An open letter to Pandora

Dear Pandora,

I am hoping with an open heart that you can resolve a stupid thing I did with regards to a gift card from your company.

Before I explain, it should be noted that I am a fan of Pandora and have a beautiful complete bracelet that I adore. Please see the picture of my wonderful blue bracelet...

This bracelet is very sentimental to me, as well as being one of the nicest (and definitely most expensive!) piece of jewellery that I own. It has charms on it from my nearest and dearest friends and family which gives me a huge sense of joy whenever I wear it and look at it.

The bracelet was purchased for me as a birthday gift from my wonderful partner, with a singleheart-shaped charm on it. It was given to me in Egypt, on the beach, on what turned out to be the most spectacular birthday, completing my first ever scuba dive with friends.

The bracelet also has a charm on it from my partner from when I was away in Rome another year on my birthday for a business mixed with leisure trip. One of my best friends came with me that trip and she also produced a charm for me early in the morning of my birthday. It was the start to an incredible day of sunshine, Segways, Opera choirs at dinner and VIP entry into a very posh brand new club opening on the plaza.

 It has a charm on it, a Buddha, from my dear mum who sadly passed away, which I rub when I need her guidance. 

My father has sent me charms for it, the deep blue Murano glass ones are my absolute favourite from him. Reminding me of a trip to Venice we all took years ago. We are at opposite ends of the UK so I have fond memories of that particular holiday together when we spent more time together than we had in years.

There are animal charms from the beloved children of my oldest best friend that make me smile and a light blue glass charm from my oldest best friend herself. 


She bought it spontaneously at the airport when coming up to visit me, we were heading off to a music festival together. The charm was called ‘Under the sea’ which also turned out to be the name of the theme at the festival we attended together. What a coincidence! 

It was so much fun that weekend and the charm brings back memories of dancing with Mr Motivator, dying in the heat, chilling in the garden under the wicker statue of Eve and random midnight antics around fire pits and camper vans.

So I hope you can see, I love that bracelet, it holds years of memories and means the world to me.

So as sad as I was to see it fill up, it was finally a complete circle of memories. A glittering chunky blue talisman of all the things I love and love to remember.

My brother, who lives 500 miles away, was unaware of the importance of the charms being Pandora for my bracelet and sent me four charms in a gorgeous purple box one year for Christmas. Sadly, as pretty as they were, they were not Pandora charms and the inner ‘silver’ walls fell away as we took them out of the box. So, to be honest I didn’t even add them to the collection and found a way to tactfully tell him at a later date that they had broken.

The following year he sent me a gift card for Pandora for Christmas 2014. I was delighted. My eye had been on a wrap around leather bracelet for a while. A more casual every day wear to my stunning blue bracelet which is now reserved for special occasions. I imagined adding just a few really super duper glittering charms onto his gift.

I tried to purchase the leather bracelet from a jeweller in Dumfries that has a large Pandora section in it but they would not let me use the gift card. I had spent so long deliberating over what type to get and was excited by my decision. So when they refused the gift card, even though I barely had any cash at the time, I used my own money to purchase it. I decided that in the New Year I would add money onto the card for some of those more fabulous charms to clip onto my new leather bracelet.

The card was tucked away in my purse.

I only go shopping  in Glasgow once every 6 months. In a year full of challenges in holding down a full time job, starting up a business and beginning diploma level training, I was very busy, so it was soon Christmas 2015. I did try to go into the shop in Buchanan Galleries one day while Christmas shopping but the queue was so far out of the shop I thought I would leave the happy shoppers to their purchases and come back another day to top up the card. I now wish I had gone in that day.

You can imagine my utter disappointment when I went into the same shop in Glasgow last week to finally spend the gift card, along with some money I earned through my new business, to find the gift card had expired. I was beside myself. Not least because I could not purchase a charm, but because the money was a gift from my brother. The only member of my family who does not have a charm on my fantastic blue bracelet. I feel like I have wasted his money.

So, I am asking if you could redeem my voucher, if at all possible please. You would make a Pandora lover a very lucky and happy girl again. I absolutely promise to use it immediately. 

And I will never do anything so ridiculous again.

I enclose a copy of the receipt and gift card, in the hope this helps you validate that I have not already spent it.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

I hope you are having a great day and may I wish you a wonderful weekend when it arrives.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Blooming stupid Blue Lou