This bead is fantastic.  I have had it for about 6 months, and it has not tarnished, fits perfectly on my Pandora bracelet, and still looks brand new. To be honest, I like it better than some of the Pandora beads.  The only thing I would have liked was for it to be just a bit bigger.  The picture seemed like it was a bit more substantial, so I just had to make sure I put it between the right beads on my bracelet to showcase it the right way.  I will probably buy another one for the other side of the bracelet.