Pandora knows your weakness

A wise woman once said, “Flowers are nice, but chocolates are better.” I have to agree, which is probably why the only flowers I ever get are the ones drawn on e-cards by strangers on the Internet, reposted on my Pinterest feed. Maybe people see me and think, “Ah, give that one doughnuts.” That’s fine though, who craves for a sugar-glazed tulip anyway?

In a girly turn of events, however, I found myself picking flowers for a bouquet — carnations, lilies, violets — set up in a makeshift flower shop at the Peninsula Manila to appeal to my inner girly girl, followed by a spring-inspired meal to seal the deal. This was at Spices restaurant, where Pandora launched its Spring Paradise and Mother’s Day collections with an ultra feminine menu — as in petals in my salad, roses by my soup, butterflies on my dessert, that kind of thing.

The meal, created especially for Pandora, started with a flower salad with elderflower vinaigrette and pomelo, followed by a spring chicken consommé and steam cod and prawns with pea flowers, capped with a milk chocolate and raspberry tart with a giant white chocolate butterfly — with a Pandora bracelet on the side. I haven’t had butterflies in my stomach since high school, but I did then. And I forgot all about doughnuts.

Pandora’s Spring Paradise collection is an assortment of florals, pastels and butterfly charms of pastel-hued cubic zirconia set in Pandora sterling silver and 14k gold. Daisy chains, English roses, lavenders and wild flowers are captured in Pandora’s pave ball charms that can be stacked or worn individually. And then there’s the butterfly, the messenger of spring and symbol of transformation, in pendants, rings and earrings specially crafted with Milgrain detailing — a thousand grains — to mimic the texture of a butterfly’s wings.

The Mother’s Day collection is equally feminine, with pastel pink roses, bows and hearts in gold. The appeal of the rings and earrings from the collection is not exclusive to moms or girly girls either; my favorite is a silver ring with clear zirconia crystals shaped like a tiara for your finger. The butterflies got to me and transform I did.

All things pretty, shiny and sweet tend to have a sway over women. So when Pandora put all of them together — fed us flowers, put jewelry on our wrists, delivered bouquets of blooms to our seats, you can imagine the effect. To paraphrase the wise woman, flowers are nice, chocolates are better, but jewelry is always best. That woman is my mom, and I have just the thing for her this Mother’s Day.

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 Pandora is available at Greenbelt 5, Glorietta 4, Bonifacio High Street Central, Newport Mall, Shangri-La Mall East Wing, The Podium, Elemento in Aura Mall, Megamall Expansion and Century City Mall.