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

Let me first start by stating there is nothing that says this will be happening beyond the Mother's Day release, so don't panic, but I'd like to hear from you the collectors what your thoughts are.  Please share them with us so we will fully understand your feelings.

I want to say here that many of you are upset that the Mother's Day bead is coming out (you all know what it is but I cannot mention it yet) and when I think about the comments on Trollbeads Gallery Forum I believe a lot of the emotion is centered around the basic lack of information. 

There seems to be a leak somewhere within the Headquarters of the company. You are all finding out about Trollbeads releases before we as dealers do and while this is fun for collectors to have the inside scoop it causes problems to the retailers who are left unaware.  Take for example this coming limited edition of the Mother's Day Bead. I have not been told by Trollbeads or by Trollbeads U.S. that it's happening but I do know it is.  This in itself is ridiculous but then add to that the fact that dealers in other countries (and hemispheres) can announce it on their sites and it becomes even more twisted. The U.S. collectors are not getting information from us (the U.S. dealers) and are panicking we won't be getting it so they and are pre-ordering from the foreign sites.  This hurts the collector because they will likely be paying more for it and it hurts the U.S. dealer because we are loosing sales. Add to that the fact that we are at a disadvantage because we are not allowed to sell outside N.America but dealers around the world can sell to U.S. collectors.  So it's a double whammy.  Although the collectors are the are the ones who are thrilled about getting the hot informaiton before the company releases it they are also the ones hurt by paying more.  No blame on the collector here at all but if we were to be given the information at the same time directly from the company then we would all be on an equal playing field and we would have correct information and rumors or verbal assaults (some are very unhappy about the re-release) would not have to occur.  It would be a lot more fair if the actual facts pertaining to the release is given but this never happens because the information is always leaked before the product is produced. Hmmm, makes you think doesn't it?

Take for example...one more time that elephant sitting in the center of the room...or the Mother's Day release. When it is released it is my hope that the story about the re-release also defines what is unique about it so that the collectors who paid hundreds of dollars for the first release can rest assured knowing there is a way to tell the 2 editions apart.  It's my wish that when any Trollbead comes into the market a second time around it should be accompanied by all historical information and all up to date information. It should also show a stamp with a figure designating the date it was made. For example when the Pink Prisms were released to Australia (before the U.S. had them in the BCA set) the Australian dealers were not given sufficient information and were telling collectors the prisms were new beads and had just been remade.  The fact is the glass that had been used to make those beads was discontinued a long time ago and that was the reason the bead was retired along with the fact the glass used was not predictable and the beads were sometimes translucent and sometimes not. The beads that were sent were the old beads they discovered in a box in the vault during reconstruction but were stamped before they left the building, as all beads are now.  People were saying all sorts of things about these beads and none of it was true but the damage had been done. When the rest of them were released in the Breast Cancer Awareness kit the sales suffered because there was such confusion over what the beads were.  The collectors didn't know because the information was not released by the company at the time as the bead.  There should be full disclosure at the time of release so no one has to guess at the reason for the re-release or have to guess when comparing one edition against the other. 

Information or no information we are very fortunate that Trollbeads is honest and moral in all business dealings and decisions and we just need to keep faith in that.

Louise Rogers

February 29, 2012

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I am always interested in seeing our websites sales statistics as far as the product numbers and in discovering what are the best sellers.  Specifically this past month because of the large release of new beads and with the retirement of so many older Trollbeads.  Each month I see stoppers and bracelets as one and two so we will skip right past that and move on to the beads.  The Mixed Armadillo, a new bead, does not surprise me as being the number 1 seller.  The green is rich and the shadings are quite beautiful and as in many glass Trollbeads there is a lot of variants from bead to bead.  The Cream Armadillo at 2 doesn't surprise me either because it's neutral and easy to use and of course everyone loves armadillos!  This bead doesn't have any variants or none that I can notice.  Number 3 is Opposites and I adore all the new barrel beads and I am thrilled the size and the resulting price has not prohibited some from getting this bead. The Coffee Cup is the 4th biggest selling of the new beads and there's no surprise there!  Who doesn't like a great cup of coffee?? Mountain Flower is a sweet Group 1 silver with a double flower. Black Squirrel coming in number 6 just goes to show you how much people will miss this bead, it is one of many leaving the collection.  Tea Cup is a great one and like Coffee Cup the price is the lowest silver price and haing a cup of tea is symbolic for taking time out to enjoy the simple things. The Valentine Bead is always a best seller in February and as a gift it's large size and beautiful framework makes it a stunning Valentine's gift. Like Black Squirrel the Red Feather has also been retired and people were busy scooping it up for their collection but maybe also for their Valentine's Bracelet.  With the retirement of this bead and "China Red" we see two less red glass beads in the line. Flying Geese, another barrel bead, is 11th and White paper fold is 12, another neutral bead. 

If you haven't had the time to see the new beads just click on the bead below and it will take you to that bead!

1.Mixed Green Armadillo

2.Cream Armadillo

3.Opposites

4.Coffee Cup

5.Mountain Flower

6.Black Squirrel

8.Tea Cup

9.Valentine

10. Red Feather

11.Flying Geese

12.White Paper Fold

Tell us what your favorite Trollbeads are from this most recent Trollbeads introduction.  To see them all got to What's New Trollbeads Gallery.  Hapoy Trolling!

You may have noticed various discussions about the negative side of Ebay. A lot has been discussed on Trollbeads Gallery Forum or on this blog. Usually it is warning about the fake beads being sold on Ebay by unscrupulous sellers who are making a killing on the brand’s name. We’ve had many collectors reporting the sellers who continually sell counterfeit beads closing down one selling I.D while opening another. But this discussion isn’t about erroneous beads it’s about erroneous listings. I spent some time cruising around the Ebay site and saw a definite change from when I last looked around about 6 months ago.

I was so aghast at what I saw I thought it was wise to bring it to your attention. As I read each listing it appeared every other one had something untrue about it. How did this happen so quickly? But then I considered the huge upswing in Trollbeads awareness and I think this is one of the natural steps a product takes as it matures in the marketplace. First you have your “counterfeiters” who closely follow the market and try to recreate a product before it hits its tipping point and this we have seen over and over again. Now the curve has widened and the people who are next in line, we’ll call them the “taking advantage” group has now joined the fray. These people are listing beads on Ebay but by twisting words and the truth and they catch people’s eyes and these people want the product to be what it is so badly they don’t recognize the warning signs. I took a quick and brief snapshot of the listings that disturbed me and I have listed them below. These are Ebay listings that to a trained eye would stick out as wrong but to a new collector they seem like everyone’s dream bead. If you are a “newbie” before you go on Ebay remember there is more than just counterfeit beads to worry about, it’s counterfeit listings also. Please just remember you need to do your homework.

1. Retired Eye Bead. The truth: The Eye Bead is not retired.

2. Authentic Grey Prism Trollbead. The Truth: The Grey Prism is not retired

3. Authentic Sterling Penguin Trollbead-Retired.: The Truth: The Penguin has never been a Trollbead so hence it is not a retired Trollbead.

4. Retired Troll Baby. The truth: This has not been retired at this time.

5. Original Authentic Retired Red-Green Dot OOAK. The Truth: This bead is an OOAK, not retired. 6. Authentic Trollbeads “Orange Bubbles” Rare, Retired. The Truth: There has never been an orange bubbles in the line.

7. You’ll find sellers like “collect a troll” selling a retired Rooster for $225.00. The product is real but the price is unreal. Check around at the authorized dealers and you’ll find it for half the price. Trollbeads Gallery has it at $79.00

8.The retired Clown, on this site, is $169.00. Again look around. Other prices are half this amount.

9. The retired “Striped Bud” is $129.00 with the same dealer. Other prices with authorized dealers are always lower. Trollbeads Gallery has it at $45.00. But people must be buying from these dealers and my question is why?

In closing I want to remind you of one basic tenant in the marketplace, Ebay destroys the brands it proliferates. History shows it’s true. Ebay doesn’t mean to but their platform for selling offers the counterfeiters and the “take advantage” people the chance to strut their wares to those people who are unaware. Again, do your homework or better yet, buy from Authorized dealers .

*Not all Ebay dealers are unscrupulous.

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.

 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

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.

...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!

How do you see your Trollbeads when you look at your collection?

Do you see a challenge and feel threatened? Do you keep your bracelet the same at all times?

Or, do you see a blank canvas with little tubes of paint bursting at the seams to get utilized?

I will take a wild bet and say that there are equal amount of collectors in each group.  What I would like to do is help those of you feeling challenged to feel more comfortable and get you to see your collection as a collective group of possibilities and not as an insurmountable challenge.

For me it’s all about color, texture and balance.  It’s really that simple.  Take your Trollbeads and arrange them in color families.  Once you have done that the trepidation in your mind will seem more manageable.  It’s actually a lot of fun sorting through the colors and you’ll get to feel closer to the creative place of mind and that will help enormously.  Now take each color group and put them in seperate little containers, I find the Lean Cuisine containers great for this because they are black which is neutral.

Now here is where you may want outside guidance.  If you trust your taste and trust your instincts you may not need this next step but I find it a fun way to get started if I am looking to do something new.  You need to find a color wheel.  For the time being you can Google one to use on line but the colors will only be as true as your monitor. Any art supply store should carry them and at the end of this article I will leave an on line link to a source for them as well.  They are around $5.00 and worthwhile owning. There are 2 different color wheels.  The one most commonly used for art projects is the Primary Color wheel and the other one is the tonal color wheel, the tonal wheel is pictured just below. I find with Trollbeads both the tonal and the primary wheels are very useful because of the wide range of colors in the Trollbeads line.

Simply place your bead or beads under the see through window next to the best matched color. Then you just need to dial the wheel as it instructs you to and get guaranteed successful color combinations.  It may sound involved but it is easy and you’ll feel confident in using your Trollbeads in combinations you never thought of before.  I know there are many collectors who find their own color combinations but for the color challenged this is a fun and easy way to go!  Look at the color on the wheel opposite the color your beads are close to and you'll find a great color combination. Below is the Primary color wheel.

The Primary color wheel takes into account the very strong colors such as purple, bright yellow and the strong pinks you'll find in Trollbeads. Below is a bracelet I made showing the use of the yellows and purples from across the wheel.

When it comes the silver Trollbeads you will need to become familiar with the textured beads and the smooth and shiny beads.   For a good balance I like to see a little of both.  My personal favorites tend to be larger beads as I like to make a statement.  You probably already know what scale your prefer.   For texture I like the Zanzibar Trollbead, Ocean, Treasures and Wine Harvest.  My very favorite for smooth and shiny is the Spot bead and for a spacer feel I like Two Sides to Everything.  Once I noticed the difference between having shine and not having any shine I make sure I always have it on every bracelet.  Imagine a mantel piece in your home.  You may have a wreath over it and maybe a couple of wooden candlesticks.  It’s fine but it doesn’t feel perfect.  Now take away the wooden candlesticks and place a set of glass candlesticks there instead.  You’ll find the effect to be more pleasing to look at because the shine brings attention to the mantel piece.  It is the same principal with your Trollbeadsso make sure you add some shine!

Color Wheel Source: http://www.firemountaingems.com/details.asp?pn=H202073TL