Just 200 of the 1,000 limited edition cuffs will be on sale in Australia – a move that the Danish company, credited with igniting the global charm bead trend, said is designed to “increase their desirability”.
Each cuff is unique and individually stamped with its number out of 1,000. The sculptural jewellery line is inspired by the shapes and contours of water, and fashioned from sold sterling silver.
There are two different models, each available in four sizes with a numbered certificate. The limited edition piece will go on sale in September.
But Pandora head of marketing and communications Jeff Burns said the cuffs were likely to be sold out before they even hit stores. “I think the cuffs will be pre-sold. We’ve already got customers ringing the stores, wanting to secure a certain numbered cuff,” he explained.
This will be the first time Pandora has launched a limited edition, premium jewellery product.
Burns said the limited edition concept will enable the brand to “tap into the flash trend” – in this case the cuff – that might not be around for more than a season.
He said that ‘Liquid Silver’ will be distributed exclusively in Pandora concept stores because of the small quantity that will be on offer in Australia.
However, the distribution strategy may raise eyebrows among some retailers.
The growth of branded jewellery flagship stores has become a hot topic among retailers, some of whom fear that the presence of such stores could cannibalise their own sales.
As of last week, there were 33 Pandora concept stores in Australia, but most are operated under a franchise model whereby their owners are retailers that were already Pandora stockists before taking on a branded concept store.
For this reason, Pandora has dismissed suggestions that its rapid concept store growth could be perceived as cannibalistic.
Speaking to Jeweller for its September feature on the growth of flagship stores, Burns said: “Pandora multi-branded retailers [stockists] were originally concerned about losing sales to the concept stores but, when they discovered that they themselves would be able to partner with the company to open their own concept stores, their trepidation gave way to excitement and opportunity.”
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