Today’s post brings our first fresh Pandora preview in a little while with an early sneak peek at Pandora’s upcoming Chinese New Year charm for 2016, courtesy of the Pandora’s Angels Facebook page! ^^ For those unfamiliar with this particular Pandora tradition, Pandora have a history of releasing special charms each year to celebrate the Lunar New Year. 
pandora CNY 2016

The Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, and will fall on the 8th of February in 2016; the Pandora CNY release is typically available a little earlier in January. The charms are usually initially only available in Asia, before being released worldwide with the Spring collection – although we don’t have concrete details on what will happen this year yet! :)


Pandora Chinese New Year 2016 charm

The picture is a little grainy, but very clearly reveals a rather cutesy pig charm for Pandora’s Chinese New Year 2016 release! It features a red enamel bow tucked around its head, which is rather an adorable detail. 2016 is set to be the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese calendar, so going for a pig charm does seem like a slightly odd choice from Pandora – but I am not complaining as I think it’s rather fun! ;)

pandora chinese new year charm 2016

No other pictures have leaked so far, so this may well be it for Pandora’s CNY 2016 release. This picture is published with the very kind permission of the Pandora’s Angels Facebook page, so please do not reproduce it without crediting them! :)


My Comment

I have always been a fan of Pandora’s special releases, and I particularly look forward to seeing what they come up with to celebrate the Lunar New Year! I think this charm will rather divide Pandora fans, but personally I like it a lot – for me, it’s cute and it’s quirky, which is often how I like my Pandora best. The red enamel detailing is becoming something of a tradition with Pandora and their CNY releases, which means that all their CNY charms from different years should continue to fit in nicely with each other too! I suspect that I will be trying to get hold of this one. ^^

What do you think of this year’s Chinese New Year charm? Will you be trying to obtain one?

65 Comments on Sneak Peek: Pandora Chinese New Year 2016 Charm

  1. Wow, I wonder if the rest of the body will have as much detailing as the little face? I find this charm adorable and think it will go nicely with a variety of different colors and themes.

  2. I can’t figure out WHY a pig – I’m a bit stumped. And while I have no particular affinity for pigs in general, I think the sweet face on this one is just adorable. I can’t think of a way it would fit into my collection, but it’s very sweet. It’s nice to see some cuter faces lately.

    • Pandora must have thought a monkey would have little appeal (2016 is the year of the monkey). This pig charm is very cute.

    • Haha, I was a little puzzled by that too! The pig is really cute though so I’m not complaining, and it’s nice to see a full-bodied design after all their portrait charms lately. :D I do think it’s quite versatile in a way, as it’s mostly silver and very sweet, especially when compared to last year’s bright red Chinese Doll (much as I liked that one!).

  3. My daughter was born in the year of the pig – I am definitely getting this one! I have the lattern, so the red detailing is so perfect. Now I just need something for my son who is born in the year of the ox :)

    • Perfect! :D I also have the red enamel Lantern and the Chinese Doll on a red leather bracelet, so this little piggy would go really well with them. There is always the existing ox zodiac pendant for your son? :)

  4. I love this little Piggy and all sorts of cute piggies. It’s face is adorable and just the right amount of chubbiness. Contrary to my self imposed rule pf only getting charms to fit into a theme, I have been falling prey to getting charma otherwise. Haha. I guess I will wear this one on a leather bracelet on its own or perhaps add other small animals to accompany it. I do really like Miss Hedgehog too. Thanks for sharing this with us, Ellie!

    • Aha, I always used to only ever buy charms if I actually knew exactly how and where I could use them. That rule has fallen by the wayside in the past year or so and I tend to just get the charms that I love now, haha. I usually find a place for them ;) Glad to hear that you like this little pig charm as well, I was really pleasantly surprised by it! It would look gorgeous on a leather on its own (perhaps the red or pink would be nice) or with some animal friends. Thanks for commenting Ariane! :)

      • I think I am starting to buy charms that I really love and I agree with the notion that somehow, they will find a place to belong. Perhaps this little Piggy can join Pudsey, along with Miss Hedgehog, Safari charm and my zodiac (the Horse). I shall have a bracelet of cutesy animal friends, which is apt since I have always loved the zoo since young. : )

        • A cutesy animal bracelet sounds absolutely adorable! :D I like the idea of the pig and Pudsey together, too. They both have some colourful accents, which would add to that sense of fun at the zoo :D

  5. Hi Ellie

    How have you been, how is everything? I might have missed this but have you already got your kitten? It’s been awhile since I last dropped you a message. <3

    I am definitely going to get this Piggy! I am born in the year of pig and this is totally me! As I'm located in Asia, any lady who needs help with this, please feel free to let me know. xxx

    Kelly

      • Did you remember I told you I needed something to represent myself in my family bracelet? This little girl (?) is the perfect one! And yes, I will be helping you! <3

    • Hi Kelly! Everything is good thanks, I have finished my uni course (thankfully! :P) finally and am now just waiting on the results. My kitten arrived a couple of months ago, yes, and he (Billy) has settled in without a hitch! He’s an absolute poppet and already walks around the place like he owns it ;) Hope everything is good with you too? <3

      Aw, this one sounds perfect for you then! I was born in the year of the ram but that definitely won't stop me getting this one ;) It's just so cute – I can't wait to see some live shots of it! That's very nice of you to offer to help too <3

      Thanks for commenting! :D

    • Hi Melanie, glad to hear you’re a fan of this one too! :D I thought maybe some people would find it too cutesy, but it’s nice that everyone seems to be loving it. Have a nice day too and thanks for commenting!

  6. I love it, I will definitely be wanting to get this one! Not so much for CNY, but just as a pig with a red bow :-D So cute!

  7. This is a good lucky piglet in Chinese farmer village culture, good for Chinese New Year, wedding, special festival, etc. Not only for Chinese New Year.

  8. It is a fortune symbol to give and keep. Older generation likes to give real gold version to wedding couple. There are all different sizes in the jewelry shop sell weigh by market gold price. Take a look the world largest jewelry shop called Chow Tai Fook ( more than 1500 shop in China , Hong Kong based mega jewelry empire ) . Annual sales is higher than any jewelry co. but not well known in western market. They only sell real gold, diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, jade, brand name watch Rolex.

    • Ooh thank you so much for that additional information! How interesting. I was so puzzled that they went for a pig when it’s year of the monkey, but what you said makes a lot more sense. Pandora’s previous CNY charms have often been about good fortune (the ingot, the hong bao, etc) so a lucky pig seems like a good choice :) Thanks again for sharing!

    • I just had a look at the website Michele and wow! Lots of 14kt gold jewellery (and no prices listed either… I bet they are expensive). Very interesting, thanks again for sharing :)

      • I bought my mom a solid gold Hong Bao same size like Pandora for Can $500 no tax in H.K. ( my family in Hong Kong & husband family in Malaysia, we visit them once a year in winter ). Solid gold item almost equal to Pandora 14k, I don’t even look at Pandora 14k which is extremely expensive. Jewelry shop there buy back solid gold item base on market gold price minus workmanship fee.

        • Yes Pandora 14kt gold is very expensive, especially considering the size of the charms. I am occasionally tempted to try and get some from abroad (seeing as the UK prices are so high) but that seems like a slippery slope haha.

  9. Omg this charm is so so cute the cutest charm I have ever seen, it’s funny they have gone with a pig when it’s the monkey this year. But I don’t really care because I absolutely love this charm. I think if this ever came to the uk this would be one I would have to rush out to buy lol.

    • Aha I’m glad to hear that you love it so much Nicola! :D I can’t wait to see this one in person, or some live shots at least, as I suspect it will prove to be exceptionally cute as you say. I suspect that it will come to the UK – if not in January, then I would expect it to debut with the Pandora Spring 2016 collection like previous years. :) So you’ll most probably get your cute little pig one way or another haha! ^^

  10. Hi Ellie!
    That pig made me laugh!!! So cute! And that red bow! It’s like it’s supposed to be a present for someone that should save money or start a diet! :-)
    You gave me a motivation to check a little bit on Chinese calendar and horoscope! :-) So, I found out I was born on a Monkey year, a Monkey month and that 2016 is Monkey year too! Overdose of monkeys, and probably that’s why I love them so much! :-) I wish they designed a cute monkey with red details of some kind! (The retired one isn’t so appealing to me…) I wonder what they’re going to make for 2019, the year of the pig! Funny!!!
    Anyway, for some reason I adored this pig!!! I think we should meet someday with this little guy! Thank you for the sneak peak Ellie, it was great! ♥♥♥

    • Hi Chrysa! Aha, isn’t it cute? I hadn’t thought of your piggy bank idea, but I should have – this cahrm would be a perfect gift for someone who is about to start saving for something special, like a house or a wedding etc. :D
      I think I’m born in the Year of the Ram, but I never got around to getting Pandora’s ram zodiac charm for some reason. I have their year of the pig though funnily enough, as I just thought it was rather adorable and cute :P
      http://static.pandora.net/consumer/jewellery/01/400×400/791094.jpg
      A cute monkey charm would have been perfectly lovely for this new year, but Pandora don’t seem to bother too much with the specific animals of each year. They tend to go for more generic charms, like the Chinese Lantern or a lucky silver ingot. Who knows what they will do now for year of the pig haha as you say!
      Thanks for commenting Chrysa, I’m really pleased to hear that you like this one too :D I was pleasant surprised by it, I must say, as it’s so cute and detailed, and a little bit unusual compared to some of their previous CNY offerings! ♥♥♥

  11. Hi Ellie,
    omg my son is born a piggy year ! But my son is more a grumpy pig then a cute pig ! My daughter and me will try to put a red ribbon on his head, but we have decided to wait his nap to try ah ah we want to stay alive !

      • For sure I want it ! My son is a big fan of Japan, so he will spend there two month next year, so he should bring back this pig for me, if I don’t find it here before ah ah

        • Aha, that sounds like a plan! Whenever someone from my family are going abroad, I always check to see if there are any Pandora exclusives they might be able to get me ;)

  12. The Lucky Pig is also popular in Korea. I just found one that we had bought there while I was cleaning out some drawers the other day. Pandora seems to be very popular with Koreans, so maybe it’s also to show appreciation to that market?

  13. Hi Ellie

    I have added the pig to my wish list already! Have been looking around for a pig to add but the current Pandora pig /animal heads don’t catch my eye. I want to complete my CNY bracelet (as I celebrate CNY). The pig will also go well with the other animals like the cow, horse, dog etc. and red will match the Asian dolls!

    • Hi Bebe! Yay, I prefer this one to the new animal heads as well. Having a full-bodied design just shows off Pandora’s trademark details so much better, I think. I am planning on doing the same as you – this little pig will look gorgeous with my other CNY charms, which I wear on a red leather. :D

  14. Love this little pig. I was born in the year of the pig and this one is definintly cuter than the other pig available. I do not understand thou why they did a pig charm in the year of the monkey. I am sure there will be many people born in the year of the monkey that will be disappointed.

    • But speaking of which, for the previous years, Pandora did not exactly make the Chinese New Year charms according to Chinese zodiac year? This may simply be a lucky pig, and it has nothing to do with the year at all? :)

    • It is a very cute pig! :D I was also puzzled by their bringing out a pig when it’s year of the monkey, but some kind people have since explained here in the comments that the idea of the ‘lucky pig’ is quite popular in China and Korea and so Pandora may have been focusing on that rather than on which animal’s year it was in the zodiac. So while it seems strange, I guess that’s the reasoning behind it!

  15. Ha! Ha! This Lucky pig is confusing Pandora’s fan. It is fun to known other country by just collect charm, right? Asia has no Black Friday so that Pandora don’t launch Black Friday charm. Halloween is not popular there, only people back from western celebrate. Asian don’t like thing like skull, wizard… etc. avoid to mention anything about dead especially older generation. Number 4 sounds like dead in Chinese, people avoid to buy house or car licence with 4. ( still some people don’t ). Fun, right?

    • Aha, that is actually really quite true – I have definitely learnt some interesting facts other cultures through following all my charm news! The Dallah charm is a great example of that.
      That is such an interesting point about Halloween, and Pandora is really big in the Asian market right now. But you’d think maybe they would just not release any new Halloween charms there, if they wouldn’t sell? To be fair, I like Halloween when it’s kind of cutesy and fun and just dressing up as witches or whatever, but I don’t like skulls and skeletons or any real reminders of mortality so I am kind of with them on that one… :P

      • I enjoy to give candy to kids every year when they dress up cute to ring my door bell for trick or treat. I put different color of pumpkin in front of the front door. Toronto has a beautful Fall weather with maple leaf color changing everywhere now.

        • Aw, I like holiday traditions like that as well! I live in English countryside and we have some beautiful trees here as well at the moment. I do like autumn as a season :)

  16. Pandora has excellent marketing team, Hong Bai, Ingot, Lanteem and Lucky Pig can use for any special occasion any time to bring good luck. Smart!

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