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

Seriously...this is a very important blog for me to write and one that is terribly late so to the other serious Halloween lovers like myself, I apologize.  Next to Christmas this has always been my favorite holiday...yes, to me it is a holiday.  With all the nasty political ads running I think we should start a "Make Halloween in a National Holiday" campaign. How about it?? Now that is something I would march for, vote for and celebrate in a huge way! No school and no work on October 31st! You could spend all day designing your Halloween day Trollbeads bracelet, your costume and making your Halloween treats for the evenings' trick or treators!

Day 1 of Trollbeads Fest! 2012 fell on the day the NEW Halloween Trollbeads were released so I am just coming up out of the Fest-Fog and wanted to make sure you all have seen the new beads.  The Pumpkin Trollbead was the Fest favorite.  It is a perfect Halloween Pumpkin with a bat outline for a mouth and a bat outline on his back side, not to be confused with backside... which I don't think Pumpkins have. But this bead could not be more perfect in any way from its perfect pumpkin shape to it's size. The Pumpkin was designed by Thor Hay. Here is a photo with many Pumpkins on it.  We used the retired Coral Stripe Glass bead to highlight the orange and the black!

The bead that caused the most raucous (at Trollbeads Fest?? a raucous? Can you even imagine that? Ha!) was the "Inner Glow" glass bead which as many of you know glows in the dark and does so in a very sensational way!!  I now know how many Fest goers can actually fit in my ladies room...which was the only dark location!  We had many "wows" and a lot of laughs but after our perfectly dark display many were buying the "Inner Glow" in duplicates for their Trollbeads Necklaces and for their Skeleton necklace (which were released at the last Trollbeads Fest.) I did hear from a lot of people who were being pleasantly surprised by this bead as they were wondering if it would be as nice in the daylight as in the dark and YES it is a beautiful bead in both situations.  You can see it in the "dark" version the image below!

Personally I adore the new Spider Trollbead and although I know many who absolutely hate spiders, but  even the most ardent spider haters were charmed, tickled and very impressed with our new Spider bead. It hangs from the bracelet as one would hang from a web! I have named mine Charlotte but I have to say she will be living on my bracelet year round because she's just so sweet. You can see 4 of the Spider Trollbeads on the Fantasy Necklace above shown with the necklace of Pumpkin beads.  On the first version of this blog article I mentioned that Soren had designed the Pumpkin but he actually designed the Spider and that just tells you how crazed I was during the Fest and during the release that I didn't even figure this out! 

In addition to the 3 new Halloween beads once again offer our Halloween UniqueTrollbeads.  For 6 years now we have saved, hunted and hoarded all Halloween style/color Unique Trollbeads for the whole year and have been releasing them daily by adding them to our website. Below is a group of Halloween Unique Trollbeads! Beyond the Halloween deadline the beads we will then be highlighting will be the Harvest Unique beads which will feature any harvest tone beads you can feature on your late Fall bracelets.  It's all about creating new and exciting designs to celebrate your daily life and to honor those around you!  So once you are sporting your fun Halloween Trollbeads move on to your Harvest/Thanksgiving creations!

This blog article is number two in a series to share with you the top ten selling Trollbeads as calculated in the last quarter of 2011.  This next group is the silver beads in the bottom tier price level which is $28.00. These are smaller beads great to use on small scale bracelets, at the top of a Fantasy Necklace (as shown above) and at the end of bracelets to finish them off with small bead.

I am quite surprised by the some of these beads being in the top 10.  Why?  Because beads like the Lotus, the Faith,Hope and Charity, the Hydrangea, and the letter beads have all been in the line for years and this shows that there are many, many new collectors and they are the ones buying the older beads to catch their collections up.  In the U.S. with the phenomenal outreach with press, publicity and advertising more and more people are discovering Trollbeads and it is growing.  Another reason some of the smaller beads we see here are in the top ten is because it is the 4th Quarter of 2011 and during the Christmas season you will often see Trollbeads being purchased for friends and it is more of a "gift giving" price range for many people.

I am thrilled at the amount of people I heard from after I listed the best selling Glass 1 beads in the article prior to this and how fascinated people are to see what beads others are buying. I think it actually opened people's eyes to beads they had never considered before.  Please let us know if this is something that you have found also.

1.Faith, Hope and Charity

2.Lucky Knot

3.Hugging Heart

4.Lotus   (on Fantasy Necklace above)

5.Hydrangea

6.Letter A

7.Falling Leaves  (on end of bracelet, below)

8.Letter M

9.High Heel

10.Happy Fish

I know it's hard to hear but by now most Trollbeads collectors know there is a price increase coming on January 27th. This is true but the fact is 2/3rds of the line has remained the same. Unfortunately since the beginning of business, as we know it, price increases are a fact of life.  When an increase happens, no matter the business, it sparks anger and disappoval from all those who will be affected by it.  As in past price increases with Trollbeads this increase has set the fans complaining and asking why and while some of it is negative and not productive, it is very good to ask why. In the age of the internet we are given tools to create a dialog with the people at the head of companies we would not normally be able to easily communicate with. So I am suggesting if you keep your comments to more of an inquisitive nature you may in fact get some answers.  I don't know anything more than you do on this increase but I am guessing if an insult is a part of your comment I don't think it's should get a response but that is just my opinion.

One comment I thought deserved some attention was made by an astute collector who pointed out that Pandora raised prices and has lost a lot of business and Trollbeads should pay attention to their competitors and reconsider the price increase.  This is a constructive comment and I understand the source.  I have been very fortunate this year to become close enough to observe some of the management of the company and I can assure you that they have adept skills at monitoring the market in respect to the bead/charm segment and know fully who they are within it.  A lot of consideration goes into any decision and the price increase is no exception. It's a very challenging and disruptive thing to decide upon but to maintain the business at the present level of quality I am sure it was a decision they had to make.  As for the Pandora situation I know through reading articles and business papers published internationally that Pandora's problems go a lot deeper than any price increase can take the blame for.  Pandora is owned by a international multi-conglomerate that makes decisions based on what the board and investors want.  Their IPO in Denmark was presented on facts and numbers not quite accurate and the stock has reached the lowest ever and has hurt all of the initial investors.  In contrast Trollbeads is privately owned and the owners are the decision makers armed with industry and financial knowledge not many other small companies possess.  Owners are always much more responsible to their customers where in contrast the conglomerates or publicly held companies such as Pandora all decisions are based with the profit for the stock holders in mind.

Many other comments on this price increase mention the current price of silver being down over last year's price but it is not to see the prices see below. The price of raw metals is an important factor but just one of many costs incurred to create, produce and market a product. Running a jewelry line today is like walking a tight rope never knowing what the market is going to do and there was a time when raw goods were more stable as was pricing. I personally know how the cost of doing business has increased straight across the board and more so in the last 10 years than ever before.  Year after year I watch as bank charges have increased, the cost of offering payment by credit cards has skyrocketed, insurance costs which include health, casualty, autos, disability have all gone through the roof and this is just the obvious costs. For example our disposal costs for our retail stores have increased to over double what they were 6 years ago. These mounting costs go right down the line from management to the distributing companies to the representatives and finally to the store.

Silver per ounce

Oct 2010: 23

Oct 2011: 32

Jan 2012: 29

And gold:

Oct 2010: 1350

Oct 2011: 1680

Jan 2012: 1610

In processing all of the factors that goes into pricing I think we can consider the path taken by Trollbeads to be the lesser of two evils.  Increase prices and continue on the same successful path or stay at the same prices and end up having to lower the quality or the size of the beads or the production.  In the end we know it is your choice to buy Trollbeads just as it is the choice of Trollbeads to risk losing some of its collectors in order to stay true to its mantra and true to a large portion of its collectors.

Guest Blogger Anna Teresa gets creative on funding $$ sources for buying Trollbeads!

I have seen the new Autumn Trollbeads release and I can tell you: it is breathtaking. Unlike the two last releases this time there are SO many beads I want to buy. Glass, stone,silver, gold. I think this time I really get bankrupt. But, as a mother of three cute little sons and with quite some responsibility I have to think of something else than going crazy with all these gorgeous beads. And because I think there are quite a few of you who think just like me, I will share some ways to get bead money.

1. Check your closets and attic and sell everything you don’t need or use anymore at the flea market. Books, toys, clothes. There are always other people who want to pay a few pennies for it. 2. Do you have gold jewelry you don’t wear?  Not that special ring you got from your grandmother, but old out dated, old fashioned items that just lay around? The gold price is very high, so if you exchange it, you will get a good sum. It is always good to ask two jewelers for a bid to choose the best one. 3. Travel to work or school on your bike, don’t spend money on gasoline, spend it on beads. 4. Give your husband a massage in exchange for a new bead.

So, now you have money to buy beads. Can you feel it burn in your pocket? You just have to spend it. But do you have a good reason to buy a bead? Let me help you with those too. A good reason to buy a Trollbeads is: To celebrate that you are happy and healthy. When you are moody and need to cheer up. When you have a new home for your beads but some rooms are still vacant. Are you on a diet: a bead for every two pounds you have lost, will do. You need new beads to make a combination for that wedding or Fest that is coming up!

Oh well, we can all think of hundred other reasons to buy a bead, can’t we? Just remember one thing: love what you already have and don’t be sad about all the things you can’t have. So when the new release comes out at the end of the week: see, feel, compare and buy those that you love the most.

Anna Teresa is a guest blogger and a professional writer from Holland. She was here in Massachusetts for Trollbeads Fest! 2010.

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 …

  This article has been written by Anna Teresa Bellinzis, a Trollbeads collector from the Netherlands and our own Trollbeads blog contributor! This is her third article! Thank you Anna Teresa.

Trollbeads fans can be divided in several groups. The ones that immediately pop up in my head are young mothers who start collecting after their first child is born. They buy beads that really have a special meaning for them. I think of baby boy, baby girl and hope. And also the letter beads, cherub, baby and one of the Horoscope signs.

There are people that wear Trollbeads as the modern bead that it is. They buy beads at specials moments. Graduation, a new house or job, birth of a child, anniversary or birthday. They collect bit by bit beads and their bracelet grows quietly to a piece of jewelry with a great story behind it.

There are grandmothers who buy a Trollbead bracelet for their grandchildren, having the Trollbeads as a part of their relationship makes them closer.

There are men who want to express their creativity and love with a Trollbead bracelet that is really personal and that can express how they feel. You know there are men that need help in that area!

There are collectors who are attracted like bees are to honey to the gorgeous beads that are like little pieces of artwork. Of course the meaning of the bead matters, but the color, the shape and the detail really stand out.

They can’t pass a jeweler without peeking in the bead case. Stare and drool all over a single bead as if it is their first one.

Collectors that can stare and drool all over a single bead as if it is their first one. I guess I belong to that last group collectors. I see Trollbeads as a finishing touch of my outfit. And since I like to wear every day another outfit, I like to wear different beads every day. Some days I like to wear serene outfits and make a matching ton-sur-ton bracelet and necklace . Other days I really want to sparkle and shine and make a splashing bracelet. So I have beads in almost every color and every style. Before I go to bed, after putting my clothes ready for the next day, I take my bead box and start making my bracelet. Of course I can change my mind in a minute. So when I pull out the bracelet after brushing my teeth my husband starts laughing out loud and asks: Are you going to wear something else, dear? But sometimes I ask myself: why bother? Who cares which beads I wear? Do you get compliments every day about your designs? But I know people do notice, my mother for one. Last night sitting at her kitchen table she took my wrist and looked for minutes at my beads. She really liked the purple flower mosaic, adored the fairy and loved the happy universe. She said that if she had Trollbeads she would play with them every day. Her pleasure is a real compliment for me and the money I put into my hobby. But even without compliments like that, I will always wear my beads. Just because they make me feel pretty.

Photographs (and beads) are from Anna Teresa!