavé charms like this mixed in, that would be perfect I think.
Another of my favourite things about Pandora are the little details they add to their charms – especially the animals! The Ladybird is no exception. If you turn him upside down, he has six little legs, which I find amazingly cute and creepy at the same time, haha.
Styling
One of my favourite stylings from the pre-release live images was this one featuring the purple leather bracelet, Sparkling Ladybird and Darling Daisy Meadow clip.
Consequently I’ve tried to emulate this look – here he is styled on the purple leather, with the white Darling Daisy Meadow clip and the white Primrose Meadow. The contrast between the red pavé and the white enamel is lovely! (Also, just a heads up – the purple leather bracelet is currently on sale at Republic of Jewels, alongside some other selected Pandora pieces!)
As you can see, the colour of the pavé stones is actually quite subtle in person, and the Ladybird blends nicely in with the other charms. Incidentally, the white Primrose Meadow is absolutely gorgeous in person. I love the contrast of the smaller white flowers with the larger Darling Daisy clip!
However ultimately I am going to be wearing the Ladybird on my oxidised bracelet, which will have a sort of pink pastel colour scheme. It doesn’t really have a theme, aside from flowers and cute animals, but I’m really enjoying this bracelet at the moment :) I like the Ladybug in combination with more classic Pandora charms, such as the pearl dangle – it’s fun to mix older and newer styles of Pandora!
I was going to add the pink Primrose Meadow, but the pink enamel looked quite luminous in store which was a bit disappointing (has anyone else found that?). Instead, I’m thinking that possibly two of the pink Petite Facets might look good.
Conclusion
This is an immensely sweet little charm and, while it may be a tad on the cute side for some, I love it. It goes wonderfully with the other floral charms from Spring, particularly the white enamel primroses and daisies! It might be fun to see more little bugs like this one: a butterfly with a similarly sweet face, perhaps. A reader on Facebook suggested a bumblebee, which would also be amazing!
The Sparkling Ladybird is $60 or £55 in the UK, where you can buy it alongside the rest of the Pandora Spring collection from authorised retailer John Greed.
Do you have this charm, or is on your wish list? Which are your favourites from this collection?
Yep!! It will be mine on Thursday, in person is SO cute! I don’t buy animals or characters, but this will my first! Absolutly love it! ?
Yay! Roll on Thursday :D it really is adorable, it’s a great one to start your animal collection, haha.
If you get this email I will be happy to get the lady bug or any other charms for you. I would love the green pave charm but haven’t seen it on ebay yet. Let me know. Thank you for all your great posts. Marlene
Aw, thank you so much, but I am all set for Spring charms :D the green pavé pear? it’s coming out on the 9th of April, so it won’t be available for a little while yet. Thanks for commenting!
I love this charm, it was one of my favourites from the collection. I haven’t seen it in person yet, I love how it has the little legs on the bottom. I am struggling to figure out were it would fit in my collection though.
I hear you Nicola. Same here. Think I will need another bracelet to just have random lovely charms like this one!:-)
It’s one of my favourites too :) I am unapologetic about my love for the cuter charms, haha. It’s not the most versatile charm ever, but I’ve just sort of popped it with some other floral charms and cute animals, and that works for me. :D
love your idea Ellie! inspiring!!
thank you! :D
Achia sale tomorrow
I saw! Unfortunately I have a big presentation to do tomorrow and quite a late finish so I will not be doing the 6.30am start haha. Are you planning on being up when it starts?
Haha no I have to be up at 7.15 and some of the items are already sold out lol
Aha! There wasn’t much that I wanted in any case. I was a bit tempted by the leather bracelets but managed to be good ;)
Haha lol the leather bracelets were very tempting but like you I was good , I just ordered the red ladybird murano and the green ladybird. I don’t think it was good as last time.
Haha glad you got something though! No, I agree – I’m still disappointed that I missed the butterfly cameo pendant when it was on there :(
I know I love that charm that one is become very hard to find.
It is isn’t it… I’m tempted to add it to my HTF charms list actually!
I got to see this charm in person yesterday at the store and I am 100% agreeing with you it is exceptionally adorable and cute and classy all at the same time. You are right on describing it as “The stones are described as red, but in person they’re quite pinky. It’s a pretty shade.” – Now I have to find an excuse to make up another bracelet without a theme with this little charm and some oxidized charms I have recently fallen in love with (like the retiring oxy crown)…
:D I’ve read feedback from a couple of people wishing that there was a greater level of detail, but I really like how Pandora have done it – I prefer it to be cuter rather than more realistic. It’s not very ladybird-esque in terms of colour, but I suppose the pinker stones make it a lot more versatile than a brighter red!
Haha, that sounds great! My bracelets never really have very strict themes (apart from my fairy-tale and travel bracelets), so I just tend to stick any cute charms together haha. But it’s always fun to see what amazing themes people come up with! Which crown is that, Anne?
It’s called Oxy Crown. What do you think? Or better yet, you have it?
http://www.pandora.net/en-ca/explore/products/charms/790221cz
Oh right, it’s just ‘abstract crown charm’ over here. We always have such boring charm names haha!
I don’t have this one, but it’s lovely! I like the older, more abstract pieces. :D
I cant wait to get it Thursday.
Yay! Not long to go now :D
Hey Ellie, I need your advice. I may be going into a diffrent direction with my bracelet. I went to pandora to do a design of my bracelet. I dont think I like the way it looks or atleast the way i arranged it. I know what I want on the bracelet but i dont like the look of it. i will send you a pic on facebook of what I have now. I will be adding the lady bird i also wanted to add the sparkling primrose or the pave apple, cinderella’s coach, the pixie, the sparkling butterfly, the perfect gift bow and the wishing star any advice you have would be great.
Hey, so I checked out your bracelet and it has some really great pieces on it (especially Eeyore and the Queen Bee!). I really like the symmetry of it as it is at the moment, too – that’s very nicely done! The only thing I would suggest is to add a little more colour and texture to it, to break up all the silver charms. :) The pieces you have on it right now are all quite similarly sized. Do you like murano glass? They’re great for breaking up a design a little bit and adding some colour coordination. If not, I’d suggest adding a couple of the pavé charms to the middle, such as the sparkling primrose and the sparkling butterfly. Or the pavé apple and the ladybird, as those colours would go really nicely together. And then I would try and distribute the other pavé charms evenly through your silver ones as you fill up the bracelet. Hope that helps! :) Let me know if you’d like any more specific suggestions :D
Thanks so much Ellie, just one more question i did want to add murano glass but just one or two i did like the white only because i will already have the color from the lady bird and what other charm i choose i dont want too much color if that makes sense but i would like to break it up. I was thinking about making the lady bird the focal point of the bracelet. Your suggestions really helped thanks sooo much.
Well, if you’re wanting to make your ladybird the focal point (which would look great!), then I think two white muranos would be perfect with it! I really like symmetry in bracelet designs, so I’d personally go for two muranos :D You definitely don’t have to have lots of colour if you don’t want that, but adding a little pavé or murano glass will break up your charms beautifully! You’re very welcome, glad it was helpful <3
Yayyyyyyy. I’m so excited can’t wait to add more charms I haven’t even been shopping lately lol.
Lol I’m like that at the moment too! the Spring collections have really done for me! ;)
I want to like this charm but I think the pave ladybird looks like a blob with strange eyes and scary feet. love the primrose meadow though!
Nooo, it’s so cute. Haha. Although I do also think that its feet walk a thin line between cute and creepy, lol. The Primrose Meadow is really lovely, but surprisingly big in person!
Love your review. I haven’t seen the ladybug either but it’s definitely on my wish list. Can’t wait until your review of the wildflower murano. Do you think you will also do a review of the Primrose Meadow charm as well ?
Thanks Linda! The Wild Flower murano is my next review :D I’ve been working on it today actually. I expect I’ll do the Primrose Meadow charm too, especially if you’d like to see it; it’s really gorgeous!
Yay I’m excited lol. Thanks :-)
Yay! :D
Ladybugs are special to me. I’m not sure about this one. I really hope that once I see it then I’ll love it!! I have one bracelet with random charms. Also, one with hearts and girlie charms. Ones that represent my daughter. I will probably put it there. I do love the Primrose Meadows!
I had my daughter after many years of infertility. She was born in October. We had ladybugs show up in her nursery that year, in October! They are good luck symbols so I knew that it was a sign. They come back every year since then. That’s been 15 years!
Wow! That is so lovely, what a sweet thing to remember your daughter by :). I’m from Australia and in the Summer we would get lots of ladybugs at my parents home, and since getting married and moving away I always think of their home (and the Summer) when I see them.
Wow, that’s such a lovely story – how lovely that they come back each year to remind you ^^ I do hope that you love this one if you see it in person, as it would be perfect to have it to remember your daughter. And as your special lucky charm! Although there is always the other option of the original Pandora silver ladybird, if you don’t like this one when you see it in person :)
http://static.pandora.net/consumer/jewellery/01/400×400/790135.jpg
And yes, the Primrose Meadows are beautiful, especially the white – it looks really nice with the pavé ladybird actually! :)
For clothes that is lol
Loving the way you styled you bracelet! This is the final “layout” I imagine for my one and only bracelet. I am in loooove with the unfinished bracelet look! I also like how it has just the right amount of pink, so it doesn’t look like a barbies bracelet, but doesn’t look washed out either!
I just love ladybugs, I’ve spent so much time on my childhood “saving” the little guys, having them crawl on my finger with my arm up in the air, waiting for it to fly off!! Haha. Beautiful. :)
Hi Karolina, thank you, I’m really glad you liked it! :D I usually go for the unfinished look for my stylings – it’s easier to put them together and have them look nice, and it means that you can show off the individual charms more ^^
Aw, me too! I remember always finding them in my room when I was little, and being so fascinated by them. :)
Thanks for commenting! <3
Thank you for your post, I’m a fan of Pandora.Do you make a purchase on the site at Republic of Jewels? This is a genuine seller pandora?
Hi Kate! Yes, I use Republic of Jewels – they are definitely legit and all their Pandora jewellery is genuine. I’ve got a lot of good deals from them! You definitely don’t need to worry about your order :)
I placed an order and now worried about the original. I live in the USA and there were charms which are not available.
I just bought in early March a bracelet, 2 clips (pink cherry blossom) and a charm (murano purple faceted glass) while waiting for spring collection recommend by the sale person. I regret and don’t like the combination it look dull what your suggestion on the charm would I get to make it look nice
Hi Janet! :) Well I do really like the sound of what you have – the cherry blossom pieces are among my favourites! Perhaps you could add one or two of the silver character charms, something that is fun or meaningful to you, that could give it a bit more interest? I love all the silver animals :) Or a pavé charm might add a little sparkle?
If you want more flowers, too, I think all the white enamel daisies that came out for Spring would look lovely! :)
Ladybug is indeed pretty and your experiment of weaving it on the purple leather along with other pieces makes it exquisite and beautiful.
Wow – thank you so much, I’m really glad you liked it :D The Ladybird is one of my favourites from the Spring collection, it’s just so cute.
Near were I live we have got a brand new pandora shop, and I managed to see the ladybird and the Apple and they are beautiful I’m wondering that made I could put them on my red leather I will have to see.
Ooh yay, I’m glad that you liked them in person! They’d go very nicely together – I’ll try and take a pic of the ladybird on my red leather for you tomorrow :)
Hi I’ve just got back from holiday in Spain I wanted to tell you what I got. I got a green pave charm, and the 2014 purple butterfly charm theses were from the airport were I got them a bit cheaper. The butterfly was £50 were in the shops its £60 which I was pleased with. While over there I managed to get the evil eye, the labybird?,Apple and then I got the easter chick which was 20 euro. I got these a lot cheaper then I would in the uk I’m so pleased.??
Oh, how lovely, I hope you enjoyed your holiday – I’d love to go back to Spain some day! Haha, duty-free Pandora is pretty great isn’t it? That is a fab haul!! Hope you’re loving your Ladybird and Apple, I know you’ve been wanting those for ages! :D And congrats on getting hold of the evil eye – I wanted to get it last time I was abroad, but the shop didn’t have it! :( It’s a shame that they don’t sell it in the UK.
Aww thank you I love all my new charms is there any reason why the evil eye wasn’t realsed here.
Glad to hear it! ^^ I don’t actually know why it wasn’t released here, it’s always puzzled me. There was a time when the UK didn’t receive quite a few pieces from new collections that other territories did (such as the Hidden Romance charm) and I’ve never understood why. We do seem to get everything these days, however ^^
Ok that would be brilliant thank you.
This is my leather at the minute https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/2f/35/91/2f359149954c230357addb17ad695272.jpg
Oh I love it, the reds all look great together. I have the poppy murano too, so I’ve taken a picture with both of those on it for you :)
//morapandorablog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pandora-spring-2015-sparkling-ladybug-review-17.png
Oh it looks very nice that can be on my wish list for my red bracelet then.
Yay! Glad you like – I thought it looked nice :)
I just got the lovely ladybug and I love her so much! My bracelet currently has silver, white enamel and clear sparkly charms so the ladybird really adds a pretty touch of colour. I really want the summer collection to come out so I can add the soft blue petite facets!
Yay! It’s just so cute, definitely one of my favourites from this collection. <3 I like that it's quite a subtle pinky-red too, so it adds a little colour without completely changing the look of your bracelet! Oh that sounds nice – they do look a really nice, breezy blue ^^ I'm considering putting a couple of the pink petite facets on my bracelet with the ladybird!
I realise this post is a few years old now. I am only new to pandora tho and just received my first pandora bracelet for Christmas. I NEED this lady bird charm in my life but unfortunately it has been discontinued.. I just have a questions regarding the photos. Pandoras stock photo of the ladybird seems to have a line through the middle of its mouth, and most other photos don’t… i have found a few of the lady birds on eBay, but I’m just so scared of buying a fake and all these different photos don’t help.. I’ve never seen this charm in person..so any advice would be great. Thankyou