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If you collect Trollbeads and haven't yet checked out the most positive gathering place for Trollies...Trollbeads Gallery Forum you are missing something.  Put in the most simplistic terms it is an online dialog for Trollbeads collectors to learn all things about Trollbeads and to converse with other Trollbeads collectors from all over the world. 

This forum is going into its third year this spring and we are nearing 3000 members and we have over 17,000 photographs of our member's Trollbeads collections.  What better way to find out about a brand then to hear it from the hundreds of collectors?  The environment is one based on friendship, honorable dealings (if you venture on to our swap group) and a deeply routed interest in Trollbeads.

Our members are collectors of all kinds.  Some members just like retired Trollbeads, some just want one bracelet although that is rare and then there are some who have dozens of bracelets and who would sell their mother to get more! With joking aside we are a group of Trollbeads fanatics who want to share (with anyone!) our love and interest in Trollbeads. Below I have written about our gatherings and will be writing more interesting forum aspects on the other features in future blogs. If you would like to write about your experience on the forum please write a story and I will publish it here as a guest blog.

Gatherings: Since its inception Trollbeads Gallery Forum has been the conduit between many "meetings" large and small taking place all over the world.  Many members in the U.S. will plan a meeting place, usually at a local dealers, and meet and greet the friends thay have had on-line for a long time in person for the first time.  As a dealer and as the forum's founder I have hosted 2 Trollbeads Fests during the last two autumns here in Massachusetts with notable guests from the People's Bead Award winners to Trollbeads designers from Denmark to the CEO if Trollbeads Worldwide, Peter Aagaard.  Each year at out gathering based aournd our forums membership, we display our Trollbeads Museum which has many of the retired Trollbeads from years past and that are now hard to find.  Every chance we get we love to learn more about the history and we love to share [our knowledge at these gatherings.  In the photo above you will see me (the shortest in the front row) in Copenhagen, Denmark at a gathering of the forum's members when I traveled there in early December 2011.  They were wonderful to me and treated me to lunch and to a fun group of Troll type gifts. It was an amazing day for me and as you can see from the back row Soren, the original Trollbeads silver bead designer joined at the Tivoli Trollbeads store.  If you are a member have you planned your next gathering?  We will be releasing information on Trollbeads Fest! 2012 soon so check the site in a little bit. Trollbeads Fest

Thank you for reading our blog!  Louise Rogers

    Here is one side of the Trollbeads Gallery/Rogers Gallery free standing museum. The museum has a total of 4 sides. We display it at Trollbeads Fest each year and many attendees love studying the older beads and learn a lot about the Trollbeads line this way!  Each year we add more of the very old and hard to find beads.

The museum is comprised of only Retired Trollbeads and in the next few weeks there will be a large retirement of Trollbeads so we need to add an addition to our museum!  Every couple of years or so Trollbeads decides which beads they will retire.  With many new beads introduced through out the year and where it is the aim of Trollbeads to keep the line to around 400 beads the retirements are essential.  Trollbeads has had a history of retiring beads every 2 years or so.

We all have opinions on which beads we love and which we will be sorry to lose but many factors go into deciding which beads will earn their "gold watch" and be retired.  Obviously the beads that sell the less or the beads that have ended up difficult for collectors to work into a design. With this retirement we will see that there are many "Glass 1" Trollbeads going as well as silver beads and gold beads. 

                Sometimes is may be the size or weight of a bead that determines a retirement as many of the larger beads use a lot of gold or silver and where the raw precious metals market continues to increase it makes the large beads expensive so they sell less.  With this retirement the "Snowman" is a good example of that.  I have always sold this bead well during the holiday time and I am very sad to see it go. Another bead I will miss is the "Jellyfish" bead and I sell this one very well but my store is on the coast so this may be why but I know it is a heavier bead also.  "Mouse With Cheese" as heavy is going to.  Other heavy silver Trollbeads to be retired include "Find Your Pet", "Magician" and "Circus Elephant".  As far as slow selling beads go I think maybe 95% of you will admit we won't miss the "Twister".  Funky though it was it was also scary for many!

             In the gold beads I will be very sorry to see the 18K Jugend leave the line.  It was a slow seller due to it's size and price but I for one have set aside for myself.  Both of the 18K  "Transformation Man" and "Transformaiton Woman" are being retired as is the 18K Unity bead.  With today's high gold prices selling any of the gold beads have become more rare then when I started selling 6 years ago.  The 18K Pearl Lock is going and I know many who love that lock but perhaps they will introduce another gold lock to replace it!

               The Glass 1 beads list heading into retirement is the longest list.  It has over 15 items and while it has a lot I've never used it also includes beads I adore.  Make sure you pick up "Black Squirrel", (Shown on left) "Deep Bubbles", "Wild Cat", "Brown Desert", "Red Feather", "Blue-Green Feather" and some of the others that are on the list.  I will have a complete list on Trollbeads Gallery.

 Click To view the list of beads set to retire on January 26, 2012

Below are some of the older Trollbeads we added to the Trollbeads Gallery museum in 2011.