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...but were afraid to ask!

Part 1. It's All in a Name

The Unique glass beads by Trollbeads are undeniably the one category of Trollbeads that is open for all kinds of interpretation depending upon your own experience with and knowledge of these incredible beads. To begin this discussion let’s start at what to call  these beads as this is one area that confuses many collectors. I remember a couple of years ago having a debate with our Trollbeads Gallery Forum members on what the best name is and it was really quite arbitrary with the name being different on different websites and in different countries. 

Lund (our past U.S. Distributor) referred to them as “Assorted Beads” but that name was too vague for me and we were permitted to call them anything that fit but not "OOAK".  Many dealers in the U.S. chose to call them "limited edition" beads but for me this didn’t work either.  Owning an art gallery my idea of a limited edition is something that has a finite end and I’m sure no one has been counting the beads as they were being made. Another problem with calling them limited edition is that Trollbeads had actual limited editions such as Brilliant Hearts and later Crazy Lace Agate, for two examples. Calling them "Limited Edition" would surely confuse the collector because these releases had nothing to do with Unique beads.

In Europe the dealers were selling these beads as “OOAK” beads  (which is  an acronym for "one of a kind") but as I mentioned Lund did not allow us to use the term due to legal ramifications. They believed the term to be misleading, where most all of these beads were not one of a kind.  This difference in the terminology may not seem like a big deal yet it was for the U.S. dealers.  At this point in time collectors the world over would run computer searchs for the term “OOAK” Trollbeads and where we could not use the term, it cut us out of a lot of internet searches. This was a big drawback for the U.S. dealers but I also understood the issue involved. The discussion I mentioned on our Trollbeads Gallery Forum brought up interesting points but I remember one of my Forum members telling me that “Unique” literally meant one of a kind and she was right of course but my use of the word was more about something being different from the norm. Since we had been using the name on Trollbeads Gallery since the early days, people had come to know the Unique beads on Trollbeads Gallery were in fact the same as the OOAK beads in Europe.

So call them what you want but on Trollbeads Gallery they will always be known as Unique!

In future blog articles I will be discussing the styles, values and origination of the Unique Trollbeads. Please contact me if you want anything specific or have anything to add!

The photograph above was taken of the Unique Trollbeads I was sent for Trollbeads Fest 2010.  I can't wait for the Unique beads to arrive for Trollbeads Fest 2011!

 

 

I love the Internet and I love the ability to find so much information with very few strokes on a keypad. It’s a gift for readers and for blog authors but for the authors this is a gift that comes with a responsibility.The responsibility is to offer accurate information they can count on to form their own opinions.

The title question came to mind because of a Trollbeads blog I recently read. The blog offers information about Trollbeads gossip and is usually entertaining to read. In general, with the freedoms allowed to “anonymous” bloggers, no commitment is necessary by the writers to seek the truth before publishing, after all a lot of blogging is just opinion. The unfortunate thing about the written word; many people take it as the truth. The case I am referring to is opinion but many people may not understand this and it is important that they do. I appreciate this author’s view point but there is a position they have taken and have commented on before, I feel the need to oppose because it can hurt Trollbeads retailers and ultimately the collectors. It has to do with the writer’s opinion on the prices charged for Unique beads. Unless you are an authorized dealer who has personally signed legally binding contracts and the rules are different for each country a business is registered in, you cannot know all of the facts required to voice opinions on pricing. Before commenting publicly many things need to be considered. I am speaking for other Trollbeads retailers as well.

1.The retailer understands that UNLIKE any other product offered by any other source, they DO NOT have a choice in what unique beads they receive to sell.  The beads are purchased unseen. They DO NOT have the ability to return the product if it is unsellable. The retailer also may NOT discount and may NOT have a sale on these beads. This type of buying situation is unheard of in most industries. We do however have the choice to not order these beads to sell but is that in the best interest of the collector?

2. If you are a dealer you must consider the financial ramifications. If your order comes in and there are beads that are the best of the best, there are also similar quantities that are unsellable. If you charge the same price for the best as you do for the unsellable beads knowing you will never sell the undesirable beads, you will never make back the investment or even the required profit to make it a viable on-going category for your business.

3. As a retailer selling this product you have 2 choices.

   A: Is to sell them all at the same price, selling only the desirable beads, learning after a short time that it is a losing proposition and you stop getting them in to offer.

  B: Is to price the beads according to their desirability and in doing so cover the cost of the undesirable beads no one wants. It is a simple formula for succeeding in selling unique Trollbeads which is the only way for us to continue to offer the Unique beads collectors want.

In conclusion for those of you who don’t know me, I have been selling Trollbeads for 4 years and have sold Unique Trollbeads for just about as long and let me tell you I have many Unique beads that will never sell. If I had not priced the Unique beads by their desirability I would have stopped getting them in and stopped selling them over 3 ½ years ago. Trollbeads Gallery is now on Unique Bead #4093. That would mean they’d be 3000 fewer Unique beads in the collections of my customers. Would this have been a good thing? Please let me know your thoughts.

To check the going prices go to the links below.

Regards, Louise Rogers

Trollbeads Gallery Uniques

Trollbeads Gallery New Uniques

Continuing the discussion on Trollbeads 2010 we move on to the Spring Collection.  In February 2010 Trollbeads released a beautiful collection of new bead designs.  For collectors it was a very welcomed release because it offered a series of black beads and we know how black can be both stylishly modern and pin-stripe suit conservative. Black Armadillo, Black Bubbles, Fashion Flower, Chess, and the new Zebra (not to be confused with the old retired Zebra) are staples in every collection. You can take a bracelet of black and white Trollbeads and add only one other color and it changes the look entirely. The colors that look the best with the black and white beads are red, hot pink and lime green.

 

 

 

The “Aventurine” bead was introduced and like many of the natural “Precious Stone” beads it comes in a variety of tones and lends itself to many applications.  See accompanying photo below.

 Don’t be afraid to use green in any design as it is in the middle of the color wheel and looks good with many complimentary and contrasting colors.  This release saw the two new tassel beads (shown in photo above) in white pearl and black spinel.  The earlier drop pearls had just been discontinued and the tassel beads have a more up to date, cleaner look.  Filling the gap for” baby” beads, the” Little Boy” and the” Little Girl” beads were introduced alongside the “Hope” bead.  Soft blue, soft pink and soft mint green pearlescent/opaque glass with one cz in each bead.  The silver “Zucchini Flower” bead is big and can be used on standard necklaces, Fantasy Necklaces and on bracelets.  I use mine on a bracelet.  The “Soccer Ball” was happily welcomed by all the soccer moms we sell to and this is one of only 3 beads with any hint toward sports so it fills void. There are other beads that deserve mention but will only name two more I use a lot.  The “Paradise Birds” and the “Carved Flowers” both have the heavier feel and width of the “Limited Edition China” (from 2009) and the “Jugend” bead.  The height and width of these beads allows them to be positioned next to glass beads and they are level with the glass so they don’t get lost.  Finishing up the release was the addition of the “Swan Lock”.  I don’t know any Trollbeads Collector who isn’t always wishing for a new lock and The “Swan Lock”  is regal and  beautiful  and has been very popular. 

As far as the versitality of your use of Trollbeads goes the Spring Collection also introduced the double stand leather bracelets.  These are youthful but can also be sophisticated depending on how you dress them up or down. The leather cord is square and just large enough to effectively hold each bead in place so there is no need to fill the bracelet. 

Offered in red, beige, brown and black leather there is such variety it ends up a challenge to come up with the best look.  A nice surprice for me was these bracelets when purchased in the larger size makes a dynamite necklace!

Ok Trollbeads we are all ready for the 2011 Spring release so bring it on!

Trollbeads are undeniably the ultimate choice in interchangeable beads and they will remain so for a very long time to come. Why is this so?  There are numerous factors, two of which are discussed here.

With the dozens of brands following the Trollbeads original design, no one brand has ever come close to capturing the magical quality of Trollbeads.  I'm sure I'm not sharing any industry secrets here and even if the folks at Pandora or Chamilia read my blog they couldn’t utilize the concepts I’m discussing and come anywhere close to Trollbeads.  Being the oldest brand brings wisdom and no brand can copy that.

    Trollbeads is the only bead line using 18K gold, while others use 14K and some lines even use gold filled.  As with most companies the decisions concerning the choice of materials come from the top at Trollbeads.  Fortunately for us, at Trollbeads the person at “the top” also happens to be one of the designers.  Only the designers should make decisions concerning their creations.  This is at the core of why Trollbeads creations are a true form of art.  In the case with gold beads Trollbeads designers know that the higher the karat, the finer the detail.  The 18K gold is higher in price but instrumental in producing the finest quality, finest detailed beads.  Look at the gold beads and see how light plays upon each detail and reflects the magic in each bead.  "Little Precious" (shown left)is brand new and  “Treasures” with fine seaside detail is a favorite of mine.  “Angel Feathers” had a texture unique to this bead as each feather has an etching-like detailed quality and all together the feathers catch the light like no other gold bead.  Look at the Gold Wisdom bead below and see how the 18K gold cradles the precious stones framing each stone’s color so beautifully.  For the best in quality 18K Gold is imperative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another reason Trollbeads is the ultimate choice and one that sets the bar so high is the special category, Unique Trollbeads. In fact they are so special they are not even mentioned in the Trollbeads catalogs!  These Trollbeads are the absolute favorite of seasoned collectors. Unique Trollbeads are Trollbeads that are created in a very limited quantity and are never identified or given a name as the in-line glass Trollbeads are. There are hundreds of different unique Trollbeads designs. Even the name "Unique" is not universally used.  There really isn’t one name used for these beads and in some cases it may cause confusion, but not for long.  In Europe they are referred to as OOAK, which is the acronym for ‘one of a kind’.  In the United States dealers are asked not to use the ‘OOAK’ term to identify these beads as it is a misnomer and in marketing the beads it is considered misleading and can be could be seen as an untruth.   Very few of the unique beads made are actually a true “one of a kind” as most of these beads are made in multiple, but limited quantities.  The United States distributor, TrollbeadsU.S. refers to them as “Assorted Beads”.

Four years ago when I became a Trollbeads retailer the Unique Beads really were unique in many respects.  That was when fewer beads were being made and these beads were a brilliant use of beads that didn’t meet the quality control parameters for an in-line bead and the glass artists would take these beads and add a dollop of glass with a swirl of color and call it unique, and it truly was!  There would also be Unique beads created as trials for testing future in-line Trollbeads but as demand has increased for Trollbeads the current Unique beads are actually being created for the purpose of being sold as Unique beads. They are equally beautiful and expertly executed, just not as spontaneously created!   What ever your favorite color and what ever your favorite pattern of bead, the Unique Trollbeads will offer you a wide choice.

Above is a set of blue Unique Trollbeads and the middle set is a group of the Unique Flower Trollbeads which come in a variety of colors.  This is just a small sample!

Below is a "3-Nique" Set from  Trollbeads Gallery.  We pair 3 Unique beads up that look well together and sell them as a set!

 For more samples of Unique Trollbeads visit:

Trollbeads Gallery Uniques!

Please leave a comment and tell me your favorite style/color of Unique Trollbeads!