The First (and Only?) Juicy Charm List

One of the greatest mysteries when it comes to Juicy charms is authenticity. If you're new to collecting then sometimes you're unsure of which charms Juicy actually made and which ones they did not. Even for those of us who have been collecting a long time there are still lingering doubts on some of the oldest charms.

Have no fear, though! There's an answer to your problems. Rebecca (the famed Lvbabydoll for you PFers and a sweet, sweet friend) spent a great deal of time compiling information and photos on every charm she could find, creating the first comprehensive list for Juicy Couture charms.

I'm posting a link below to her blog, where you can find the information on how to get the list. It's totally free but you need a valid e-mail address to obtain the list. Throw a little love Rebecca's way for all of the hard work she put into it!

Rebecca's blog:
http://ritzeerebel.blogspot.com/

Post on how to get the list:
http://ritzeerebel.blogspot.com/2010/01/favorite-blog-1.html

On The Horizon: Pansy Ring

Again I must take a slight detour from the world of charms to rave about something else.

The Pansy Ring popped up on Neiman's website not too long ago, along with a whole other slew of spring jewelry pieces by Juicy. I may be more excited about this ring than I am about any of the upcoming charms (including the chocolate bunny!).

It's gorgeous. Of course this is only a stock photo but I just can't stop myself from tripping head over heels for it. I love the blending of the purple hues and the almost-black color that is skirting around the edges of the petals. I'm sure that the large crystal in the middle will attract an insane amount of sparkle, and I love that smaller crystals are intermittently sprinkled all over.

I'm also excessively happy that this ring isn't "adjustable" and comes in sizes 6, 7, and 8. Ship date is listed in February; pay no mind to the "back order" status that nearly every item has. The pieces aren't actually back ordered, this is just Neiman's way of letting you know that things are immediately available for shipping. You can check out this ring and all of the other upcoming accessories by Juicy on Neiman's Juicy New Arrivals Page.

Diversion: Pave Petals Flower Ring

Oh. No.

The Neiman Marcus website has a window into Juicy's spring offerings and I have to tell you, it's kind of thrilling.

On the horizon are a plethora of flower rings. If Juicy can really hit something out of the park, it's flowers. Their Garden Party lines have sold out repeatedly, and fetch some big dollars on the secondary market. I suspect that this spring's line won't go quite as quickly, seeing as how many pieces they're putting out.

Some are already available and this is one of them (though this came from Nordstrom's, not Neiman's). Behold the Pave Petals Flower Adjustable Ring! So many beautiful elements! Cannot.. contain.. excitement!

Let's get the box talk out of the way. Appealing packaging is a great marketing move; I'm not too proud to admit that I'm shallow and have caved in to things based purely on their packaging once or twice. The box itself looks a little boring from the outside - standard cylinder shape with a lid and some girly designs scrawled on there. When the lid comes off, however, it's a completely different story. A pink rose full of soft petals blooms as soon as it's released and, voilà! A creamy white flower with pave crystals sprinkled on the petals is revealed.

The pave petals are kept to a minimal two; this is good. Any more and they might become overwhelming. The larger crystal in the center is very eye-catching and looks amazing in the sun. I forgot to take pictures of the band, but Juicy's idea of 'adjustable' is really only adjustable to a certain point. There is a solid band that is probably a size 8 with a smaller, thin sideways C shape inside of it. This is the part that's adjustable. It's hard to explain, but the smaller band inside will expand or shrink with your finger to hold the ring on.

Don't expect to wear this ring on your pinkie; not only is it huge (maybe about an inch across, if not a little more), but it's heavy. Your hand will definitely feel unbalanced if it's not on one of your three inner fingers.

As much as I love Juicy's rings, they are always way way way too expensive and aren't usually stocked on websites that offer frequent discounts, like S&C or SBB. Juicy has been offering a lot more in-store promotions lately, but they're sporadic and sometimes don't apply to regularly priced jewelry.

Price: 78.00
Box: Round Pink Rose
Code: YJRU3625

Stash: Carousel

So maybe this charm fell a little short of everyone's expectations. The stock photos are terrible (really, Juicy.. hire someone to do justice to these things) and flat disproportionate ponies are not what one thinks of when they hear "carousel!"

But you have to give this one a chance. I promise you several things: first, it looks SO much better in person than it does in any picture you're going to see of it, and second, there is a lot of great detail in this charm that's hard to capture.

My favorite thing on this charm is the top. Which sounds weird, but it just has that classic "big top" kind of feel to it. Black and cream (not white, as the pictures suggest) stripes that all tie together nicely at the top give it a more modern spin. There is also a black and cream striped pole that runs down the center of the charm; you can see it barely peeking out from behind the horse in the first picture.

The horses themselves are my main disappointment with this charm. Carousels should be a huge source of inspiration; they've had everything from horses to zoo animals to movie and book characters. So why just horses? I'm not sure. What's worse is that they're totally flat! I'm sure this was more of a physical constraint than a design flaw; I can't imagine that it would have been easy or cost efficient to make fully 3-D horses that small. The pink color ties in nicely with the black and white, and each one is anchored by a crystal set in the middle.

Each horse is attached to a twisted golden pole. This is one of those little details that I'm talking about; it really contributes playfulness to the charm. There's also a ring of crystals that run all the way around the bottom, and let's not forget that the horses DO spin around on this one!

Overall, I do like this charm a lot. I think I've said it a few times before, but my childhood bedroom was nothing but carousel horses for 10 years. Even if this had been a completely ugly charm (like the prototype photos many of us saw floating around a few months ago) I still would have gotten it just for the sake of nostalgia. If you're going back and forth on this one you should definitely go check it out in person before deciding. The price is slightly absurd, but I can kind of understand it for a charm that has a moving piece. Still, seek out all possible discount codes and websites before committing to the MSRP!

Price: 58.00
Box: Brown/Pink
Code: YJRU3614

Limited Edition: 2009 Snowflake

I've never been particularly interested in the Snowflake charms, despite this being the only charm so far that Juicy changes every winter season. The concept is great; it immediately creates a set for anyone who is ambitious enough to get them every year.

Even though I love snow, they just never swayed me enough to spend the money on them. Not to mention that they all kind of looked the same, even if they were different. However, I was totally sold on the 2009 Snowflake when I saw it in person.

Perhaps because it looks more like a starbust than an actual snowflake? Whatever the reason, it's gorgeous. It has a wild amount of sparkle! The size crystals that Juicy chose for the tips of the flake are amazing; they're so big you don't even need much light for this charm to shine. 6 lines with pave crystals come streaming out from the center to add a little big of weight to the otherwise delicate lines holding the larger crystals in place. Even the back of this charm is pretty -- how often can you say that??

If you haven't picked this one up yet but are feeling like you should, then you're in luck. The ones that are left have made it to sales tables, and are discounted on websites (check Nordstroms.com!). I am fairly confident in saying that this particular charm will not be reissued; Juicy has been putting out a different Snowflake every year and doesn't do repeats of these, that I'm aware of.

LE Tag Year: 2009
Price: 58.00
Box: Gold/Pink
Code: YJRU3317