By now you know I’m a huge fan of Catbird and their permanent welded bracelets. I’ve previously written about my various experiences with multiple Catbird popups in Los Angeles over the years which you can read here.
If you are in Los Angeles and have been wanting to get a permanent welded “forever bracelet” – I’ve got huge news for you. Catbird has opened up a PERMANENT storefront in Los Angeles (Culver City at The Platform). This is HUGE news for dainty jewelry lovers in LA! Now you’ll be able to get Catbird’s iconic permanent welded bracelets in Los Angeles!
This post is all about Catbird’s PERMANENT Los Angeles store and what to expect if you are getting “zapped”!
Catbird: “Home of the Original Forever Bracelet”
Catbird has visited Los Angeles a few times over the years, usually doing small pop ups in West Hollywood or Culver City over a 2-3 day period. Now they are in LA at The Platform where they had their last pop up and it’s a beautifully branded permanent store front with all of their classic signature jewelry for sale. In addition to signage about Forever Bracelets. In fact, they are now positioning themselves as “Home of the Original Forever Bracelet.”
According to their website they have been zapping since 2017, which is also when I got my first Catbird Forever Bracelet. Since then I’ve also gotten a few other permanent bracelets welded from other jewelers and have seen the permanent jewelry trend grow significantly in the last 2 years. As someone who has multiple bracelets, I would agree that Catbird was one of the first (if not the first) to start the permanent jewelry trend.
Catbird’s Permanent Welded Bracelets in Los Angeles
When you walk into the Catbird store in Los Angeles, the NYC whimsical-kitten-swan-paint-stroke branding is strong. The store is tiny and they have display cases on the right hand side filled with many of their most recent jewery pieces (pearls), as well as the classic rings, necklaces, bracelets and more.
When I walked in, I was greeted by someone who took my name and checked me into my appointment. I browsed around the store for a few minutes before they came back over to me to start the zapping process.
On the left side of the store had a shelf full of their very on-brand whimsical gifts (swans, lighters, candles, chapstick, nail polish, wishing paper, etc). They have their permanent jewelry zapping tables in a corner of the store. I also noticed there were also a few pops of green sprinkled throughout the store. The green seems to be exclusive to their LA branding and they also had green tote bags for sale which I’ve never seen before.
Getting my permanent welded bracelets repaired and rezapped
This time around I didn’t purchase any new bracelets. Instead, I needed to get one bracelet repaired and another bracelet moved from one wrist to the other.
- I accidentally snagged one of the bracelets on something and it ripped off my wrist. Yes it hurt. And yes even though they are permanent bracelets, you still need to be careful because they are so dainty and can get torn off your wrist.
- The other bracelet was on the arm where I wear my Apple Watch. I got the bracelet years before I started wearing an Apple Watch and now that I’ve had my Watch for a while, I’ve found that my bracelets end up getting stuck under my watch which I really don’t like.
Catbird has also recently expanded the charms that you can add to your permanent bracelet. Once I saw they were able to do this, I wanted to see if they could add an existing “tiniest letter” charm I previously purchased for a different necklace to my permanent bracelet so I brought my tiny charm with me.
Hot Tip: Get yourself an appointment if you want to get zapped
I made a permanent bracelet appointment through their website and I would strongly recommend making an appointment – especially since they’ve just opened and will likely get busier and busier once more people hear about the new store opening. Currently they accept walk-ins but based on my experience, the lines can get long.
Another reason I would strongly recommend making an appointment is that some of the (very sweet) permanent bracelet welders seem to be new and take a bit longer to fit and weld the bracelets.
My two bracelets took about 40 minutes total, where as in the past it’s taken less than 10 minutes per bracelet. It seemed like the Forever Bracelet welders were either new or in training, so it took a little longer than usual to make sure the jump rings were welded smooth and shut tight.
As I was sitting during my appointment, I could see the line of people growing. I’m sure at some point the zapping process will get faster as they do more and more people but for now if you’re planning to visit their store, I’d recommend making an appointment to save yourself some time.
They have different chains on display to choose from and they all range in price, with a few select charms as optional add-ons. See my section below on choosing charms and charm placement below.
[Read: Are Permanent Welded Bracelets a fleeting trend or here to stay?]
Does getting a permanent bracelet hurt?
It doesn’t hurt at all to get a permanent bracelet. Contrary to the somewhat intimidating word “permanent”, it’s not like a tattoo where a needle touches your skin. The welder basically is melting a tiny ring so it stays closed like a clasp and your bracelet will stay together. You’ll hear and see a quick flash of light but in no way does the heat actually touch your skin. Then they smoothen/solder out the jump ring and you’re done. You can read more about a previous zapping experience I had here here.
Catbird warranty and customer service is SUPERB
Here’s another reason why I am obsessed with Catbird (can you tell?) Their customer service has always been 🤌🏼💋 – whether it’s online or in person.
- My ripped bracelet was covered under their 2 year warranty so no charge for a replacement bracelet but they charged me $10 to re-weld.
- $10 to cut and re-weld the bracelet from one wrist to the other.
- They weren’t able to add my existing tiniest letter charm to an existing bracelet. They said it was because the bail of the charm I had wasn’t designed for welded bracelet and would end up either being uncomfortable or rip off the bracelet. Based on the shape of the bail on my charm, I felt like this was fair. I chose to purchase a different charm ($40) to add to my existing bracelet.
Choosing size and fit for your permanent welded bracelets
When you get a permanent bracelet, it really is permanent lol (unless of course you cut it off or if you’re like me and you accidentally rip it off). You can’t adjust the size after it’s welded. You should also keep in mind that depending on which style bracelet you get, they can stretch a bit over time (kind of like your favorite real leather jacket).
I noticed the stretching happened with my Sweet Nothing permanent bracelet and a Sweet Nothing Permanent ring I have. It’s not very noticeable and the bracelet would never fall off my wrist but it is more loose and hangs a little lower than when I first got it. I would recommend that when the welder is sizing your bracelet for you, you get it a tad more snug than you normally would.
Fitting, sizing, and stacking permanent bracelets
If you are getting a few permanent bracelets or wearing multiple dainty non-permanent bracelets, consider how they are layered on your wrist or fall on your wrist if your arms are down. I have different size bracelets (some more loose, and others more snug) which means when my arms are down, it’s a little more obvious that I am wearing multiple bracelets.
If you wanted a more subtle look, you would have all of your bracelets be more similar in size. It goes without saying that you wouldn’t want to wear bracelets that are so loose they slip off your wrist.
Adding a charm to your Forever Bracelet
Another tiny detail Catbird offers are tiny charms. Note that while they’ve expanded their permanent bracelet charm offering, not all charms on their website are available to add to permanent bracelets. My guess would be some of their charms are either too heavy or not fitted for permanent bracelets.
If you decide to choose a charm, you’ll also decide on the placement of the charm. In other words: how you want your charm to lay on your wrist. You would either choose to have the front of the charm facing you when look at the bracelet (imagine similar to how you’d look at a watch), or placed in a way that would look upside down to you, but right side up if someone else looked at your bracelet and charm.
I realize this is a tiny minor detail and it might not matter to you at all. And if that’s the case then more power to you. Cautionary tale: the first I got a charm added to a Zoe Chicco permanent bracelet with a small charm, I didn’t realize the placement would matter to me. The jeweler also didn’t mention it to me when I chose the charm. I noticed it a few days after I got the bracelet and couldn’t go back to get it fixed, so it drove me crazy for longer than I’d like to admit.
❤️ Catbird in Los Angeles 2023 🌴
So if you’re looking to get a permanent welded bracelet or a forever bracelet, I would highly recommend Catbird. It’s like a little slice of their adorable Brooklyn shop right in the heart of Los Angeles. Their customer service has always been top notch for me and they really stand by their products. If you are a fan of dainty jewelry, get thyself to Catbird Los Angeles in Culver City.