Today’s post brings my first review from the Pandora Summer 2016 collection, with a closer look at the stunning new Flower Garden murano! This bead has been keenly anticipated by Pandora fans for months, myself included, and I am thrilled to say that it did not disappoint in person. :D
I overspent massively in the Pandora UK sales (but got some amazing older charms!!), and so have had to put the majority of my Pandora Summer 2016 wish list on hold – but there was no way I was waiting to get these Flower Garden muranos! Read on for close-up shots, tips on how they vary and lots of styling inspiration! :)
Pandora Flower Garden Murano Review
From the first previews of this charm, the combination of delicate flowers and vibrant colour seemed to catch everyone’s eye. Like the Wild Hearts murano from earlier this year, the Flower Garden charm is made with a mix of German and murano glass, which gives it that beautiful glitter at the core.
However, as with a number of Pandora’s more ambitious glass bead projects, there were some initial issues with this one and it got pushed from the Spring collection back to the Summer release. I’ve not heard of any supply issues since then, however, so it seems like they’ve fully caught up with demand for now.
The colours are even more vibrant in person. The background colour of the charm is a deep, rich pink, inset with golden glitter and little bubbles in the glass. Above that are little green and white flowers, each with a glass bubble at their centre, and finally there are deep pink flowers right at the top of the glass.
You can see all these layers clearly if you look at the charm side on. The murano glass charms are handmade, and from this angle you can really appreciate the skill that goes into producing one of these beads! The Flower Garden murano has the smaller silver core, as you can see here.
However, being handcrafted, this leads to a fair amount of variation in murano glass – particularly when there are so many different elements to the design, as in this one. From what I’ve seen in photos, some beads have a more red base, while others are pinker; some have more defined or larger flowers; some have more green in them than others. My two glass beads are really very different from the other, as you can see!
In one, the base colour is darker and the flowers are much daintier and defined. On the other, the overall look of the charm is much lighter, and the flowers are much bigger.
I personally love this kind of variation in a charm like this; both versions of it look beautiful, and it makes it feel a little less like you’re buying two of the exact same charm!
The bead with the less-defined flowers also has much more vibrant sparkle and flecks of glitter at the core. The overall look of the Flower Garden murano on the left is much lighter and sparklier, with more green tones and less deep pink.
Stylings
This bead is ridiculously easy to style (well, for me anyway!) and there are so many different combinations I could have done. To start off with, I put it with the Wild Hearts murano, the other murano to feature the special glittery German glass. The sparkle in each murano looks great together, and their deep pinks really complement each other.
The Flower Garden’s vibrant colours make it perfect for a more tropical, exotic design, too; depending on what variation you get, there can actually be quite a lot of green in it. Here I’ve put it with my favourite silver safari animals. I picked the one that had more green in for this styling and matched it with two pastel green muranos that I stole from my Christmas bracelet. ^^ I like how the complexity of the newer Pandora glass still goes wondefully with the simpler, older-style glass beads.
Next, I decided to put it with everyone’s other favourite Pandora glass bead – the Cherry Blossom murano. The deep pink of the Flower Garden murano goes really well with a little yellow gold, and here I’ve made a miniature fairy-tale design, with some enchanted animals hiding amongst the flowers.
Finally, this is how I will be wearing my Flower Garden muranos – with the new threadless bracelet and the Fascinating Olive charm from Autumn 2015! I’ve added a couple of things to this bracelet since I took this photo, including the delightful Miss Hedgehog, which I recently purchased in the Pandora UK sales.
This shot from my Instagram shows it off in another light as well. They go very nicely with the Pink Primrose clips; the fact that the Flower Garden muranos have both pink and green in them means that they pull this design together really well.
Conclusion
The Flower Garden murano was just as beautiful, or even more so, as I was hoping, and I am absolutely thrilled with mine. However, you might feel about Pandora’s shift in style over the past couple of the years, it’s hard to deny that their glass work is continually improving. This is most probably my favourite new charm of 2016 so far; with depth of colour, delicate floral motifs and a lot of craftsmanship, the Flower Garden murano is a beauty. The only thing to remember is that, if you’re fussy about your charms, you will definitely want to pick yours out in person to ensure that you get the variation you want.
I still haven’t seen the rest of the Summer 2016 collection yet, but I will definitely make it next weekend – I’m sure that nothing else could top this charm for me though. ^^
The Pandora Flower Garden murano is $55 USD or £35. If you’re in the UK, you can buy this charm along with the rest of the Pandora Summer collection from authorised retailer John Greed, who are currently offering free delivery on Pandora orders worth £35 or more.
Have you bought this charm, or is it on your wish list? Did it live up to expectations? ^^
Wow I love the variation in both your two Muranos, my personal fave is the one with the larger white flowers though ;) I also noticed your Muranos are more fuschia pink rather than reddish ( again I also love this bit ) I love it so much adorned on both bracelets with green Muranos ( I knew u would pair it with the olive facets !) but of course my fave is it Nestled with the cute animals ( spot a snake !) and those awesome brighter green Muranos ! Cheers!
Thanks Alex :D I am really pleased with both of them, they are each lovely in their own way. They are definitely more pink than red though, which I am pleased with.
Haha, I thought you’d like the animal one! I’m always glad that you persuaded me to get the little snake! ^^
Ohmygosh! This is beautiful! I am definitely buying this one soon! Maybe after the Starflish charm! I cannot believe on how much they differ! They are both beautiful! I’d love to have the red background and small flower version (which is basically the mashup of both of your muranos)!
Thank you for the wonderful review, Ellie!
~Marina
They do vary a lot! It’s amazing how much just these two look different from each other. I’m sure you could find just the right FG murano to suit you if you looked. ^^ I ordered mine online as I haven’t been able to go to store in person yet… but I was confident that I would probably love any variation I got. And I did! :)
Thanks for commenting Marina! :D
It looks beautiful Ellie! Really pretty with the Wild Hearts murano. I am so excited that you got Miss Hedgehog too, I just love her <3
I don't know if you saw my comment on your Eiffel Tower post, but I found some Autumn 2016 pictures on Facebook! Search "pandora jck" and date of post 2016 to filter, you will see an album a girl posted that includes a snapshot of inside the new catalog and a snapshot of the cover of the brochure. I was really surprised Pandora is branching out into the Story Locket concept (those clear lockets you put little trinkets in) as it seems like it's been done already. The pics aren't the greatest quality but what I can make out are head charms of a boy prince and girl princess, what I think it a new dog and owl charm (could be wrong on those), a charm called opulent heart that looks pretty and detailed, lots of pave, 2 new radiant hearts in a pink/purple and light blue/purple or clear color, a heart with writing on it, a new safety chain, what I think are 2 new thin silicone clips-1 with hearts that I think is just silver (hoping) and 1 with a thin band of pave. There is a new Pandora Signature bangle, I can't tell if it is for charms or not, it's possible the ends come off for charms but I'm not sure. Definitely check it out and tell me what you think! I'm always so excited when the first glimpses appear :-D
Hi Natalie,
Wow that was beyond informative ( and extremely exciting ) I am so intrigued to see it would you kindly be able to attach a link ( I don’t have a fb account and am Having trouble finding it ) oh no recycle animals ( dog and owl and elephant and cats — no more haha !!!!)
Thanks so much
I don’t know if it will work if you aren’t logged into Facebook, but here are my search results, look at the 2nd one https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=pandora%20jck&filters_rp_creation_time=%7B%22start_year%22%3A%222016%22%2C%22end_year%22%3A%222016%22%7D
I can’t find it either! Please post a link!!
Natalie, would you able to post the name of the user who posted these photos? I have been searching Facebook for the last half hour and can’t seem to find the album you’re talking about. Thanks.
Hi Joanne,
The user is Tran Vo.
Thanks so much! I was able to find the pictures. For anyone else having trouble finding them, try typing in “Pandora jck tran vo” in the search in the Facebook iPad/iPhone app and then click on Photos.
Natalie,
Thanks for the heads up on some of the fall items. It would be wonderful to have some of the new clips free of pave. The feathered clip seems to have been really popular, so I can’t see why they wouldn’t offer more like that for the new bracelet. A safety chain for the threadless would be welcomed. I have been using the one Pandora releases a few years ago, that opens on both ends but ai find it a little clunky.
Thanks agian for some fall tidbits.
Cheers!
Lisa K.
Hi Guys
Anyway to view the pix if you don’t have a Facebook account ? Thx
Hi Alex,
I posted a link to my Facebook search, Ellie just has to approve it so it can show here. Hopefully then you can just click on it and see the photos.
Alex, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like she makes her photos public, so I think you do need a FB account t view them.
Thanks Natalie and Joanne, I used a friends account to view these pics. Wow they were so blurred i could not make out anything that wasn’t a circle, heart or pave stones.
Props to u Natalie as I would never have made out any of the things u saw. I didn’t see an owl however one of the beads did look like a full Bodied bird of some sort ( I’m hoping ) I am intrigued and can’t wait to see proper pix as the collection did seem to be a rather large one. I too found the big circle pendant ( clear ) odd as a Pandora choice although the it did make lovley cover art ;)
Thanks again
Thanks Natalie and Joanne. I couldnt find the photos but it was interesting trying :) With your tip and the mutant comment, this has been a fun comment section.
lozzie, are you using the mobile Facebook app to search or the regular FB website? I could only find the results with the search above using the iPhone/iPad app. Also, I had to click on Photos after I searched the terms above.
I am just using the regular facebook website, I don’t have any apps.
Thanks so much Natalie! <3 Miss Hedgehog is already one of my favourites, I'm surprised I didn't get her sooner. Her little feet are adorable! :D
And thanks for sharing! I already chatted to you about this on the previous post but it's exciting to get at least some idea of what's coming. The pavé I can mostly leave, but the plain silver beads and silicone clip looks great - as does the new safety chain, which looks like it might be silicone-lined...
:-)
Beautiful photos, Ellie! It’s such a pretty bead! I like it with your pale greens, too.
Thanks, Martha! :D It really is beautiful – it was worth the wait. I like it best with some green murano glass for contrast, but it looks lovely on its own too!
I had zero interest in the mutants until this came out! I bought one on release day, and it’s gorgeous! I wear it alone on the new honeysuckle pink leather bracelet and it is perfect for summer. So lightweight and comfortable! They definitely vary a lot from charm to charm, so I’m glad I chose one in person. Love your stylings!
MURANOS not mutants! Dumb auto-correct!
Betsy,
You made me chuckle, after a long day at work! Yes, auto correct is a beast sometimes.
Cheers!
Lisa K.
That’s the funniest thing I’ve read all day! Lol!!!!!
Haha, I’ve seen a few ‘mutants’ autocorrect typos in the time I’ve been collecting Pandora! Phones don’t speak Pandora very well when you first get them ^^
I have a honeysuckle leather on its way to me and I will definitely be trying the FG murano on it when it arrives! They look like a great match. :)
I didn’t choose mine in person but I love the ones I got! I’m looking forward to going to store and seeing all the variations myself though. Thanks for commenting, I’m glad you liked the stylings <3
Love this charm. I bought two for my vintage style bracelet and I’m thinking of getting two more to add a good punch of beauty to the bracelet.
I picked two similar beads but it was hard to pick as so many things going on within the glass. ( which I absolutely love)
Love this style and could look at it for ages hehe. So interesting ???
Ooh four on one bracelet would be gorgeous! You can’t have too many of this one, haha. I like that mine differ (that is what I wanted) but can appreciate how hard it must have been to pick two the same!
Haha, I know what you mean about looking at it. I’ve been wearing it to work all week and keep having a sneaky peek at my wrist in between typing! It’s just too pretty. ^^
Wow, thanks for another great review Ellie! I’ve not been able to see any of the summer release in person yet, but I really love this murano. Fingers crossed I can pick mine out this coming weekend :)
I haven’t seen it yet either! I got these online, but I am very excited to see the Summer collection (finally!) this weekend. I hope you can do the same! <3
The murano looks stunning with the two tone charms. This murano looks a hundred times nicer than the stock image. I think it’s one of Pandora’s best charms to date
It does look good with rich colours – gold, green, red. It’s very vibrant. I completely agree, I think it’s one of the loveliest murano glass beads they’ve ever made. It’s very impressive in person!
Ellie,
I love this charm!! Your stylings are fabulous, of course I will be copying them as much as possible – I don’t have all the same charms. I love to come up with my own too but I find your designs inspirational.
This murano is my favorite non-fascetted murano to date. It looks great with so many of my charms, hadn’t thought of the wild hearts murano but now that I see it, works beautifully. I noticed you bought two something I haven’t seen you do very often on your blog.
Did you get the Honeysuckle pink bracelet?
I have woven mine in with the grey leather – kind of a 1980’s feel but the pink just pops.
Cheers
Lisa K.
Hi Lisa! Aw, thank you – that’s so nice to hear! I am constantly inspired by the designs I see online and just from chatting with everyone here so it’s nice to contribute to that.
No, I don’t often buy two of beads, with the exception of clips and sometimes spacers. I wanted two of these as they were just so lovely and they vary so much that it’s almost like buying different beads anyway!
I have the honeysuckle bracelet on its way to me, it’s just not here yet :) It’ll probably be here some time next week – I can’t wait! Love the sound of your combo with the grey leather, I’d never have thought of doing that but it sounds amazing!
Thanks for commenting, as always! <3
I got the largest Flower Garden murano out of five, Club charm and free bracelet. I love it with my Wild Heart murano.
It goes perfectly with the Wild Hearts murano! I like that Pandora have done more muranos that are a nice deep pink recently :)
This murano definitely looks great with green Muranos. I love it both with your pastel green Muranos and the olive facets! I have also seen pictures on social media with it paired with the Tinkerbell muranos, and this combo looks amazing as well. Although not my initial idea, I’m definitely thinking of getting some type of green murano to pair with my Flower Garden.
Yep, that’s how I like it best too! I planned to wear it with the olive facets all the way back in January/February when we first saw pictures of it. I’d have loved to have tried with Tinkerbell too but I don’t have that one unfortunately. The Olive Facets and the Green Looking Glass do work beautifully as alternatives though!
Ellie, thanks for your previous tip re Pandorabradshaws on instagram. They have combined this murano with the sweet cherries openworks and I think its a great combo. Thanks as always for your reviews. Will double check the design of the instore murano before I buy.
Yes, she has a gorgeous Instagram account – I only came across it recently through another Pandora friend. Glad the review was useful and I hope you love your FG as much as I do when you get it!
I bought two 2013 retired gemstone (olive color) spacer ready for Flower Garden, I just love beautiful murano.
Olive Oval Light.
Ah, very good pick! Those will look amazing with it – and they’re kind of a Pandora classic too.
I love, Love, LOVE this charm. I wish we could have access to the olive murano (and numerous other charms!) here in North America. Those two look so good together. I have used tints of pink, green and white (Petite Facets and Geometric Facets) with mine. I wish I’d had the option of olive, but I am pleased with what I have.
Congratulations on acquiring Miss Hedgehog, Ellie. She is one of my favorites. I have used her on my “Jane and Amy’s Garden Party” bracelet. Jane and Amy, by the way, are my two cats. They adore (chewing on) leather bracelets, so I have to be careful with them. The bracelets, that is. Jane and Amy can take care of themselves. ;)
Aww, Jane and Amy love Pandora too! ??
Of course they do: they are my furry little girls! Like mother, like daughters.
We don’t have it in the UK either (I have no idea why! It’s gorgeous), but a lovely Pandora friend of mine sent me one from a store in Hong Kong. Pink, green and white is a wonderful combination, and it reflects the colours of the FG perfectly! I’m sure it more than makes up for the olive.
Haha, thanks Angie! She is already one of my favourites, too, and I’m sure she’ll be making her debut in a review of mine soon ;) Aw, my Billy cat is also a nightmare when I have a leather bracelet on. He always wants a nibble or to prod them as well! <3
When I saw this in the window display, it stood out, was beautiful colours. I think it looks great on your first and last bracelets, matches really well.
The Autumn collection sounds interesting, just going to see if I can find the pictures to have a look at.
Enjoyed reading your review.
Thanks, Sarah! <3 It was so much fun doing this review. The easiest bead to style!
The pictures are really faint unfortunately but you get a good feel for what will be roughly included, if not any of the specifics.
I saw it at the store and it looked red and so busy, I didn’t like it. But your dark pink fuchsia fat murano with dainty flowers is really something else! I love a fat murano! Put it back on my wish list! Love your styling with the Wild Hearts murano!
Oh yes, it’s definitely worth having a look at a few as they vary so much. :D Glad to hear that it’s back on your wish list – it deserves to be there!
hi,
refer the free leather promotion in USA, do you know can upgrade to Essence bracelet or bangle.
Thankyou so much.
You can upgrade.
Hi Corina! As Michele has noted, yes you can upgrade to any bracelet you like this time around if you pay the difference. :)
It’s beautiful and I thinking would go perfect with the new leather bracelet.mi think it my favorite charm from the new collection so that’s another added to the wishlist lol.
Definitely – I have the honeysuckle on its way to me and I will be trying that out. <3 It's also absolutely my favourite Summer charm, probably my favourite charm this year. It's gorgeous!
Hi Ellie!
Thank you for reviewing the lovely Flower Garden murano. Loved seeing your designs! I liked them all, but my favorite is the one with the Wild Hearts murano. The Fascinating Olive murano is a close second. Wish we had been offered the Fascinating Olive in the US.
I do have this beautiful FG murano. Haven’t quite decided on a design yet. The Honeysuckle Pink clips look nice with this murano to bring out the deep pink color, but I’m waiting to see the White Primrose clips with it. My store still doesn’t have them. Either way, I’ll be using Eeyore and Miss Hedgehog which I picked up today along with the Lucky Elephant, two Glittering Hearts, Field of Daisies Murano and Wild Flowers murano. I qualified for a free bracelet of my choice, so I chose the Pandora Rose. My first rose gold! No end in sight now. lol.
Looking forward to more reviews and seeing your new goodies!
Have A Nice Day!
Should have read I would be using Eeyore and Miss Hedgehog with the FG murano. I also picked up the other charms mentioned above. Plan to use Field of Daisies between the two Glittering Hearts. They look so nice together.
Hi Emily! Thank you, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it! I am surprised that they didn’t offer the Fascinating Olive to the US or UK too, as it’s such a pretty bead. Lots of people like green, so I don’t know why they didn’t at least try it!
Wow, what an amazing haul :D I really want the Lucky Elephant too as it looks adorable in photos and it seems to have all that amazing classic Pandora detail that I love in their older animals charms too. You will love building your Rose bracelet I am sure! Mine is all full up but it’s one of my favourites. I think the Flower Garden would look nice with some Pandora Rose, too, especially if you have one with quite prominent golden sparkles at the core as well!
Thanks for commenting Emily! More Summer reviews will come as soon as I get more pieces :) have a nice evening!
I bought one with the least mangled and darker pink flowers. It’s so beautiful and matches well with anything. I’m wearing it with my cherry blossom Murano, red lantern and piggy bank charm. Love it, and thinking of getting the honeysuckle leather to tie them all up. The design will be finished with a Chinese girl doll, junk boat and I love travel suitcase. It will be like an Asia holiday theme bracelet.
Sounds like a gorgeous combination, I really liked some of the preview images that put with the Flower Garden murano with the more oriental red charms. <3 The honeysuckle bracelet would really pull them all together as you say - I'm planning on putting reds on mine!
Just off note, I notice that the pear that was previously Asia exclusive is being released in Australia together with the other fruit charms.
Oooooh Starlight…..It would make my day if Pandora would offer this charm to the US. I have wanted the Pave’ Pear since I first saw it! Maybe there’s still hope.
I believe there is hope to get it in US. Keeping my fingers cross for you.
Thanks for the heads-up! My brother is still in Australia, and with the amazing exchange rate I might just have to ask him to get one for me!
It’s much cheaper here. Selling at AUD$79.
I also massively overspent in the UK sale, considering I wasn’t going to get anything ? But you’re making me want thus Murano as its got such gorgeous in it. My Cherry Blossom Murano is one of my favourites and your styling with that one is just perfect. Oh Ellie you are a danger to my bank balance. Will this Murano be available for the rest of the year or is it limited stock?
. The best styling and photos as always. How do you get the lighting just right. I can’t make my Instagram photos as nice as yours. X
Haha, I wasn’t planning on spending either but then they had so many amazing pieces that I’d wanted for a long time! <3 Glad the review has won you over in terms of this murano - it is such a beauty. It is a permanent part of the collection, it's not limited edition :)
Thank you! It just takes practice. If you go back to my first review pics ever you'll see what I mean ;) I have started using a light box to take my bead review pics, as it means that I can keep the lighting consistent and I don't have worry about natural lighting or what the weather's doing! Your IG pictures are still lovely to look too! x
Hi Ellie,
I stopped off at pandora today (to buy a starfish charm- it kind of grew on me). I was speaking to the assistant manager, and she said lots of new bracelets are coming out for fall. The pave clasp moments bracelet will come in a variety of clasp colors. The bangles will also have a variety of clasps. There will be a pandora rose clasp bangle, and a full gold bangle, which I would love. She also mentioned the origami charms, where you place something inside the charm. Sounds like they are really trying to introduce more different items for their regular collectors!
I’m so excited for the fall release after seeing your post! I’m already envisioning the paved clasp in different colors. Having a variety of clasps for the bangles sounds nice,
especially since they look great stacked. Guess we’ll have to wait and see how the origami charms work. Looks like Pandora is really stepping it up for the fall. Thanks for the interesting info Lisa!
thank you lisa can’t wait for this release looks like a lot of different things for a change better start saving
Definitely!:)
Hi Lisa! Oooh thanks, what great info!! A variety of clasp colours, do you know what that means? Different coloured-pavé? If there was a delicate pink I’d quite like that!
I also heard whispers about a 14kt gold bangle – out of my range but I’m sure that would be beautiful!
Thanks for the info Lisa! Pave clasp bracelets with different color clasps sounds very intriguing! Also, I’m very excited there is going to be a bangle with a Rose clasp. It’s a shame there isn’t going to be a free bracelet promo in September with all of these new bracelets coming out!
Hi Ellie! The Flower Garden Murano is absolutely stunning! I pre-ordered one last week for the leather bracelet promo and am picking mine up tomorrow! Yay! So excited. I selected one that had more of a pinkish background and I am looking forward to styling it with my green leather bracelet! <3
Hi Carol! <3 Oh how exciting - are you pleased with your murano? It will look stunning with the green leather!
Hi Ellie,
Such a great review and I have to admit you are my biggest enabler! I totally picked this murano today because of your photos. Originally the stock image had me on the fence, but seeing how rich the colours were in reality made me re-think and I ended up dreaming of all these styling combinations. I can’t wait to test them out! Thanks again for taking the time to write the review and posting photos. :)
Hi Nico! Haha, thank you – I am very proud to be your biggest enabler! The colours in this murano are so beautiful. As usual, the stock image doesn’t quite capture the magic. Have fun styling it – I’m really glad you enjoyed the review, and that it inspired you!
don’t know if anyone saw but on the Pandora facebook page they are letting you vote for which design to make for the 2017 club charm. just a heads up it is a heart design for both choices
Thanks, Debbie – I had seen that! I voted B :)
Ellie,
I just purchased them this week with the clear spacers and the vintage initial. Looks great. Also put the honeysuckle clips on them and it brings out the whole bracelet.
Referring to the flower garden muranos.
They also look good on the pink leather bracelet as well.
I interested to hear your feedback.
Laura
Hi Laura! Sounds like a beautiful combination. <3 I don't think you can go far wrong with these gorgeous muranos! I'm looking forward to trying them on my pink leather when it comes too.
Sorry, Laura, I completely forgot about replying to your emails. It's been so busy. :)
Omg I just realized that this would look so good with the new Disney exclusive flower & garden Epcot bead which is also in just plain silver & also looks amazing