Trollbeads information that can inspire your creativity with your own Trollbeads collection. Share your thoughts, be involved and please leave comments!

It has been quite a while since I have written something about Picasso Jasper and now that Trollbeads is sold out I thought it a good time to tell new collectors about it and remind the old collectors to get it now before it is totally gone!

The Picasso Jaspers were released late fall and they are soon to become very hard to find.  As usual I hoard limited edtions and I purchased many Picasso Jasper beads because I knew they were very limited but also because I love the natural stone beads and the look is so great.

Picasso Jasper actually comes from a crystal.  It seems hard to believe but this kind of crystal produces other visually abstract forms of stone such as Malachite.  Sometime referred to as Picasso marble, the Picasso Jasper comes in extraordinary abstract patterns and wild veining and this attribute is what makes it so exciting to collectors of Trollbeads.  Like miniature aerial photos each stone appears to have streams, fissures and lakes.  Look into a Picasso Jasper and see what you can see, it’s rather like finding things in the clouds.  During the creation process the stone goes through metamorphosis and is changed by natural occurring temperature changes and pressure.  These processes are what cause the graining and color changes that can occur with one stone.

Like all of the natural stones, the Picasso Jasper is associated with energies and healing.  The stone is reported to attract people who see things the same who then in turn become close friends. It can also be the catalyst that heals a broken relationship.  If you are an artist and feel a block on your creativity just meditate on the designs of your Picasso Jasper and follow the paths upon the stone.  It is believed that you path will open up before you.

Are you wondering where the stone got its name?  It resembles Pablo Picasso’s abstract painting style with it lines and quick changes of color.  I see other artists in the different beads too, Alexander Calder and Georges Seurat just to name a couple.  

Bead at left reminds me of Seurat's pointilissm.      

Bead at the right reminds me of Calder's forms!

Trollbeads Gallery had just listed more Picasso Jasper and will continue this as I have many stashed away!

Always take a good look at all of theTrollbeads Limited Edition

offerings as once they sell out they are gone!

Just recently I received an order of Trollbeads and as I was looking over the White Cap beads I noticed that out of 24 I had 2 that were so out of the ordinary, I put them aside!  The bright green was more dominant than the blue greens and I know they’ll be a use for that bead for someone for a design needing that color! You can see many of the White Cap beads above in this Trollbeads Bracelet.

When you want to be inspired to build a new bracelet look at the Glass 1, 2 and 3 Trollbeads but look for the differences and try to find something so different that it will be special.  There are many beads that have different appearances than their sister beads because the glass Trollbeads are all created by different artists with different subtle techniques and for a lot of the beads look for different sizes.  Many look at these differences as problematic but I don’t.  I look at them like they are “almost uniques” and I try to find a way to use these beads to their best advantage that I might not use their sister bead for. It seems that many of us Trollies love a good challenge.

Beads to look for these kind of differences in:

White Cap: Besides the bright green tones look for the pink deep within the bead!

Azure Bubbles: Now the differences in this bead really is quite obvious and this bead was created to be different and for this reason I always keep a couple of dozen on hand so everyone has the choice.  The colors I have used on bracelets because of the beads dominant color is: Purple, Brown, Sage Green and Blue.  If you haven’t seen a lot of this bead you may not know how many colors are represented in this one bead.Look at the variety of Azure Bubbles beads in the photo below!

Blue Desert: The color range in this bead can go from grey blue to sky blue and then you’ll see a few of these with swirls of yellow, pink and green.  We have collectors that ask for beads like this because the look is so different and the combination of colors is striking, like a sunset.

Pink Desert: This beads ranges all over the pink scale from deep pink with blue casts to a very light pink. All of these tones have a place to fit within the Troll color range.

Purple Prism: As we know many of the Purple Prisms are a shading of purple so the value is quite soft.  I love getting in the stronger color purple but it is a rare occasion! 

 Khaki Stripe: Rarely we will get the Khaki Stripe bead in with a strong hue of pink over the khaki and we have also had blue over the khaki and also has come in a soft yellow, which is quite pretty with the black contrasting stripes. In the photo below you can see a Khaki Stripe with pink!

   When embarking upon a collection of any kind the most important thing you can do for yourself is to learn as much as you can about sources, authenticity and basically anything you can find out about what you are about to invest your time, money and passion in.  I can’t stress it enough, do your research! The Trollbeads history is rich with information and how the collecting world has received them, embraced them and unfortunately copied them is valuable information.

Recently I was invited to join a “Trollbeads Beginners” Facebook Group and while I was flattered to be asked I found it the most frustrating experience.   More than a few of these new Trollbead collectors were making grievous mistakes as they were searching and buying for Trollbeads in all the wrong places.  What was worse was the fact they were telling their fellow members to buy from these sources. I thought if I made a comment to help them reconsider this approach, as they were in fact buying from sellers known to sell fake Trollbeads, but that didn’t work.  People don’t like to be told they have made a mistake and anything I would have said wouldn’t have sunk in.  If I could have guided them to the Trollbeads Gallery Forum they would have learned that it is very difficult to detect fake beads.  People like to find information on their own as on a forum and not be told.

Trollbeads Gallery Forum is the one place on the internet that has valuable information because the information is coming from very seasoned collectors, all of whom watch out for each other as they carefully create and gather their collections.  Many of the Forum’s members have been collecting for decades and can lend an experienced viewpoint when it comes to retired beads or about Trollbeads in general.  A few of the members sell on auction formats around the world and what they sell is legitimate and it is in their best interest to share their knowledge which includes outing the fake Trollbeads Ebay s with warnings.  It is in all of our best interest as the more fake beads sold the more will be out there to re-sell when they discover they’ve been had.

One very interesting thing I discovered on the Forum is the truth about seller ratings. DO NOT GO by this.  There are plenty of disreputable dealers who, once discovered by the buyer, will tell the buyer if they give them a positive rating they will then get their money back.  I started this forum as a place to gather and to get collectors to learn together but I have to say as a dealer (Trollbeads Gallery), I too have learned a great deal here.

Trollbeads Gallery Forum has a very popular section called “Groups”.  Anyone can form any kind of group as long at involves Trollbeads! There are many country groups and state groups as people like to discuss Trollbeads with local collectors and find out the goings on locally.   Below is a list of the most popular groups.  The most popular country groups are the U.K. collectors group and the Danish Collectors group. There is a total of 54 groups below are just 5 examples.

1. Collectors who revere retired Trollbeads.

2. Danish real time chat.

3. What you don’t know about Trollbeads and want to know.

4. Beads swap groups.

5. Collectors who have over 15 bracelets. 

If you haven’t yet joined do yourself a favor and do.  It’s painless and very informative. Did I mention there is over 14,000 photographs from collectors showing their Trollbeads?  There is no better inspiration anywhere. The photo above is from an Australian collector and is indicative of the kind of photos you will find on the Forum.

Now that the USA World Tour Beads have been released we can check out each bead and find its meaning for ourselves.  One thing I have come to understand is with each World Tour release there are at least 1000 unique opinions per bead!  It’s the difference of opinions we all share that make Trollbeads such an interesting collection.  We have shared our differences before and we can be open about how we feel but as I have said before, as Trollbeads fans we all represent collectors of a great line so we should be fair, even when you feel the bead is not for you.  Negativity does not mix with Trollbeads and we’ve proven time and again we are above that.

So how do I feel about the beads?  I think I have to say there is something good in each bead and something great in a couple of them.  I adore the Star Spangled Bead!  It has such personality and has such wonderful patriotic color.  I know from working with customers that there are those of you who love bumps and those of you who don’t sounfortunately I think this won’t be everyone’s favorite. If you are a member of the Trollbeads Gallery Forum (if not you should join!)you can see how people are arranging their Trollbeads using the red, white and blue bead.  To see if this bead will be seasonal, we have yet to know.

The Ol’ West is a work of art to me.  It has that good ol’ Trollbeads quirkiness but shows in one bead two of the west’s icons.  We have a customer that is designing a Ol’ West bracelet around this bead and it’s been fun seeing what the possibilities are.  The retired Cactus, of course! The Sparkling Star, Brown Desert, Stars in silver and gold for Texas, Horses and she is contemplating the ball of yarn to represent tumbleweed!  One of the best meanings for me, because I love the artist, is the symbolism in this bead and how it brings Georgia O’keefe to mind.  O’keefe was and is one the west’s most noted artists.

The White House is well done.  There is a lot of detail and I believe artistic license was used to get as much of the architectural detail as possible on a bead but both the back and front are very recognizable.  I was one who was happy about the choice because of all the history the White House represents, the good times and the bad.

The Pursuit of Happiness is one bead the vote is still out on.  I understand the meaning behind the bead and the shape of the bead as I really like three sided beads.  Whether or not the gold was important to it I’m not sure also but there are many Americans that cannot afford this bead and I’m sad about that and what that means.  The Smiley face has  adisparaging connotation for me because whenever I see one I am reminded of the iconic Walmart smiley face.  As a small business owner I have strong emotions against Walmart and what they have done to the landscape of America and to the demise of small town centers across the country.  In a way how much more perfect can this bead be?  In the Pursuit of Happiness some of have lost the original vision of America.

In closing I think the Aagaards have created a great set of beads for America and as a collector I am proud to own them and wear them!

*To clarify: The "Star Spangled Bead" has the classic size core.  This is not a Universal sized core and will not fit other brand chains.

 This will be a hard article to write.  As a dealer of Trollbeads it is not my desire to offend anyone who feels differently on this subject than I do,  so let me say we all have different ideas and “to each his/her own when it comes to this glorious passion we all share, Trollbeads”.

One thing we all agree on is our love of Trollbeads.  We adore the silver beads in all their amazing and sometimes amusing shapes, forms and meanings and we all love the amazing glass beads in their many colors and textures. We love to talk about them, share them, swap them, photograph them and create our own names for them.  We love to build bracelet after bracelet.  Sometimes I think we are all just reliving our “pop-it” beads memories from our childhoods but with grander style beads.

As much as they are a part of our everyday lives I have come to see that the levels of commitment are so complicated, they confound my comprehension of it.  There is one underlying reality to each one of our relationships to our Trollbeads collections and that is our own conscious and unconscious rules of collecting.  What am I trying to say without meaning to say one approach is any better than another, is that collectors all have a unique position when it comes to Trollbeads. 

To simplify it there I think there are basically 3 kinds of collectors and you’ll see this can apply to any other collections.

 1. This group is made up of purists who know they are and can’t imagine it any other way.  It’s close to being a quasi-spiritual thing.  

2. There are Trollbeads collectors who consider themselves serious Trollbeads collectors but they have other beads on their bracelets. 

3. Then there are collectors that love to collect beads no matter their origin or pedigree and mix it all up.

 The strange thing is I understand the third group better than I understand the second.  As I mentioned one is not better than the other but as a collector I have always collected for the purity of my collection and by purity I’m not talking about cleanliness!  I have thought long and hard about this because I was wondering if I would feel the same if I was not a Trollbeads dealer but when I think about my other collections they have always been within the realms of what I consider “a collection that have a similar provenance and are of one theme”.  Please remember what I said earlier, it isn’t right or wrong, it’s just the way we are wired.    As an example consider my sea glass collection. It’s made up of the sea glass that only my husband and I have found. Whatever has been given to me I keep in a separate place and if I buy sea glass for making jewelry, that stays separate also. This is about the pride I take in my 30 year old collection. If I added pieces from other sources I couldn’t feel it was as much a part of us as I now do.  I would feel inauthentic.  If I had sea glass from other people in my collection I wouldn’t feel the same way towards my collection. The same goes for everything I have ever been passionate about. 

Bringing this back to the variety of Trollbeads collectors, in my position I get to see many, many people collect Trollbeads and I enjoy every one of them. There is however a certain level or way we each relate to our collection and it is so fascinating for me to observe and think about but so difficult to explain.  Some collectors, as absorbed by Trollbeads as they may be, will have artisans copy Trollbeads in order to get the bead design they want. I have never understood this but for these collectors it’s all about attaining the beads they can’t get otherwise. If they want a retired Trollbead and they can’t find or afford it they’ll have it made by an artisan.  It seems so counter-productive because in the end what they get is not a Trollbead at all. One huge problem with this is the chance that these beads will be sold later and then someone will think they have a Trollbead when they don’t so the dealer part of me doesn’t think this is ethical and for the future of the brand I worry.  It goes back to how we personally feel about our own level of collecting and if authenticity has a place.  For some it doesn’t matter and it’s all the differences we all have that make Trollbeads such an interesting passion to share.

Louise Rogers

Just 4 more days until 7-1-11.  World Tour Beads USA!  We will have the whole set available by the bead or by the set! www.trollbeadsgallery.com

Today the venerable interchangeable bead pioneers released a new kind of Unique beads, Universal Uniques.  The only thing that separates these from the original Unique Trollbeads is the size of the silver core at the center of the bead.  As the original bead line Trollbeads set the course for all other lines and the lines that followed them developed their products so anyone with Trollbeads could not use their chains.  With Pandora the end is larger allowing it only to accept its own beads that have large cores. Chamelia came out years later and they use the same closure, not allowing Trollbeads to be used on their chain.   I have to explain that many Trollbeads collectors know Trollbeads are the original bead brand and are questioning this move to modify on Trollbeads part.  I too was conflicted but now that I've learned the "why's" I understand and support this decision.

Universal Uniques are a meant to be, in Lise Aagaard's exact words, "a migration tool" for other bracelet wearers to be able to add our beautiful glass to their bracelets.  There are so many other people with other bracelets who have yearned for the Trollbeads product, especially the glass beads.  So Lise's idea was to make something for them without impinging on Trollbeads or forcing the other collectors to go without.

Having been a retailer for Trollbeads for years now I have seen many people who wear Pandora look longingly into our cases full of colorful glass beads, discussing the desire to have them but are simply not able to change the chain they wear.  (The glass beads from Pandora are very limited and they have a visually intrusive silver band running on the side of the bead and attached to the core with PANDORA all over it.) When you consider the collectable beads are often gifts from husbands and children (mother’s day being our biggest holiday) the Pandora or Chamelia wearer’s may want to add more color to their bracelets but they don't want to offend the gift giver.  Or maybe it's the cost of starting over but whatever the reason the Universal Uniques will stretch and break the boundaries laid down by the subsequent bead brands. No other bead brand has the history and experience of creating and offering glass beads like Trollbeads and this seems the best way to accomplish sharing of the beads! The Aagaard's are inclusive by nature and want all people from all communities to be able to try Trollbeads while keeping the integrity of the Trollbeads Mantra... excellence is craftsmanship, materials and design.

On Trollbeads Gallery Forum there is an on-going discussion by collectors on the pros and cons of this decision and both sides have valuable merits and you may want to read this discussion. Please join the forum for the most up to date Troll beads information.

This isn’t the first time Troll has offered the larger cores.  In both of the charitable collections one being the breast cancer awareness beads and the beads created to raise funds for Haiti’s earthquake survivors both used the larger core so all collectors could take part in the fund raising efforts.

My personal experience in seeing the Universal Uniques for the first time was overwhelming and if you know me and my history with Unique beads I have always offered them and I am not easily overwhelmed.  Just last week at the jewelry show in Las Vegas dealers were given the opportunity to select their own sets from large bowls filled to the brim with some of the most glorious beads I have ever seen.  Having only met Isabel Aagaard prior to this show I was excited to meet Lise and the rest of the family. I was also beyond excited about the new beads.  For a week prior to the show I kept on imagining myself rushing right past Peter and Lise, the two people I have been dying to meet for years, to dive into the Uniques!  Well it just about played out exactly as I imagined but I did it with a smile.  My son was the first in the booth and had already pulled his selections for Starfish, the Trollbead store in Boulder, Colorado- so I was the natural second.  I want to finish by reporting after my first day of sales they are being met with strong enthusiasm and so far my collectors have been all Trollbead collectors!

If you feel strongly one way or the other I would love to hear your comments.  If you have already left them on Trollbeads Gallery Forum, please also leave them here for the people who don’t visit the forum. (imagine that!)

Visit us on Facebook!

From l to r:Peter,Isabel,Lise Aagaard,Krista,Louise Rogers,Robin A, Alex Rogers and Nicolas Aagaard at Las Vegas party!

Our guest blogger has once again written a personal and engaging article about her Trollbeads. Anna Teresa is from the Netherlands and is an active member of Trollbeads Gallery Forum.

We are thrilled to hear more from her!

Making bracelets that go with my mood and outfit, that is what I do. There are combinations that I have worn only once or twice in the almost two years that I collect Trollbeads. And the thought of having a bracelet that I would not take apart anymore didn’t cross my mind.
Although I have seen many beautiful bracelets from other collector that were gorgeous and meant to stay the way they were. Sometimes with a greyhound lock, so that they could not be taken apart anymore.
But when I got more and more beads and I had more than one bracelet I thought it would be easy to have a lovely ‘permanent’ bracelet with a serene, classy look that I could were every day. So when I was in a hurry in the morning I just had to grab that one and I would be looking great.

And so I made one as pretty as I could and it stayed that way a few weeks. Because permanent is not really permanent for me. So now and then I just have to change a bead or two. Not that I am not satisfied with the combination at the time, but because I buy a great other bead or because the time of the year changes. In the winter I tend to wear other colors than in spring or summer.
And so it happened that my ‘classy’ bracelet which I started in oktober 2010 has had a few different looks until now. The base is the same every time. Deep bubbles, khaki stripe, pink desert and retired Julian. But the other beads can vary: labradorite, peacock pearls, kimono and today I put  gemstones on it.

The past month there were a few other combinations that I didn’t take apart anymore. For practical reasons. But I discovered that being practical kills my creativity. Because I didn’t make new combinations anymore. Keeping a particular bead in a combination means that I cannot use it for something else.
So last night I did something liberating. I took all the beads of my bracelets (three silver and two leather) and my two necklaces and put them in my boxes. Then I sat down on the couch and as a kid in the candy store I just started from scratch making new combinations. That was so much fun that I decided that I do that much more often. In an hour I had made about five new combinations and realized I don’t need new beads every week to make something new. I just need to start everyday with a fresh start.

My love for Trollbeads is everlasting, but my tenability of my bracelets is not!

Ps. Don’t want to forget which combinations you made? Take pictures!!

For a clear and easy lesson on how to photograph your Trollbeads go to Trollbeads Gallery Forum "Groups" and join the Photography group.

Many of you have already discovered the new Trollbeads Gallery and for those of you who have not yet, let me tell you about it.  The changes are all about making your experience buying Trollbeads as pleasant as owning them! I love it and I hope you do also.  I have spent months building it along with Peter, my trustworthy adviser, thank you Peter!

I have added hundreds of Unique beads of all kinds including Glass,
Amber, Picasso Jasper, Pink/Turquoise Agates and Trollstones.  My favorite new feature is the magnifying ability.  For some it is difficult to see a Unique bead on a website and choosing beads on line has been challenging.  Now when you move your cursor over the bead it becomes magnified to the point of seeing much more of the bead than you would if you held it your hand!
 Another feature which gives a special view of Uniques, is the ability to show you more than one photograph of each bead.   To see this feature at its best look at the Unique Amber Sets.  The details of each 50 million year old particle entrapped in the amber beads become visible!

You can now track your order and its progress from looking up your account. It will update at each of its step from initial order to its shipment.  We also send emails along the way but the ability to follow its progress is giving you more control.

We are now ipad, iphone and mobile device friendly! From the great comments we’re getting I know this has been a strong benefit to many of you. I love that you can check out new beads while riding the bus to work!

The Wish List is a favorite and the site gives you the
chance to decide whether you want your list open to the public so someone (hint,hint) can view the list!  How great is that?

You will now find all of our Retired Trollbeads listed on this site nowin their own category.  I decided to combine both sites and maintain one site for many reasons but the main one being you can now check out just once!  We work very hard to offer you the most comprehensive retired Trollbead collection in the world and plan to continue to do so! We have some very special and very rare retired Trollbeads and where the rare beads don't last long check the category as often as you can.
 
The “Compare” feature is also new for our site. A “Compare” button is available with each bead and you can click on it to compare your selections before you buy or just compare beads for the sport of it!

As always we will always be adding new Unique beads and new Retired beads and you can track this very easily by checking our Home page.  Eight of the most recently added beads show on the home page but be sure to follow the category as we tend to add more than eight each time.

I welcome any comments and suggestions so please let me know what you think, after all this website is for you.

Other things:

Trollbeads Gallery Forum continues to offer collectors a place to gather for chat time, add inspiring photographs, we are now close to 14,000 photos in total!  If you haven’t yet, please join us on the forum to learn and enjoy your Trollbeads!  The “Groups” have a wide variety of Swaps and State/Country groups to keep up with the activities in your area.  The month of May maked it 2 full years old. Looking back at the friendships formed I can't tell you how thrilled I am.  Forum members all over the world have met each other and it has been so much fun seeing the connections move past to internet stage to "in real person" stage.  The group from Denmark were strangers to each other but have met and have enjoyed a few Trollbeads get togethers.  The U.S. members-forget it I couldn't even begin to mention how many times they have met in real person!

Trollbeads Fest!2011 promises to be even better than last year’s event (can you believe it?) and our planning is well underway.   Our Trollbeads Fest website will soon be up (yeah Peter) and offering the information you will need along with the ticket purchasing option.  Below are images from Trollbeads Fest 2010 to get you excited about 2011!! The photo below is my own personal paparazzi at Trollbeads Fest 2010 and a very happy Kristi Denning showing her winning "Ice Bear" model! Lower shot: Our Penni working hard.

Many exciting plans for the future of Trollbeads are underway and I am so excited to be a part of this continuing saga and I myself very fortunate to be able to share it with all of you.

Louise Rogers May, 2011

Trollbeads Gallery Guest Blog by Suzanne Hopping (First People's Bead Award Winner)

Suzanne Hopping (in below photo)

 It all started in 2003 when the publishing company I worked for as an Art Director, moved premises from a beautiful, renovated, old wharf jutting over Sydney Harbour, to new premises on the north side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

My work colleagues and I were very unhappy with the move as we had lost our stunning views, and amazing location on the water (even though the area we had moved to was very close to the harbour and full of lovely cafes and gorgeous little shops) and although it was still in Sydney it had the look and atmosphere of a quaint village.

While exploring my new surroundings I came across a wonderful little art, craft and gift shop, which sold beads. They had a large display of Pandora, which my workmates were getting into in a big way.

The owner of the shop, Penny offered me a gold Pandora bracelet full of gold charms, which a lady was selling, because she needed the money. I ended up buying it at a very reasonable price. I then noticed there was an amazing bead on this bracelet, which was unlike any of the other Pandora beads. I was told by Penny that it was called a Trollbead (the bracelet owner had it specially fitted onto the Pandora bracelet). It was truly the most magnificent bead I had ever seen! She then told me it was a Trollbead known as the Gold Wisdom! I felt so privileged to have this beauty in the centre of the gold Pandora bracelet I had just purchased!

Of course, I then had to find out more about the origins of this wonderful bead. I was very lucky, as, in the corner of the shop, was a small display of beads, which had been over-shadowed by the Pandora display. Penny told me they were ‘Trollbeads’ and the Gold Wisdom belonged to this family. I was totally gob-smacked by their originality and beauty. They were truly exquisite little works of art, a far cry from the production-line Pandoras, which as far as I was concerned faded into insignificance next to Trollbeads.

I was immediately hooked and started buying these little gems like there was no tomorrow!

In my obsession I fell in love with the translucent and crystal like properties of the Dichroic Ice beads and ended up with twenty-four of them! Yes, you read correctly, TWENTY-FOUR!

I bought every variety of the silver with precious stones. I was also fortunate enough to buy many beads that are now retired – such as the Tibet Tibet, the Purple Bud and many, many more. My only regret is that I wish I knew then, what I know now about Trollbeads, I could have had even more of the older retireds, which now grace both Louise’s museum and the official Trollbead’s museum.

Over the years my Trollbead obsession grew stronger and I ended up with a wonderful book about the history of Trollbeads, which I refer to regularly.

The Gold Wisdom no longer lives on my Pandora bracelet but has pride of place on my Amethyst World Tour Fantasy Necklace.

In 2009 I ended up winning the People’s Bead competition.

But that’s another story …

  When I discovered Trollbeads I learned that there was more then only the regular collection. I read about unique beads, limited editions, retired beads and more. I think that makes this brand so special. Collecting Trollbeads is like being on a treasure hunt.

If you really want to be up to date and want to know about every release you really have to put some time in your hobby. Visit Trollbeads dealers, look in all their boxes, snoop on forums for sneak peaks and look on webshops for special beads.  And if you are lucky your piggy bank can keep up with all the great beads that pop out of the great ‘Trollbeads Creators’ in Denmark*.

At the beginning I didn’t know where to start. Did I had to hunt down all the great retired beads like crane, joyful and bead of prophecy? Or should I choose a specific type of unique bead, for instance with buds or flowers, and search a bunch of those? Or should I just buy what I really liked and don’t follow others preferences?

On Trollbeads Gallery Forum there is a topic about collections in collections. It is great to see that some people have necklaces full with unique armadillo’s, bubble beads or ambers. And even retired beads. They have set a goal and are on hunt constantly. I really love to see their photos.

But I don’t have that urge or need for a specific bead. My goal is to collect beautiful regular beads and from the special beads I would like one or two (or a few more) of everything.  Chinese jades, pink agates, picasso jaspers, kimono beads, gemstones. I feel proud when I spot them lying around in a shop. I like to combine them with others to get a nice variety on my bracelet.  

I have a few favorites in my collection like the anniversary cater pillar and anniversary Viking bead (shown below). The retired python, lovely peacock pearls and some great unique beauties, they are my little treasures. I am satisfied with them. For the simple reason that I, mother of three little children, just can’t buy a bead of prophecy or a glass turtle bead. And that is alright, a person has to have something to wish for. In the magical world of Trollbeads everything is possible.

*Unique beads come from Tibet and China. Lise Aagaard gets most of her unique beads from refugees, among others. Lise maintains a close relationship with the artists. With each group of unique beads that arrive in Denmark she will go through them and she will chose the best and give these artists an increase in compensation.  The special beadmakers learn the skills of making glass beads and earn money in doing so.

Anna Teresa is a guest blogger from the Netherlands and has a great interest in Trollbeads and is a professional journalist.