Tale of a New Pandora Bracelet

I decided that since I enjoy encapsulating memories so much with Pandora jewelry and beads, that I should purchase an additional bracelet—as my first is nearly full, save for a few more spaces! Since I already have the sterling silver Pandora bracelet with Pandora’s box, I thought I might opt for a bracelet of a different style. I became picky and wanted something completely different altogether—the oxidized silver bracelet. I was so pleased to receive it and love the stunning appearance of the black shine. It is truly a unique bracelet. It looks stunning with the oxidation used to detail the beads.

Now that I have two bracelets, I am excited to create themes for them. I have decided that my new bracelet will be a nautical or beach themed one, evidenced by my love for the ocean as mentioned in my most recent story. Already I have placed a few beads on it that I already had to at least give it some “charm.” I chose to put on it the turtle bead, because it is reminiscent of my vacation with my boyfriend in Florida. We stayed with his grandparents in a gated community and in the mornings and late afternoons, we would walk to the little pond nearby their home and watch the turtle family poke their heads above the water. I’ve also added the fish bead, since it is meaningful to me and my boyfriend. When we first began dating, we would call each other fish because we loved to spend long summer days on his lake swimming, boating, jet skiing, kayaking, or just floating around.

In addition, I ordered and received two new beads: the seashell bead and the beveled white pearl bead.  The seashell bead itself reminds me of all the vacations I have taken with my family and with my boyfriend to the ocean. I am reminded of being much younger and holding hands with my sister while we ran in the sand in winter coats and long pants in Portland, Maine. Since part of my family hails from this area, we frequently visited there, and the harsh New England cold did not stop us. In fact, I have such great pictures of the ocean at this time of the year. One of my younger sister and I in our bright colored winter coats off in the distance running in the sand toward the photographer. It reminds me of carefree times.

I am also reminded of walks along the water and on the rocks to see the lighthouses in Cape Elizabeth, Maine just a few summers ago. My boyfriend and I took two summer vacations to visit this area and walked along the ocean in the evening, and picnicked by the lighthouses at night. Those trips meant a lot to me because they brought back memories of my visits during my childhood. We traveled to the little landmarks that I visited when I was young. We walked the pebbled streets of downtown Portland, ate lobster rolls on the docks, combed the beaches for sea glass, endeavored to eat our first whole lobster (we decided that that chore wasn’t for us—too much work!).

This bead also makes me think of the sunsets that seemed endless in Delray Beach, Florida while driving along Route 1A with our ice cream cones. When we would visit my boyfriend’s grandparents here, we made sure to enjoy the ocean views every day, and evening, and rarely went without our soft serve. The sidewalks are covered with tall palm trees all lit up and the landscaping is just breathtaking. The view of the ocean just tops it all off. During our stay, there were also many hours of sand and shell collecting at Deerfield Beach, Florida. I have jars upon jars of it for proof.

Still, I fell not only in love with the intricate detail of the sterling silver shell itself, complete with the oxidation that makes the design recognizable, but with the little gold starfish attached to it. It reminds me of my high school graduation when my older cousin came up to visit for a week and we spent a day in Rhode Island. I had not seen my cousin for many years, and he surprised me with the visit and a beautiful silver bracelet with garnet stones (my birthstone). My mom, boyfriend, cousin, and I drove up to the Westerly area on one of the days of his visit and we spent the day walking along the beach. Not only did we get some really great photos—some of our footprints in the sand—but we collected many starfish. Further up the beach, on dry sand, were many, many starfish which had dried up in the sun. Their beauty had been sadly dehydrated, but perfectly captured. We used them for several art projects. I made a lamp filled with rocks, sea glass, drift wood, and the starfish, along with a homemade lampshade. And my mom used them to hang on our sun porch. I am so glad that Pandora designed a bead that so captures many of these fond memories for me.

The beveled white pearl bead also brings back memories from my childhood vacations with my best friend and her family up in Harpswell, Maine. We stayed in a cottage that was free of cable television and was quite a distance from any retailers and businesses. It was remote and very beautiful. Over each fireplace were quotations etched onto the wall that centered around the idea of being peaceful and enjoying the ocean. We woke each day and made full breakfasts. My best friend and I (about age ten at the time) played with our dolls and loved to make restaurant menus for lunch so that we could serve her parents. After lunch, we would spend much of the remainder of the day outside. We made our own version of a slip-and-slide and played in the garden house. We enjoyed snacks on the cliff overlooking the ocean that was plentiful of flowers—daylilies. In the later afternoon, we would walk to the little private beach down the road. There we would scour the rocks for secret treasures, but mainly sea glass. I have the most beautiful piece in a light blue hue from there. We combed the sands for shells. I remember finding a piece of mica that was nearly six by six inches on a large rock! We especially loved the hermit crabs. There must have been hundreds as I can remember. We would bring a bucket and catch several early on in the week and keep them as our pets during our stay. We loved walking the dock at low tide, because we were impressed with how it became so steep on its own. We would look over the sides of the bottom of the dock and could see baby lobster and sometimes crabs. The view of the ocean was incredible, and it was likely our first time seeing and learning about lobster buoys. We were always too afraid to use the floats that the owner of the cottage left behind because we thought we might lose a toe. But we most certainly never missed a boat ride. The evenings meant taking a half hour or more ride in a little boat. Those rides will never fall far from my memories. It was the first time I had ever seen a seal pop its head up just a few feet from us! The harbor at sunset was just gorgeous. The pearl bead, however, is particularly reminiscent of our daily walks at low tide along the cove. We wore our sturdy shoes and climbed large rocks ordinarily covered by the ocean, and tossed seaweed aside. We walked on the sandbar and discovered sea life otherwise unknown to us. We spent good time searching for mussels and oysters in hope of finding a pearl. When we didn’t, we kept the shells, because at least their underside looked as shiny and colorful as we expected a pearl might. We always worried about the tide coming back in and leaving us stranded, so our walks back were always much quicker.

Each of the beads looks absolutely stunning on the oxidized silver bracelet. The dark shine of the bracelet enhances the oxidation used as detail in each of the beads. I am so glad to now have two bracelets that look so different, yet are so special. I look forward to the next vacation by the ocean so that I can encapsulate the memories with yet another bead!

-Sarah M