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

It's true I haven't written a blog article in a while so I thought I would make a list of things to know right now in the world of Trollbeads. There are some ongoing specials right now I want to remind you about and also to remind you about the new Trollbeads that have come out just recently!

Trollbeads Specials and Deals!

1. Receive a free Trollbeads Chain (a value of $46.00) when you purchase a Decorative Clasp. S decorative clasp included all clasps except the "Double Clasp". Ends April 15th.

2. Receive any free Trollbeads Leather Bracelet when you purchase a Decorative Clasp. Ends April 15th.

3. Receive 2 free Trollbeads Stoppers (a value of $40.00) when you purchase a Trollbeads Silver Bangle or a Trollbeads Gold Filled Bangle! Ends April 15th.

4. Discover the designer within you with our "X by Trollbeads" Special! Continued until the end of April!!  Purchase $100 of "X" product and receive 10 FREE Rubber links.  This is a perfect chance to start your "X" collection.  There is so much you can do with this new Trollbeads line and it sits so well next to a Trollbeads bracelet.  It's a natural companion!

Trollbeads Releases!

The Mother's Day release brought us 3 new beads. The Daylight happens to be my favorite and if you follow me on Google+ or on Pinterest you will have seen me posting images of in on a Bangle Bracelet with smaller beads positioned on either side of it.  I love the design that lets the daylight through the bead!

The Easter Release

For the past 3 years we have seen a new Easter Egg tassel set and the set for 2014 is a beautiful set.  Three colors that welcome in Spring, green, lavender and a green/yellow egg. Along with the kit of Eggs came a very sweet Easter Bunny Trollbead.

The Cherry Blossom Collection

Tomorrow is the first day for shipping (or buying in a store) the Cherry Blossom Collection. The collection includes the beads and the Emerald Fantasy Necklace shown in the photo at the top of this blog. This is the only Fantasy Necklace that has the CHerry blossom design as the bale of the piece holding the stone to the chain and it has great detail.  The Fantasy Necklace only comes in two sizes, 31" and 35" which are the most popular selling sizes in the other two Fantasy Necklaces offered by Trollbeads.  The "Cherry Blossom" Fantasy Pendant has the three holes with allows you to "split" a Fantasy chain, again as seen above.  When you split a Fantasy Chain you will need to use a Trollbeads clasp to fasten it to your neck.  Look at the fine detail of the cherry blossoms in this design as they are sculptural and delightful to look at.   FInishing up the Cherry Blossom release is the new Emerald earring components.  Another great addition to the Earring line and a great color to wear for Spring and Summer!  If you haven't purchased the earring components before you will need to buy a pair of Trollbeads Earring Hooks to thread the Emerald discs on.

The Small and Beautiful Unique Trollbeads!

If you haven't noticed the 2014 "Small and Beautiful" unique beads that hit the market in February you must not be looking for unique beads.  Trollbeads Galllery has had hundreds of them and they are smashing!  I am bringing them up here because with the 2013 version of the "Small and Beautiful" unique beads they were here and then they were gone!  Do you remember this?  I hope we have some kind of warning this time but they are wonderful and fairly plentiful right now so load up!  I have been adding them to my website daily.  Just keep in mind they are small scale. If you look at the pink beads on either side of the Daylight bead (above on the bangle) that is what the scale is like.  If you don't see what you want on the site just email me and ask! New this year we have had Octopus, Whales, Peace Sign, Starfish and others that have delighted us all!

Additions to our Trollbeads With A Twist!

We recently added past years Easter Eggs and our Egg Basket is almost empty!  The Eggs from 2012 and 2013 are the just about the last Eggs we have.  So check them out if you haven't collected all of your eggs yet!  Trollbeads With A Twist.

That's all I know right now but I can tell you we are looking forward to the 2014 Summer release and I've heard it is a great one with surprizes for everyone.

If you are a committed Trollbeads collector you have had a very busy 2014 thus far and hold on to you hats…it's only going to continue!

The year began with the 2014 Spring introduction on January 3^rd.  I say “introduction” because if you haven’t been paying close attention there is a new way of introducing beads and that is to first introduce the beads and then to release them for shipping and at a future date. You can purchase them earlier then the ship date but you can't be shipped until the ship date.  It’s a new trend to take the pressure away from trying to hide them from public viewing before the release date which was too hard and not worth the effort.  So now dealers get to show the beads in advance. Keeping the schedule in mind is not easy so I will create a chart to have at the end of this blog within a day or two.  The Spring release has been a very successful launch with many of the new glass kits being purchased more than the individual beads as all 6 beads are gorgeous.  As most of you know when you buy a kit you get a free bead as you only pay for 5.  The new Swan bead, Falcon bead and the new Rabbit beads have the detail of earlier animal beads leaving cuteness out of the equation so they have been very well received.

On February 7 we say the introduction the 2014 Mother’s Day Collection with a shipping date of March 21^st.  The glass bead is a ground breaking design for Trollbeads as it is a multi-color glass bead yet it is faceted.  Along with the glass bead the two silver beads have a fanciful appeal and the earring components resemble the silver beads.

Late January we started seeing a new look to the classic uniques that were coming in and they included the opaque animal print beads, shown above.  They came in roughly 2 colors, one on a white background and the second in a dark yellow/orange. The other beads of this group were some great new heart beads including multi colors of glitter. We were all loving these uniques when all of sudden they stopped coming in but what came next was the newest release of small and beautiful beads!  This craze has its origin in the delightful designs and details including their small scale and the use of blue glitter.  This is the second wave of these beads to come in and the last wave was in 2013. 

March 7 was the introduction of two new collections.  The Easter Collection has a new kit of sensational Eggs and a new sterling Bunny.  Until I saw the image of the bunny from the front I was not excited about another Bunny but the paws of this one reminds me a children’s Easter book I was once enamored with but it was too long ago for me to remember the title but it still brought back my love of it.  The shipping date is March 28. 

  The second collection introduced on March 7 was the Cherry Blossom Collection.  This group includes a very exciting and stunning new Fantasy Necklace with an emerald which is being held by a pretty sterling Cherry Blossom bale.  This is the first time the bale has been unique to the Fantasy Necklace design.  There is also a new Cherry Blossom Pendant bead which can be used with all of the Fantasy Necklaces.  Like the new bale it is textural and eye catching.  The group is also accompanied by a pair of Emerald Earring Components.   The Emerald Faceted Stone Bead was released with the 2014 Spring beads and it’s glorious soft green tone with its gentle patterned fissures has been a hit so we are all thrilled to see the Emerals used again in this collection.   The Cherry blossom group will be shipping on April 11.

Stay tuned for a date release chart you can print out and pin or pin to your Pinterst Board!

In the midst of all these releases there was also a release of "X" by Trollbeads and the introduction was on Feb 12 with a shipping date of Feb 26.  The Hummingbird is one of my favorites along with the Poppy Decadence.  Our group of X collectors have been growing steadily with a great jump coming from the Special event now running!  If you spend $100 on any X links you will be given 10 FREE Rubber links.  So if you have been waiting to jump on board it's a great time!  Our special ends on April 15th! 

Discover “Trollbeads with a Twist” on Trollbeads Gallery.  We have had this category on our site for a few years now and the people who do know about it check it out often and find great beads. We are always listing new beads there. Our Trollbeads with a twist was originally created to showcase for sale Trollbeads that are different from bead to bead. It now includes retired beads as it's so important to see a rare retired bead before you want to invest in it. It is always standard Trollbeads (not the unique Trollbeads)and they are the beads that are always different.  There are many beads that have these individual features from Azure Bubbles to Blue Desert not to mention so many others.  For our customers it has become a handy way to buy standard Trollbeads with actually seeing them before they buy them!  If you haven’t discovered the offerings yet check them out and if any of the beads are sold, fear not as I said I list new beads all the time. It is an exclusive offering on Trollbeads Gallery and a labor of love for me. Trollbeads Gallery With A Twist

As you can see from the photo of the Faceted Stone beads above we also highlight these beads because with the natural stones there can be enormous differences in bead to bead.  Sometimes our Golden Quartz can be so light they resemble yellow diamonds and the Aventurine (before they were retired) came in so dark they looked like dark green emeralds. From Left to right above there are Ruby, Retired Aventurine, Golden Quartz and Amazonite. When you look at the category you'll have fun seeing how many I have featured of each.  The Amethyst we now have listed is the 51st one we've offered on Trollbeads With a Twist.

Our largest selling bead in the twist category has been the Azure Bubbles and at the time of this writing we have listed 121!  The image below is a sample on how much they can differ. It may sound crazy but I look forward to my Azure Bubble deliveries as much as my unique bead deliveries because I love to fine the most unique versions I can to offer on my site.

Another favorite Trollbead we have featured since the beginning is the Grey Wolf.  It has been retired and there are not many left but I always loved picking out the beads I would feature in Trollbeads With A Twist.  Sometimes the design would actually look like fur and sometimes the design would have finely defined lines like perfect pinstripes.  The images below give you an idea of how the Grey Wolf would change from bead to bead.

There are only some Trollbeads that lend themselves to this treatment as there are many that are consistant from bead to bead that I don't include.  The more constant designs like White Bubbles, Silver Pink Trace and actually all the trace beads, Peach Bubbles, Black Bubbles and Scarlet Bud (not to name all of them but you get the idea) don't change as much and don't excite me enough to photograph them as I do the others.

One kit of beads that came out a couple of years ago that have proven to change bead to bead is the "Rocky Road Kit".  Those beads are very unique yet is subtle ways.  The tones are generally plum but can come through blue to neutral and that's when I like to show them but even when the are the standard plum the depth of color can change. Check out the Fossils beads that have all been offered on Trollbeads With A Twist.  I adore the details in this Trollbead but until I started photographing them did I come to appreciate the nuances of each bead.

I understand that buying Trollbeads from a photo is still not as good as seeing them in person but when you don't have a local dealer near you this is a good compromise. You are seeing the bead you will get if purchased. Please know that if you want to ever have me photograph a stick of beads so you can choose that way I am more than happy to do it.  Just ask!  Below is a stick of Pebbles Trollbeads from the Rocky Beach Kit.  Remarkable uniqueness in each bead but they are all Pebbles Trollbeads!  Now for the fun of it click on the link and see what the stock image is like!  We are given these from Trollbeads.  Not nearly as organic and lovely as they are in the photo below.

In the years I have sold Trollbeads as an authorized dealer I have been well aware of the counterfeit Trollbeads being sold on Ebay. I have written about the situation in the past and at this point I feel very strongly I need to address it once more.  Before writing this blog I read various reports and posts about the negative effects all counterfeiting has on brands and it is very troublesome to me that so many collectors still choose to buy their Trollbeads from unknown sources through Ebay.  If I can do anything for you the collector and for Trollbeads to help inform you of the situation I want to do it.  If you don’t want to take my word on the negative effects counterfeiting has on a brand please go to the links I have at the end of this blog and read some of the research. For those of you who do shop on Ebay and may save a few dollars in the short run, in the long run you lose so much more including faith and respect for a brand... when in actuality they have nothing to do with your perceptions.

Counterfeiting is illegal and it's running rampant in the bead world. Counterfeiting is one of the first steps of destroying a brand.  This is true for a variety of reasons.  You would think the obvious reason is the brand loses sales because consumers are buying from the counterfeit sellers but there are actually many negative effects beyond the obvious. The most important one is the gradual degradation of the brand.  Think of it.  If you purchase beads from the counterfeiter sellers on Ebay and are led to believe they are authentic Trollbeads and you are unhappy with the quality, it’s the brand that gets the black eye.  Not the counterfeiter and not the seller.  The perceived value of any company is lowered when this occurs.   If you are wondering how someone can make beads look so much like Trollbeads let me tell you.  There are numerous companies in China that can copy any product, any packaging and any brand logo out there.  In one of the articles I read there is somewhere around 17 “LaCoste” manufacturers in China so take that a step further and imagine how much easier it is to mold beads than it is to sew clothes and stay up with seasonal fashion changes.  As a dealer of Trollbeads I get promotional emails monthly from Chinese companies saying they can copy Trollbeads, Pandora etc. at a fraction of the cost and would I like to purchase from them?  Not only do they claim it but they also offer to send me free samples to prove it. It was estimated in one report that China is responsible for 60% of all counterfeit products.  So why do I drag Ebay in on this?  Because it is the only market place for these beads to be sold and they sell thousands.  I have purchased various beads through the years for research and with some I can tell the difference with the naked eye but there were some I could not tell the difference without clloser examination. That is scary because if I can’t tell how can the average collector make the call? 

This brings me to a comment that came in as a response to my last article, “My thoughts on the State of Trollbeads.”   I didn’t publish the comment as I did all the others and I'm grateful I didn’t as it would have been detrimental to Trollbeads because after all was said and done it ended up being a complaint about a counterfeit Trollbead! This consumer wrote she purchased a Daisy bead from an “official TB dealer” and went on about her dissatisfaction with the quality of the bead and perhaps that this is the problem with the current state of Trollbeads.  I have seen absolutely no down turn in quality so after reading her comment I reached out to her to ask her why she didn’t send the Daisy bead back to the retailer to make it right as she owed it to them and to Trollbeads to do so and I wanted her to be satisfied with her purchase. She responded that she couldn’t because she had purchased it on Ebay.  So this goes to point out just how damaging counterfeits are. Even though she was told by a jeweler that the gold area  was a wash (Trollbeads have solid 18K Gold) she still thought she had an Authentic Trollbead.  She explained that she thought that she was safe because the dealer has a 100% rating.  On one of my investigative purchases when I knew the beads to be fake I wrote to the Ebay dealer and told him that I knew he sold me counterfeit Trollbeads and I wanted to return them and get my money back.  I was then informed that if I gave them a 100% positive rating I would get my money back and I didn’t even need to return the beads.  I forfeited the money and threw out the beads and gave a bad rating but who wouldn’t go for the refund thus supporting this false rating system?  The rating system on Ebay has NO merit so don’t make your purchasing decision based on that.  I am not publishing this woman’s comment here to show how she was “taken” but to illustrate just how consumers can be led to believe something is real when it isn’t and to illustrate that although Trollbeads had nothing to do with this transaction or the bead, they were hurt.  This is just one example so take this experience and multiply by thousands and you can see how the brand is hurt that many times over.

Her comment: "I'm writing to explain my own personal feelings about buying TB because I am frustrated. I’ve only been a TB buyer for a couple of years – my girlfriend has an amazing collection and I fell in love. Money is tight for me so I don’t have a large collection. But I had some extra money last May and decided to splurge on the “Triple Daisy”. I had to order online because there are no dealers in my area, but they were an official TB retailer. When it arrived I was put off a bit - I didn’t swoon over it like I had my girlfriend’s bead. Something was amiss. I ran over to my girlfriend’s and we compared both beads side by side (her TD is several years older). Well, they weigh the same and the LAA stamping is the same. But her daisies are much more detailed than mine, more “cupped”. Mine are flat like plates. Around the edges of each daisy, where it should look like two daisies lying one on top of the other, her petals are very distinct, while mine look thick and stuck together. Her bead is carefully antiqued while mine has only a "spill" of antiquing on part of one daisy. Hers is very finely finished and polished - every tiny little anther is easily distinguished, despite being worn daily. Conversely, on my brand new bead, my daisy centers are criss-crossed lines through a lump of metal. Although my bead has some polishing on the inside (where the chain goes), there are still heavy tool markings and it’s black, as if all the antiquing ran into there. I sent photos to Trollbeads, and Lasse was kind enough to reply, but his response was not what I expected. He said he could not confirm authenticity and suggested I have a metallurgical test done. He made no comment on the workmanship. I took it to my jeweler who confirmed it is real silver with a gold wash over the daisy centers. But he wasn't impressed with the workmanship and couldn't believe what I paid for it."  

I wish I could say this was the only story like this I have heard but sadly it is not.

So consider this my first step, on a grassroots level, to help Trollbeads. (refer to my last blog) I have illustrated with this one situation and if you care about Trollbeads and want to be sure you are buying Trollbeads, purchase ONLY from Authentic Trollbeads dealers.  It’s time to clean up the marketplace one bead at a time. In 2009 the former FBI chief of organized crime was quoted as saying that counterfeiting will become the crime of the 21st Century.*

*Please note I have refrained from writing on this issue before this because I know there are valid collector/sellers on Ebay and didn't want to hurt their efforts. I feel the immediate detriment to Trollbeads from these bad dealers is large enough to warrant this all out appeal. Stay away from the large Ebay dealers.

Louise Rogers

Articles re:counterfeits

The Impact of Counterfeiting on Genuine Brand Relationships

The Affect of Counterfiet Products on Luxury Brands*

The Economic Impact of Counterfeiting and Piracy

Someone has to speak up.  I guess where I have been an unofficial spokesperson for Trollbeads in the U.S. (the company’s view anyway) for as many years as I have been a dealer it is up to me. I want to talk about the current state of Trollbeads, what I see happening  and what I would like to hear from you.

First of all let me explain why I am writing this.  It has come to my attention and to the attention of Trollbeads collectors across the country that a number of retailers are considering discontinuing the purchasing of Trollbeads in their store or already have.  I have had a variety of people question me as to why and are asking me what my thoughts are.  My thoughts are only about the initial problem as I see it. 

One thing I truly believe is that Trollbeads is by far a superior product to any other bead brand on the market today but that doesn’t make any difference at all when a retailer needs to sell to survive.  Pretty much all the retailers I have spoken to admit it’s the best product in its field.   It’s the original brand and it’s by far more artistic and a better made bead than anything else out there.  So the issue for these retailers is not lack of quality. The issue is its lack of recognition in a market so drowning in bead companies that it’s difficult for the consumer to recognize the difference.  Many retailers have been upset that Trollbeads has not been investing enough money in national advertising but they don’t understand the problem in advertising and it’s a huge one.  It goes beyond any basic conceptions you as consumers or retailers may have about advertising.

Consumers are being bombarded by so many ads and media coming at them from all sources and they retain only what was initially put in their minds. First impressions last far longer than you think.  It was bad enough that Pandora copied the Trollbeads add-a-bead concept but what added more to the issue was that Pandora was the first to enter the U.S. market and it brought the concept to the American mind/conscious in a huge and enormously successful way.   As I mentioned above Trollbeads retailers are unhappy with Trollbeads for not spending more on national advertising but Trollbeads invested millions of dollars in national advertising in 2011 and a significant portion of the ads were attributed to Pandora and not to Trollbeads.  So in essence you could say that millions dollars of Trollbeads money went to promoting Pandora.  I experienced this phenomena myself when I had a large Trollbeads digital billboard placed on an interstate highway near my gallery.  I can’t tell you how many people said to me “Oh, I saw your Pandora ad on the highway”.   (Of course those were people that didn’t know me well or they’d know my passion.)   Most retailers and consumers believe that advertising works but in this case it didn’t and doesn’t.  As a dealer I persevered and wanted to believe that one day people who don’t yet know Trollbeads would get the picture.  But they haven’t yet and I want to figure out why and try to work past it because in my heart I know Trollbeads deserves to continue to succeed as a brand here in the U.S.  Compared to Goliath Pandora, a mega multi-national conglomerate, Trollbeads is a small family owned company and call me a Pollyanna how can you not want the “little guys” to succeed?

I have serious collectors and dealers that subscribe to this blog and I have often been so grateful for the insightful wisdom left in the comments after I have written a blog.  The comments may be positive or they may be negative but it’s the shared passion we have that brings all of us better insight.  Trollbeads U.S. needs your help and advice but it is me asking.  We all love the brand and we want the value of our collections to remain strong so let’s work together and figure out a way to conquer this problem of getting the Trollbeads word out there.   A side note here, on the application to join our Trollbeads Gallery Forum I ask a question to everyone and that is “Do you like to share your love of Trollbeads or do you keep it to yourself?”  I think about 50% of the answers come in as “Keep it as a secret”.  How funny is it that we don’t want to share something we love for fear of what?  For fear of losing great beads to people you’ve shared it with?  It’s time to open up and share your passion! 

While I am confident Trollbeads U.S. has plans in place to work through this issue we should try to add our ideas to the effort. How can we work together to help spread the word in a grass roots effort to share our love of a brand so humble in all that it does beyond developing exquisite beads year after year,  more important one that continues to do humanitarian works by creating factories and partnering with communities around the globe in dire need of employment.   How can you not want to help figure this out for Trollbeads, for the people who are benefitting from their humanitarian efforts and for your own Trollbeads collection?

I may be asking for too much but I want to thank you for reading this article and for any input you may have.

This is not the place to air your negative thoughts and complaints.  I work hard to support a brand I believe in so if you need to complain write me directly.  This is meant to be a contructive blog.

PLEASE NOTE: When you leave any helpful ideas or comments they don't become visible until I approve them so it may take a few moments.

Louise Rogers

http://www.trollbeadsgallery.com/

2014 Mother's Day Trollbeads Release

We have all seen the new releases of 2014 and from the limited edition beads to the Spring release they have all been spectacular.  Now Trollbeads Gallery is proud to offer the 2014 Mother's Day Release.  Three spectacular beads and a pair of earring components (earrings shown below).  My favorite (as usual) is the glass bead.  As you can see from the photo above it combines black, white and lavender and it is a faceted bead!  Trollbeads is really embracing glass beads with facets and I am all for it as the reflections are faceted adding visual motion to your designs as you move. We have them listed for pre-sale and we will be shipping them out on the actual release date of March 21st.

Two Specials Now on Trollbeads Gallery

As you may know there has been a change on how Trollbeads allows its retailers to offer specials. There will be special times during the year that specials will be allowed.  Until 2-15-14 we will be offering two money saving specials at Trollbeads Gallery. The specials started a week ago and if you didn't receive notice via email make sure you sign up for ours now!

1.When you purchase an Upgraded clasp you can receive a bracelet chain for free. (save $46)

2. When you purchase a Trollbeads Bangle you will receive two free stoppers. (save $40) A shown below.  If you don't have a Bangle yet-the possiblities are limitless!

Another Seasonal Favorite Continues

For a 4th year in a row Trollbeads Gallery is happy to offer you our Winter Wonderland selection of Blue Unique beads!  Here you will find specially saved blue unique Trollbeads to celebrate the darker clear blue of winter skies and the lighter blues of sparkling snow crystals!

There are so many wonderful blues in the unique beads so check them out soon and enjoy their beauty!We will be adding to our selection as the week goes by so check back!

Farewell to the newest beads to be retired!

It seems that so many things occur simultaneously with Trollbeads that sometimes it’s easy to miss something as important as a major retirement.   Once every year or two Trollbeads will discontinue making a number of beads and these beads become discontinued or “retired”.  There are always a variety of reasons for each bead’s demise but every retirement helps make room for the new beads Trollbeads releases throughout the year. 

              Zanzibar                        Pax                           Nightingale                 Purple Kit

I am writing this blog to make sure collectors are well aware of the retirement as even some retailers missed its announcement.   As I already mentioned between the new 2014 Trollbeads Spring release and the Spring Release Debut Events partnering with the 2 limited edition release beads it would be easy to miss this final item…the retirement.

2014 Trollbeads Retirement

I won’t mention all the beads as you can go to our website and see them all listed there in one category, but I will mention the ones I personally will miss the most.  As far as silver beads go if you don’t yet own the Zanzibar bead think about getting one now before they are gone.  It has been in line for a very long time and it is a classic bead and a great size with a great texture.  The Scottish Terrier is a sweet bead and it is the only dog “breed” bead that exists.   I am sad that the first “People’s Bead” Winning bead, the Pax bead is going also.  This is the first winning bead so it is very monumental that it is being retirement.  The “Pax” bead designer, Suzanne Hopping, from Australia joined us for our first Trollbeads Fest and I am proud to call her a friend and I am sad her bead is leaving the line.  Suzanne has gone on to design many beads in a variety of themes.   A second winning “People’s Bead” the World Within, also designed by an Australian Linda Karuso, is also leaving the line in this retirement.  Both of these winning "People's beads" are a must for your collection!

I find it interesting that many of the beads in this retirement are the smaller scale beads.  I know my collectors like the larger scale beads so this is not a surprise to me.   Falling Leaves, Coral Branch, Happy Fish, World Within are all small scale beads but can have a great place on the end of your chains or on a chain of just small silver beads.  Three large beads are going and they are Koala, Panda and Big Earth.  

Two silver and gold beads are leaving the line this time and I am very sad to see the Nightingale leave the line.  The detail in this bead is phenomenal and the golden bird is beautiful.  The Three Stars has always been a slow seller for me but again it may have been due to the smaller scale.

   Happy Fish                   Spring Drop                      Big Earth               Black & White Kit

In this retirement we see that it is black and white beads and older purple beads that are leaving the line.  The entire Purple Kit (as shown in photo) is being retired. If you look at the advancement of style of the newer beads you can see why these are going. There are two Black and White kits retiring but the entire kit is not going they have developed another kit to reposition the black and white beads that aren't going.

Look at all three of the "Drop" season beads that are leaving the line.  Winter, Spring and Autumn are all going!  Drops on bracelets always add a another layer of interest!

  It is truly very cool when you look at how the styles have changed and how they have developed as the years go by.  There are many retired beads that are glorious but with each retirement the history of Trollbeads becomes deeper and it gives us a chance to consider each bead and make sure we have the ones we want before they are gone!   The good news is that retirements are now announced before the beads are gone and we all have a chance to add them to our collection.  In the early days the beads were retired without any notice and the beads were gone! So take advantage of the retirement "fore-warning" and remember when you purchase in kit form you save $31.00 by getting one of the six beads free!

NB:Please note that if you want any of these beads but can't financially commit at this time we will be happy to save them for you and set up a payment plan.  This is a great way to purchase the "Nighingale" Trollbead!

I know there has been a lot of cyber chatter on the upcoming limited edition beads being released by Trollbeads during the 2014 Spring Collection Launch Event and while some chatter has been negative, read this blog and rethink it.  I know there are a lot if unknowns so in my own way I will try to explain it through my viewpoint, for what it's worth.

When any changes are made there are always adjustments to be made and to consider.  In attitude and in actuality.  I say this because until I went through the process of working the limited edition beads into my website did I finally figure out how the sale of these beads will actually happen.  This is a challenge to many of us but now that I have it worked out I hope I can help you figure it out too. This included the whys and the hows. A new offer or policy like this is challenging but I am accepting it with open arms as it shows Trollbeads is willing to try new things and that is always a good thing.  It may not ever be repeated but everything is worth a try.  From my perspective I think of these two beads as a reward for the collector.  If you are willing to invest in purchasing from the Trollbeads line then you should be rewarded with the chance to buy a limited edition bead. I know it sounds backwards but if you follow the limited edition Trollbeads on Ebay and see the high prices the rare ones can bring it may seem to be a right decision. You can certainly see why there are people out who buy up limited edition Trollbeads just to make a profit on Ebay and make no step to buy other Trollbeads and this just isn't fair to the Trollbeads collector. It pushes up the prices for a collector to get the bead. It's a problem with all brands but in this manner Trollbeads is assuring that only true collectors get these beads.  If dealers hold true to the process everyone will win.

For the first time Trollbeads is offering collectors the chance to purchase these 2 limited edition beads after you have spent $150 or more during our Spring Launch Event.  Trollbeads Gallery is holding ours on the day of the new 2014 Trollbeads Spring Collection Release and will end on January 26th midnight. During this time anyone can purchase $150 or more of Trollbeads and then will be able to see the two beads offered.  The logitics we have had to create to offer these beads only to those who have purchased the $150 has been challenging but it's all taken care of. 

The only real problem lies in the fact that the quantity of the "Eternal Love" Barrel bead is very, very limited.  Dealers have been told with their customers who have purchased the $150 they could run a "lottery" or a "drawing" and the winners of the drawing would be given the chance to buy the bead. However Massachusetts has restrictive laws in this area. So Trollbeads Gallery will be offering these on a first come basis. Our inventory will run out quickly and we can only offer each qualifying customer one. Please keep in mind this is the first time for us to manage this type of offer so have patience with us!  As of 1/25 PM we still have beads so let us know if you want one!

We purchased many of the Pink and Orange Armadillo so the avaialibilty on these will not be restricted to one. 

My first blog of the new year is really about the very exciting year we have ahead of us.  There are so many great beads coming our way and from my position I don't even know where to start. Ok, the bead released today (1-10) shown on the chain to the left is a great place to start.

The "Be My Valentine" bead is a great new limited edition bead which is actually ground breaking in that each bead has 4 tiny copper hearts sunk with in the top layer of glass.  It is also a great natural addition to the line as it will go so well with all the Aurora beads released in 2013. I have already added it to our "Trollbeads With a Twist" category which is Trollbeads Gallery's special category where you are buying the actual bead listed. New bead sell quickly in this category but I will try to replenish quickly when each one sells!

The next limited edition beads will be available at our "Spring 2014 Launch Event" which is to held January 24, 25 26th.  The 2014 Spring Collection is now on-line to see and pre-order but if you spend $150 on the new beads you can purchase the brand new "Pink and Orange Aramadillo" for $31.00 or the very exciting "Eternal Love" barrel style glass bead for $63.00 as shown below!

The "Spring 2014 Launch Event" is an event created to, at this point in time, temporarily take the place of the Trunk show as we knew it. The future of the U.S. style of specials is going through transition and the final plan is still on the drawing board so stay tuned.

The term "Trunk Show" was always a misnomer in it's use for the Trollbeads events but it was what people were used to as it had been used for years in other jewelry brands.  It's typically when a brand brings in "trunks" of inventory for customers to purchase or order from just for that event. With Trollbeads it became a competitive "give away" and it created enormous work for the company and for the retailers while adding to the brand's lack luster appeal when there wasn't a trunk show.  There are many retailers that couldn't afford the drop in margins and in the process we lost retailers that couldn't compete in this manner and this was bad for Trollbeads as well as the retailers.  That may seem unimportant to the collector that wants to buy multiple beads at a lower price but in the long run it was taking away value from the brand. If you follow that further it would lead to the devaluing of your valuable collection. So let's look forward to future events and see it all unfold for all of us -the collectors and the dealers who bring Trollbeads to you.

Three NEW "X" Links for Valentine's Day have been released and they are wonderful!!!!

From left to right:

 Love Bubble (as in cartoon bubble) Struck by Love  and  Love Bugs.  Great additions to X!

So stay the course with us through this upcoming spectacular 2014 Spring release and we will all see what the future brings.  As with all change the going may seem tough but the beads are getting more beautiful with each release and in the long run that is what a collector should concern themselves with. If you hold your love of Trollbeads in your heart just know that great things are happening.

My next blog will be about the new 2014 Spring Collection due out on the 24th.  You can see it and pre-order it now but keep in mind we will be shipping on January 24th.  There truly are sensational beads in this collection.  Thank you Trollbeads.

IMPORTANT!!  The Trollbeads Unique Sale is ending next week so take advantage of the low $31 price and stock up!  I have continued to add beads each day so check back!! Avaialable until 1-15-14 midnight!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

It's that time of year again and as this year is something like our 8th year in a row...a tradition continues!  Trollbeads Gallery has just begun listing Christmas Unique beads. We have started off by listing 130 Unique beads, all with the green or red holiday colors!  We will be adding more as they sell so check back when you can. As many of you know this tradition means I save beads all year for this release so I can offer you the best selection for the holidays.  You will also see some older beads from my secret stash so it's worth a peek!  We usually release this collection on Thanksgiving night but with the tight time between Thanksgiving and Christmas we wanted to get a day jump on it! As you can tell I am always very excited to offer you these beads and I hope you enjoy seeing them!

To complete you holiday designs Trollbeads Gallery has taken all the standard Trollbeads that have any Christmas theme in design or in color and has them under one easy category so after choosing your Christmas Unique beads go to Christmas Themed Trollbeads and add a retired Snowman or a Snowball bead to your collection! The Christmas Tree adds a great dimension to a bracelet too!  So look around and you may even be reminded of beads you already own that will help you create the festive holiday look you want!

This year we have added a fun "Free Gift With Purchase" that will add to your holiday design!  We have created three different Dangles you can choose from when you purchase $200 on Trollbeads Gallery.  It has to be in one purchase but there is no limit until supplies are gone.  All you need to do is make a note of the Dangle you want in the Notes section as you check out!  I hope you love them!  The bail is nice and small so it won't take up much room on your bracelet!  An idea for a great Christmas Gift would be a $200 Gift Certificate and with that we would give a free Dangle!

If you have any questions or want to order over the phone you can call toll free at 888-758-3641 during regular business hours.

As always there is free shipping offered within the U.S.!!

Happy holidays from a very spirited Trollbeads Gallery crew!  Louise, Penni, Carole, Ruth and all!