Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This piece offers an exclusive, firsthand look inside Pandora’s sustainable factory in Lamphun, Thailand, where the new Talisman charms are crafted. The author takes readers behind the scenes to explore the blend of traditional handiwork and innovative technology, all using recycled silver.
In Lamphun, Pandora operates sustainable facilities where I went to discover the art of craftsmanship. Let me take you behind the scenes, from the study of new technologies to the production of jewelry, entirely handmade with recycled silver. Like me, you will be enchanted.
I saw with my own eyes the artisanal process that brings charms & Co. to life and realized how special each piece is. Talisman included.
In a recent chat with Pamela Anderson during Copenhagen Fashion Week, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that her sons, Brandon and Dylan, like me during middle and high school,
They live in Canada, and I live in Italy, yet the myth of these endlessly customizable jewels was and is global. What we all know is that, at least once in our lives, we have received or given a Moments Bracelet. What we don’t know (myself included, before this trip) is the artisanal craftsmanship behind every detail of the jewelry.
Asking the people who work for the brand what is essential to tell about Pandora, the answer, in unison, is the quality behind an accessible product. It is no secret that Pandora is the world’s largest and most sustainable jewelry brand, but it is not always explained why. Just take a tour of the facilities to understand how every job is carried out with full respect for the environment; from the rubber of the molds, which once worn out is donated by Pandora to other specialized factories for toy creation, to lab-grown diamonds and the recycling of 925 sterling silver that happens directly in the factory to be immediately reused.
The rubber molds used to create jewelry with silver. Once worn out – they last from 25 to 1000 uses – they are donated to factories specialized in children’s toy production.
Pandora’s 925 sterling silver, in nuggets, recycled and ready for use in creating new jewelry.
This future also lives in Pandora Talisman, a collection that marks a bold turning point in the brand’s universe. To create it, creative directors A. Filippo Ficarelli and Francesco Terzo were inspired by Ancient Roman coins.
The Ex Animo charm stands out for its use of synthetic mother-of-pearl and 14-karat gold plating.
There are 12 models, reinterpretations of symbols and mottos – such as “amor vincit omnia” and “per aspera ad astra” – with the aim of making us wear the words we believe in, with an unprecedented texture reminiscent of the beauty of imperfection.
The most imposing piece, Ad Meliora, is finely engraved with arrows, a powerful symbol of hope, resilience, and growth.
It was 1982 when Danish goldsmith Per Enevoldsen and his wife Winnie Liljeborg opened a shop in Copenhagen called Pandora (meaning “all gifts” in Greek), where they sold small amulets from their favorite destination: Thailand. Seven years later, their first self-produced jewelry was born, but still made in Thailand: a silver ring with a circular black stone.
We had to wait until 2000 for Pandora’s popularity to become international, thanks to the creation of the semi-rigid Moments bracelet, customizable with collectible charms to tell countless life chapters.
This novelty was liked for two main reasons: it is a beautiful piece to give and receive, at an accessible price, charms included (February 2025 marked a record of 1,060 charm models available for purchase).
A Pandora Moments bracelet.
Because the founders love Thai goldsmith art, and for logistical and production sustainability reasons, in 2005 they chose to open the first global facility at Gemopolis, north of Bangkok, later renovated in 2018 and now called Triple A – where the Innovation Centre is also located, with about 10,000 employees. Given the large production volumes, in 2017 a new factory was opened in Lamphun, an hour from Chiang Mai, employing over 3,000 people.