The Pandora Effect

Today, we talk about Pandora. Yes, Pandora. The fad that was supposed to fizzle out after a couple of years. Unfortunately, Pandora is still around and it turned out to be the unwanted cousin of the jewelry industry who overstayed its welcome.

The jewelry industry was fine until the day Pandora knocked on its door. It's the cousin that we thought would disappear after its fifteen minutes. Luxury jewellers were polite to this new cousin, giving this brand a home in their shops despite the fact that it isn't even jewelry; it's merely an accessory.

Fast forward years later and Pandora is still here, opening more and more retail shops worldwide.

Pandora helped many retailers stay afloat during the tough economy facing the luxury industry in recent years. For that, I can appreciate the arrival of Pandora and the role it played in saving the future of many independent, family-owned retail operations.

What's sad about the role Pandora plays in the realm of the jewelry industry is that consumers are have accepted this accessory in replacement of a finely crafted piece of jewelry. Is this the future of jewelry? Fine jewellers are now finding themselves selling beads and charms.

I wrote a blog post about Pandora a couple years back not knowing it would be stronger than ever years later.