The Pandora 20th Anniversary Collection launched this week, here is what we’ve learnt so far…

1. The hype is real

I saw someone comment on @theofficialpandora IG that: “The hype is real”, which made me smile although I am fairly sure they were being ironic. However, for collectors I think the hype is justified.

The Australia eStore sold out of the first Pandora 20 charm in just 4 minutes! The UK eStore launched the charm online at midnight and was already sold out by 9am. Meanwhile the US eStore sold out early in the day on the 20th January. Stock became available again later in the day but then sold out again minutes later! What do you think, do you buy into the hype?

2. You have to stay up late

The embargo set by Pandora was for 11pm GMT on the 19th. I deduced that it was very likely that the first charm would go on sale at midnight from previous launches and promos. Online seems the best way to buy the charm maybe with a store as a backup if it sells out online quickly. In Australia it was up at 9am because of their time zone. Were you up at midnight fighting with your keyboard?

3. You need to be logged in

OK, so I don’t have a computer degree or anything like it, but I run a blog and spend a fair amount of time on the Pandora website looking for info. I have to say that this charm was not easy to find. Because I had the code number I was able to enter that into the search and it came up. A friend said she typed in ‘Strawberry’ into search and the page came up. Once I had purchased the charm I went to sleep, but others who were experiencing difficulties discovered the charm is visible if you are logged into the eStore. Essentially this charm is for Pandora Club members so you have to logged in to see it. Pandora sent an email at around 6am UK time to inform Pandora Club members of the release of the new Strawberry charm. It would sell out three hours later.

4. Stores are limited to 10 charms

This info came from a reader who was told this by her local manager. But I haven’t been able to confirm if this correct worldwide. I would be interested to try and list the “selected stores”. I already have info on the three stores in the whole of South Africa and the four stores in Melbourne. If you were fortunate enough to purchase the first Pandora 20 charm in store, please let us know the location in the comments.

5. The Strawberry was the first Pandora charm to be released.

This was a new Pandora fact for me and it looks like it will be an interesting year for Pandora facts and figures. I managed to find an original Strawberry for sale on a Facebook group so will be comparing the two at a later date. Do you have the original Pandora Strawberry charm in your collection?

6. It’s going to be an exciting year

This is the word that comes up the most in the comments. Exciting! The Pandora buzz is back and most collectors are excited again. Quarterly reports from Pandora have spoken about reengaging with the fan base and collectors and I have to congratulate them on taking the first step. This year is going to be an incredible year for the Pandora charms community. What more would you like to see from Pandora in future years?

7. The charm is a reasonable price

I am happy that Pandora have not cashed in on this limited opportunity. Fans are not being held to ransom for an overpriced charm. Prior to launch I had the prices in a few currencies but not the main four of USD, GBP, AUD and EURO. For example I speculated the Strawberry charm would retail at €35 or €39 Euro which I mentioned in the comments after 11pm on the 19th January. Yet it was available for just €29 which was a pleasant surprise. Other currencies had similarly reasonable prices. What do you think? Does the Strawberry charm represent good value?

8. We should get a certificate

I have not received my charm yet so I cannot confirm that I have a certificate. My main reason for wanting one is for photographs. The Pandora 20th Anniversary charms are not numbered as some had hoped and the certificate will not be linked to the charm itself by number. Some people have said they did not receive a certificate and that Pandora did not produce it in their country. This decision seems to be a bit disjointed of the company. Did you receive a certificate along with your Pandora Strawberry charm?

9. People have started writing poetry

One of our readers was so moved by the Pandora 20th Anniversary Collection that she turned to verse! I pinned her comment on the Strawberry blog post as it is the first time we have had a reader submit a poem and I hope it won’t be the last.

10. You can blame Dora

A hashtag has been stated by one or two (I can’t claim it has gone viral) on IG saying that they are blaming me for their Strawberry charm purchases. They were definitely not going to buy one but the aforementioned excitement got to them #blamedora

We will be keeping you up to date with the 20 year pieces month by month. There will be a date alert a few days before and a reveal an hour before, as there was the first time. Please do not post information about upcoming charms in the comments.