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They just look like overly fancy charm bracelets to me.

You could probably make something almost identical with supplies from the craft store for like $30, rather than paying $35+ just for the cord itself with the Pandora brand name attached to it.

I understand that the materials are real gold, real silver, etc., but I don't see the appeal in walking around daily with potentially several hundred dollars on your wrist. Seems dangerous to me, like easily snagged or broken over time.

heart

I'd get a non-Pandora brand bracelet. There are a lot of similar companies and independent makers who make beads for them, but Pandora bracelets are incompatible with most of them. Pandora beads are fine on most other bracelets.

http://www.trollbeads.com/ for example have some seriously interesting beads you'd miss out on.

I don't. My mum has a non-Pandora charm bead bracelet with beads from Trollbeads, Pandora, and independent lampwork beadmakers, though. I don't remember the company that made the bracelet, but they were a big jewellery chain over here and good quality.

don't have one, but i would if they weren't so expensive.
they have a lot of charms aswell

My mother received one for her 50th birthday last year from my grandparents. She just asks for a charm or two on gift giving occasions like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and her birthday.

She is a little tight budgeted, so we usually keep the charms simple and not so "OMG, she needs a random heart shaped one!"

Amazon.com has good deals on charms that will fit Pandora. So far, she's good. I plan to get her my birthstone (she's asked for all birthstones of us kids) and a Boston Bruins charm to wear for game days. (We're hockey fans.)