The previews continue today, with a surprisingly early sneak peek at the limited edition Pandora Black Friday charm for 2016! Pictures of the new charm have been leaked all over Facebook and Instagram, revealing this year’s design to be a red pavé poinsettia. For the uninitiated, every year Pandora release a limited edition charm on Black Friday, exclusive to North America. Previous versions have included a variety of designs, usually based around a Christmas theme:

pandora black friday charms 2011 - 2015

This year, Black Friday falls on the 25th November. It marks the start of the Christmas shopping season in the US, and is a big day for retailers! Pandora don’t offer any kind of discount, but they do offer this limited edition charm.

Read on for a preview of this year’s design!


Pandora Black Friday Charm 2016 Preview 

This year’s charm is a Poinsettia, with red pavé detailing and one clear CZ at its centre. It has the year engraved on it, of course, which you can just make out in the photograph below. It’s quite nice and small; so if you don’t like having the dates marked on charms, it really won’t be too noticeable.

This image is courtesy of the Pandora’s Angels Facebook page – please do not reproduce it without crediting them! <3
pandora black friday charm 2016

I have a live shot of the charm here, too. It would be a great focus point on a bracelet design, or lovely as a stand alone bead on a bangle!

pandora black friday charm 2016

Poinsettias are very popular at Christmas, so this is a nice way for Pandora to do something Christmassy for Black Friday, while also not resorting to the usual snowflakes, hearts or present beads!


My Comment

I first saw sneak peeks of this charm a little while ago and so it’s exciting that pictures are finally out for everyone to see! My initial reaction was – ‘oh dear, more pavé! – but it has grown on me somewhat. I like the idea of a poinsettia charm, although it takes me back to tiring days working in a garden centre at Christmas when I was younger. ^^ They were always tricky to wrap up! I’m not sure that I’d have ever thought that this charm was a poinsettia without being told, though.

For comparison, there is also an older, retired Pandora poinsettia charm, which I’ve always liked. You could always try and track down one of these as a less sparkly alternative for your Christmas bracelet:

What do you think of this year’s Black Friday design? Does it get a place on your wish list?

80 Comments on Pandora Black Friday Charm 2016 Sneak Peek

  1. Still on the hunt for 2013,2014 and 2015! They don’t sell these in Europe, and the shipping restriction is not helping either ? I have the retired poinsettia and really like it. Not sure about this one, though…

  2. Hi Ellie,

    Not for me this year ! To bling, for me I prefer the enamel, so no matter, I have a big wish list for christmas…

    Nice day ;)

    • Hi Isabelle! I prefer enamel, overall, too – it would be nice to see them do another enamel design, like the first two years. Or something two-tone!

      This charm is definitely growing on me, and I’ve heard from a couple of people that it’s really nice in person. So I might still get it!

      Have a lovely day too!

  3. It’s a nice enough charm, another full on encrusted pave charm, I think I’ve just seen so many from Pandora now. I would have liked a more interesting design, but I do like the red color. When I first saw it yesterday it reminded me of a pinwheel or fireworks for Independence Day/July 4. It’s a charm I might get if they do a Black Friday promotion again, or if I don’t get it I’m not bothered about that.

    • I know, it is very samey. And pricey! I really like the idea of it being a firework, I hadn’t thought of that, but that works really well! I expect I’ll end up getting this one, but it certainly wasn’t love at first sight for me like it has been previous BF designs.

  4. I don’t like this charm. I love pave and i love flowers but this does not actually look like a poinsettia and doesn’t really match my other christmas charms which do have some red enamel. This one looks like it would compete with the enamel on my other charms and i think i would have too many people (including myself) ask what it is. Too bad since i have the past 2 and would have loved the next one to continue my collection. I do love the retired piece however, but that was before i started collecting. I would like to see them make the retired one as a clip!

    • Is the Pave on all sides? It doesn’t look like a Pointsettias at all. Had they curved and done two layers overlapping on the leaves with movement, like they did with the flowers in 2016 spring and summer collection it would have been much more appealing.

      • Yes, from the stock image it looks like both sides are pavé! Leaves would have been pretty… just something a bit more delicate, I suppose!

    • I have to admit, I wouldn’t have ever guessed poinsettia without being told. But it has really grown on me, and I think I will probably end up getting it.
      It’s a shame that it doesn’t fit with the beads you have already! :( There are a couple of other Winter 2016 beads in the same shade of red pavé, however.
      The retired poinsettia would be a lovely clip! I must track it down, as I’d forgotten how nice it is.

  5. Failure all round. I have a little bit of pave only when I really really love a design and it happens to have pave, but there is too much coming out and I love poinsettia so much but this doesn’t look like one at all. It looks like a red star and it reminds me of a quilt block.

    • I don’t get too much pavé either, and I tend to go for designs that have a sprinkling of pavé rather than full-on sparkle – but this one is growing on me!
      Perhaps you could track down the original poinsettia instead? :)

  6. Omg I already can’t wait for Black Friday now

    So much goes on on Black Friday

    & I can’t wait to see the new Disney ones this winter and fall I’m hoping they’ll release some peachy orangey charms this time around too as they don’t have any yet & more pinks too and maybe 2 more Christmasy ones as well would be awesome

    They need some more like exclusive dangle charms for the Disney exclusive collection I mean the exclusive ones in the Disney exclusive collection they have is the Mickey & Minnie ear hat charms, mickeys sorcerers hat and the castles

    & next spring there has to be a dangle yellow pave banana charm
    I wanna make a fruit bracelet

    • Aw, I’m glad you’re pleased. Black Friday is becoming more of a thing here in the UK as well but Pandora don’t release the LE charm here yet.

      A yellow banana would be so funny and cute! They need to do a whole fruit range haha.

  7. Hmmm I still like BF 2013 and BF 2015 better than this one… This one has too much zirconia for my taste and this is coming from a person who likes zirconia! Now I wish I didn’t pass up the BF 2015 charm!

    Thanks for the sneak peek, Ellie!

    • My favourites are 2011, 2013 and 2015 I think, although I like the others as well! Apparently this one is nice in person, so I’ll wait and see if more photos come out before deciding for sure. :)

      You are welcome!

  8. Thanks for another preview. Looking forward to the rest of them.
    I like the shape of this charm, but I’m not a red person. It’s not as nice as last years.

    • You’re welcome! I really like red, especially for Christmas, but it is less versatile, it has to be said.

  9. Ellie,

    I like the idea of a poinsettia charm. You hit the mark when you said it would make a good centre piece. I could see it on a necklace. I can empathize with everyone’s pave exhaustion. I am a little pave out. There was an enamel poppy that is now discontinued, it would have been nice to see an enamel poinsettia replacement.

    Perhaps like you it will grow on me, still quite a few months to go before they release this charm. Unless the charm is truly stunning in person, there is a good chance I will take a pass & divert my funds to the next Christmas ornament promo.

    I remember your saying in one of your previous replies to one of my comments that Pandora is looking to make a profit, and are making what sells. Clearly there must be a market for all the pave charms. I am confident that the winter release will have a few items of interest, so I will have to be patient. My Christmas bracelet is almost full so not having the 2016 BF charm won’t be a serious blow to my design.

    Ellie, as always, I truly appreciate the tine you take out of your day to keep us current with the Pandora news.

    All the best!

    Lisa K.

    • Hi Lisa! Aw, now I’m thinking of how lovely a poinsettia would be in that red poppy enamel! It would be so cool if Pandora ever did a people’s bead like Trollbeads, and we got to submit some design ideas. I read so many great ones from fans every day!

      Absolutely – and I hear from a lot of SAs that the pavé charms do sell well. And if I see Pandora bracelets out and about, then they often have a lot of sparkle on them. I think it’s more dedicated collectors who get tired of the sameiness and the higher prices that come with pavé pieces. But you never know. Maybe it’ll go back out of fashion in time anyway.

      You are very welcome! Glad you enjoy it :)

  10. I think I will give it a miss.. Quite disappointed with the design and yes, the pace thing, getting more and more :(

    • It would be nice to see them tone down the pavé. All their big releases and special charms seem to be very sparkly of late!

  11. I, too, would have preferred enamel and a less ambiguous design (a red giant star?), but I probably will get it for my necklace. Thanks for the sneak peek, Ellie!

  12. Such a pretty and festive charm and like you Ellie I really like that they stayed away from hearts or presents or something redundant. This may be the very first Black Friday charm I purchase, I also like how we are not overwhelmed by the year :)

    • Glad you like it Alex! And it is nice to have something a bit less overtly Christmassy and more universal, too, I suppose.
      It’ll be exciting if you do get your first BF charm! It’s always fun to indulge in the LE pieces.

  13. I do like that it is a bit more universal, not snow themed, so works for the southern hemisphere as well where we have a summer Christmas.

    • Very good point! It must be very odd in Australia, as all the collections are completely out of sync with you!

  14. I like this design but it reminds me more of Fourth of July and fireworks in the US than holidays and poinsettias.

    • Yeah, I love the firework idea! This charm is definitely more versatile than some of the previous BF charms.

  15. Ellie,

    I have been looking forward to seeing the Black Friday charm for this year. I’ll be doing my first Christmas themed bracelet. After doing a little research, I’ve been able to locate 2014 and 2015 Black Friday charms. I’ll be picking them up tomorrow.

    I must say, I’m very disappointed in the 2016 Black Friday charm. It looks nothing like a Poinsettia and more like a star. Pandora missed the mark with this one. Maybe it will be nicer in person.

    Rumors were that the Ice Crystal from last winter was going to be done in red for this year. Hope Pandora’s version of this Poinsettia isn’t what so many were talking about. Oh well…more money for the new bracelets and charms coming up.

    Thanks for the preview, Ellie. You sure have been busy…two posts in one day! Thanks again for the hard work you put in to your blog. I enjoy it so much.

    • Hi Emily! Yes, it’s nice to have such an early sneak peek. Last year was August and that was considered early even then! And well done on tracking down the older charms – 2014 and 2015 are lovely!

      I hear that it is much nicer in person so will hold off on judging it until better photos come in. I’ve seen previews of the winter 2016 collection and no Ice Crystal. I expect this charm was what they were talking about, although I never heard this rumour myself.

      You are welcome! And yes, uber busy with all the previews haha. I had a schedule mapped out and then some unexpected previews came up on FB and threw that all out! ;) And it’s so nice to hear that you enjoy the blog. I love reading everyone’s comments, too, so thanks for that too!

  16. Hi Ellie! Unfortunately, I am disappointed. I realize that red is THE color for Christmas charms, but I was hoping for one more like 2013 or 2015. I am just not a red person at all. :(

    • Hi Carol! Mm, now that you mention it, they do usually go for a more neutrally coloured charm for BF. Wonder why they’ve changed it this year!

  17. I’ve been hoping that they will add some green to their holiday charms, but I really like this one anyway. I like that it looks like a firework also because you could wear it in December and July. :)

    • That would be nice! They could do with more green overall, there’s very little of it. There aren’t any more green charms coming out for Winter unfortunately though :(

  18. Hi Ellie I’m not sure about this I always love the Black Friday charms but I don’t know about this one.

    • Hi Nicola! I thought this one would be quite divisive – it did grow on me though, so maybe have another look in a month and see if you like it better haha.

  19. Thanks for another great preview Ellie! I’m a bit disappointed to realise that this must be the missing charm from the original blurred catalogue pictures. I was hoping for a nice detailed silver snowflake, but never mind. Looking forward to seeing the new AW bracelet range and the rose bangle in your other preview is lovely :)

    • You are welcome Jennifer! Yes, this was the charm from that catalogue. Another commenter asked me about it but I had promised at that point not to reveal anything about the BF charm so I couldn’t really explain haha.
      I was hoping that it was a cobweb for Halloween!

  20. I don’t have any of the black Friday charms because I haven’t liked any of the designs yet. I do like this design though so I might pick it up. I like the pave charms especially the colored ones. I think I would wear it by itself on the new rose gold bangle maybe ;).

    • I have liked pretty much every design up until this one, which I was quite unsure about at first. It’s really grown on me since though. The only one I’m missing is the red enamel present! I should really get it to complete the set ^^
      This one would look great with rose gold I think! The nice warm colours look great together.

  21. Hi Ellie! I absolutely love this charm…I’ve always wanted there to be a colorful Poinsettia charm, and while it’s a bit more blingy than I’d like, I love the color. My Christmas bracelet is a couple of muranos and fairly plain silver charms, so I think this will give it a nice pop. I personally am excited for it :)

    • Hi Kristen! Oh fantastic, so glad that you like it! This would definitely add a bit of colour and as you’ve only got a few plain silvers and muranos, it won’t look too busy either. :D

  22. Hi Ellie,

    Picked up 2014 LE Black Friday “Christmas Wish” and 2015 LE Black Friday “Wonderland” charms today. They are both very pretty and I don’t think I’ll regret getting either one. I’m looking forward to building my Christmas bracelet this year.

    The SA helping me today said they are getting ready to do inventory and prepare for Pre-Autumn. Retirement charms will be going back soon, although they haven’t received the list yet.

    I went ahead and picked up the Carousel for my Fairy Tale bracelet as well as Queen Bee. I keep seeing the Carousel up for retirement, and I’ve wanted it for a long time now. There was no way I was going to miss out on getting it.

    While I was there I had the pleasure of meeting one of Pandora’s higher-ups. For the life of me, I can’t remember her title, but she was higher-up than regional manager. Very nice lady. I did ask her if we would have another bracelet promo in September. She told me we may have something like a “buy more get more” sale, and Pandora would be changing things up a bit more in the future. I didn’t press for information, but I sure was tempted. So, there’s another little bit of info we can wonder about regarding promos.

    The SA told me the store was getting ready to do inventory and start preparing to send back the charms to be retired

      • I keep meaning to try and find a plug-in for my site that will allow people to edit their comments after they’ve been posted – but each new thing I add is another potential thing to go wrong! ;) I run the whole site on my own and I’m always a little bit wary of introducing new software to it. I will try and research it though :)

    • Hi Emily! I am sorry, I must have missed this comment first time around! Never mind, I’ve caught it now. ^^

      I am so curious to know what’s retiring in the US & Canada this time around. Pandora UK have already retired the next wave for AW16 and it was super aggressive – so many Spring 2015 and even AW15 charms are gone. If anything is not an instant best seller, it seems to be instantly up for the chop.
      I’d like to know what we can expect on Rue La La later in the year too!

      The Carousel is one of my favourite – beautiful choice. It came out in 2013, which was such a great year for Pandora. It’s sad to see so many charms of that year disappearing! Thanks for the tidbit of info regarding the promos, too. I keep hearing conflicting info and it’s very hard to know what will actually be happening!

  23. i love it! not going to put it on my Christmas bracelet though because it consists of blue and white charms (its a white winter theme). but i do intend on putting it on my all pave charm bracelet. the colors for it are black, red, and clear. so far i have a floral theme and my two pave lady bugs are on it as well. i love the all silver charms, muranos, some enamel too, but i also love the pave! they really put a lot on detail in setting so many tiny stones, they are beautiful charms.

    • I always wanted to do a blue and white Christmas bracelet! I had a design that I put together way back when of a design with blue pavé lights and white fizzle muranos, with a little bit of gold. I never got around to putting it together, but I really should have. So I love the sound of yours!
      This poinsettia sounds like a perfect fit for your other bracelet, though. Glad to hear that you’re a pavé fan!

      • Thank you for your nice comments, and thanks for all the great Pandora info. i really injoy reading your blog!

  24. Re read the blog and starred at the charm…. Maybe if it was in white or light blue CZ’s it would look like a snowflake or star…. Mmmmm maybe it starts to grow on me…. ??

    • Aha… the same thing happened to me! I started to picture it actually on a bracelet and liked it more. This is how they get you :P

  25. I love poinsettias – this just doesn’t look a lot like one to me. Other than the excessive use of pave, there’s nothing wrong with it, exactly, it just doesn’t grab me enough that I want to spend my Pandora budget on it. I do like that little Santa house, though. If I buy myself a Christmas charm this year, I think that will be the most likely one to make it to my jewelry box.

    • No, it’s not very poinsettia-like. Some other people have suggested using it as a firework, which is quite a nice idea!
      Santa’s Home is probably my favourite new Christmas charm too. So cute!

  26. Love the christmas charms every year. I am trying to find the 2011 black friday charm to complete my set. Anyone know where I can get one?

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