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

  Having just had the largest Trollbeads event to date early this month I am still finding myself continuously going over the event's happenings. With the many "new" collectors and the many "experienced" Fest attendees I spoke to or worked with over the course of the event there is so much to recollect and process.  I've been trying to accomplish a great blog about the fest and share it with you but it's just too hard, so just let me ramble, OK?

What was originally designed to be a 2 day affair has actually turned into 5 days.  Collectors are arriving at Rogers Gallery a few days early and are staying a couple of days later each year.  This is a huge compliment to all of us that are apart of the Fest's creation.  Fall in New England is a reason alone to come but I think our ever growing enthusiasm for all things Trollbeads draws attendees from all over and it makes for a festive, fun filled and sometimes emotional event.  The photo above is Trudy and Lex Borger attending their 3rd Trollbeads Fest! from the Netherlands! They have traveled to attend every year!

Each year we have Trolbeads "people" join us to add personality and of course to add their knowledge of the creation of Trollbeads and for the closeness it gives us to the beads and the people that make the beads. Soren Nielsen, Trollbeads premier silver/gold bead designer for over 30 years came to us from Copenhagen this year.  It was Soren's second visit to Rogers Gallery in Mattapoisett and it was just as magical as the first. From my visit to his studio in Denmark, sharing Glog with him at Tivoli and seeing him at other events I have come to know Soren and I'll share a secret with you. I've only seen it myself a few times but if you look closely at Soren's left shoulder you'll see that Soren sometimes has a small shadow lurking there. Never stare right at it because it will hide from you but it's something that resembles a small trollish like imp sitting on his shoulder.  I'm thinking this imp plays tricks on those it doesn't know and by the mischievous look you'll see in Soren's eyes, Soren knows all about it, in fact they mirror each other in a curious way.  This little troll even switches beads on bracelets when no one is looking! But as naughty as Trolls are apt to be I'll bet anything he's been Soren's creative muse through the years. Think of the massive quantities of ideas and creations that just roll off Soren's fingers and form into miniature red wax sculptures destined to be Trollbeads. I've heard Lise Aagaard, Soren's sister discuss how prolific an artist Soren has always been and ever with her talent and energy she was expressing just how productive his talent is.  How can any one man achieve what he has without the help of a muse? Many of you have seen Soren as he takes your wish and creates a mold from it making your wish reality ... now if that isn't magic I don't know what is.  

Maria Af Rolen, winning People's Bead designer is shown here with Soren as he gives her some inside tips for creating a wax mold.  Maria was also a guest designer at the Fest and she signed Trollbeads Coffee Table Books and bead cards for her "Stay Positive" bead. Her bead has been a best seller at Rogers Gallery and at Trollbeads Gallery.  We special ordered her        Stay Postive in 18K gold for the event and it is stunning!  On a side note we donated one to our charity raffle along with 4 other beads and we raised almost $1500 for the inner city children of New Bedford, our host city's are museum for afternoon art classes!

Sarah Johnston, a staff glass bead artist from TrollbeadsUS and demonstrator came to Trollbeads Fest for a second time and once more gave such great inspiration with her "on site" glass bead making.  Each time I have seen Sarah I have seen her beads are getting more and more intricate and more glorious. So many people sat and just watched her as she stared at her glass and flame while rotating her mandrel with such ease. There is something so meditative about flame work and someone like Sarah can make it look easy but it is not!

  This year was Michael Belleveau's first Fest and he added so much with his professional air.  It's difficult for me to remain professional with all the emotions and madness around so I'm glad he added it! He gave a talk in the afternoon on the brand and on it's exciting future (as much as he could divulge anyway!) and he helped with the selling of the unique beads!  I don't think that part was in his job description but he was a natural. Thank you Michael!  Michael also helped judge the Trollbeads Fest bracelet contest along with Soren and my son Alex Rogers who was with us from Colorado where he sells Trollbeads at Starfish in Boulder.  Claudine Swan won the award and her winning bracelet is below along with her description of it's many meanings. Fellow Trollbeads Gallery Forum member Frede Wellons came up with this Fest challenge to design a bracelet incorporating the Joyful bead.

If you are a collector of anything you know the immense thirst you have to learn and absorb anything you can about that which you collect and when you add the collective emotion that occurs with a gathering of "like minded' collectors you can just imagine the outcome!  At Trollbeads Fest! 3 we tried to give everything we could to further the thrill of the quest and the satiation of fulfilling that quest. The unique Trollbeads we were supplied with were out of this world. Mind you we did have our issues with the length of time and of the line to see the thousands of unique beads but it seems no matter how we plan it there's always a line! The Trollbeads Museum helped with some of the waiting but in hindsight I always wish I had done this or that but then I wonder...how would we all feel if there wasn't a line? Trollbeads collectors are a serious bunch and with the quality of the beads Trollbeads supplied us with I know everyone left very happy and that's what it's all about.  

Everyone at Rogers Gallery and Trollbeads Gallery are so grateful for everyone who took the time from their busy lives to attend our event and want to say we missed those of you who were unable to attend (and wanted to so badly) and thought of you all often.  We had a few that due to family illness could not make it and hope all is well with you and yours.  We also want to extend a HUGE thanks to Trollbeads Denmark for sharing Soren and for providing the chance to offer the very special stone bead we received to provide in the gift bags.  The biggest thanks goes to TrollbeadsUS and for everyone there that supported us and even attended Trollbeads Fest!  Thank you also to Colin from Texas and Kim Murray who both worked so hard and thanks to all of my staff and our star rep Kim and her reps Judy and Liz for their help.

The Winning Bracelet

Claudine Swan, winner wrote the following about her design.

"Thanks everyone…I tried to show what Trollbeads Fest means to me.

Joyful was the focal bead…thrilled to be there.

Treasures, Stay positive and Ice Bear to salute the designers I met at the Fest.

Lighthouse and Water to remind me of the Harbor Tour I took last year.

The Crab because we always eat at Turk’s Seafood.

The Heart unique Trollbead as Trollbeads helps us meet new friends.

The dice is for luck to find great beads at Trollbeads Fest.

The amber and other beads reminds me of the beach at Mattapoisett.

Finally the Swan lock because I always drool over the retired Swan in Louise’s museum…and NOW I have a wax swan Soren carved for me."

If you haven't seen the Award Ceremony where we won the Hero Award in Las Vegas here it is and is shows Michael Bellevue speaking of Trollbeads Gallery and about Trollbeads Fest!

Click on link: Trollbeads Hero Awards

Clink in link: Images from Trollbeads Fest! 2012

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!

On Trollbeads Gallery Forum we have a variety of Trollbeads design challenges and bracelet theme discussions. Collectors enjoy reading about them and are inspired by seeing the many photos.  In particular we have one forum discussion that asks for the members to share their themed bracelets with a description of what the bracelet means to them. While many of the bracelets are meaningful in so many ways there was one in particular that spoke to many of us and I'll share it here. When I read it initially I reached out to the member and from there we communicated back and forth. The long and short of it being Kate and her husband, along with her step son in tow, planned and made a trip to our gallery in Mattapoisett, Mass. for our Summer Trunk Show on July 20th.

As many of you know from experience I am always honored when a collector from the forum travels to visit us at Rogers Gallery and this visit was also very special. I was thrilled to meet Kate and her family and to see the bracelet she designed to honor her husband's career in the U.S. military. Our TrollbeadsUS CEO Michael Bellevue along with Denmark's new CEO Jan Stig Andersen had planned in advance to be here at the same time and they had a surprise in store for Kate.  When I introduced Kate and her family to Michael and Jan (pronounced Yan) I asked Kate to explain her theme bracelet to them and she did.  Below is the explanation I pulled from the forum and is she described the meaning of the beads to Michael and Jan.  As a gesture of appreciation for using Trollbeads to create this remarkable tribute to her husband Michael and Jan gave Kate a very special Trollbead. Trollbeads has always been about the meaning of the beads and this is an especially meaningful bracelet. Below is Jan shaking Kate's hand. Kate was so taken by surprise and is so grateful to them for her gift.

Kate's description (changed for present tense)

"I decided to create a tribute bracelet to my husband, who served as a Combat Medic in the 75th Ranger Regiment. He actually turned down his Officer's commission to be a medic. His career was unfortunately cut short after being shot in Afghanistan, which has left his lower right leg & foot held together with a whole lot of metal implants.

Behind the bracelet, the badge on the left is his Master Parachutist, and the one on the right is his Combat Medic badge. In the middle is the Ranger 2nd Batallion shoulder sleeve insignia.

So, the story behind each bead (from left to right) is:
1) The American Flag
2) the four jades between the Bicones are the colors of the Ranger's Distinctive Unit Insignia
3) the black Lava (found with the loving help of a very sweet & caring soul!) represents those soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice
4) Silver & Gold Stars represents his Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device
5) the purple jade next to the Double Heart represents his two Purple Heart Medals
6) the maroon jasper represents his maroon Combat Medic Branch Color
7) Angel Feathers represents the miracle that he made it home, and also the wings of his Master Jump, HALO, Army Aviation, Air Assault badges, as well as his Air Medals. (Trollbeads needs a wing-shaped bead! Feathers were as close as I could come... LOL!)
8) the first green and brown jasper represents his fatigues
9) the second green jasper represents his "Dress Greens"
10) the tan jasper represents the universally recognizable Tan Beret of the US Army Rangers
11) Angle Tips represents the chevrons of his Sergeant First Class insignia
12) This beautiful yellow ribbon OOAK was a gift from another wonderful Troll-fairy, Pauline, which represents our wish for the safe return of all of our Troops!
He has other awards and commendations, but it would become quite a cacophony of colors to try to represent them all! Have you seen some of the larger Ribbon Racks (the colored bars worn over the left breast of a uniform)? Try turning one of those into a coherent bracelet!"

Shown below is Michael Bellevue from Trollbeads with Kate after presenting her with a very special bead at Rogers Gallery/Trollbeads Gallery on July 20th, 2012.

A special word for Kate who was so kind to share her story with us. Thank you so much for making the event so special. (For reasons of privacy we have not included photos of her husband but he was there standing tall and very proud next to her and I think he was more proud of her and her bracelet than of what he did to receive all the medals this bracelet represented.)

To join our Forum follow the link and click on To Join! Trollbeads Gallery Forum.

Our summer Trunk Show begins on Friday, July 20th and runs through Monday July 23rd...but if you want to take advantage of the retired silver Trollbead offer-email us asap to have us hold the beads in your name as all retired have limited quantities!

As a Trollbeads trunk show draws near we can feel the energy in the gallery change as the excitement grows. There's a fun aura of expectancy because you don't know who will come in and who will call and what they will order!  So many customers develop into friends so it feels  like having a party. People love events like this and it's fun to see who are usually careful bead "plodders" loosen up a bit and enjoy the event! If you are wondering why we share in the glow from the fun it's simple. We feel this way because we get to give the specials and quite honestly it feels great! For us it's the one time we can offer specials and offer the great collectible Trollbeads gifts and our collectors get so excited and can't wait to order and be a part of the trunk show celebration.  Quite simply it's a win-win for us. It's a special time we can give special prices and it's a way of saying thank you to our collectors.  As retailers we come about our feeling of the thrill honestly because it's fun to be a part of this and shows the gratitude we feel to our collectors from us!  If you're wondering why I'm discussing the specials and gifts coming from the retailers I like to remind collectors that it's the retailers offering these specials to you. Many collectors are under the assumption that the specials are coming from Trollbeads (even more so when there are now national trunk show dates).

Our offerings are plentiful and are on different levels so we have chosen, once again, to offer the Trunk show through direct calls or emails.  This way we can explain the best way to take advantage of all of the offerings to your best advantage.

Please feel free to call us or email us with your order

Our Offers to you include all beads including the World Tour beads!

Purchase any 3 Trollbeads and receive the 4th bead free.  The free Trollbead will need to be equal to the lowest priced bead in the group of 3.  So choose your group of 3 beads with this in mind and make this work to your advantage! There is no limit to the number of groups you may choose.  Our World Tour Trollbeads are included!

Purchase any gold Trollbead (over $500) and receive $100 off!

Purchase any silver/gold Trollbead and receive $50.00 off! (Over $300)

Purchase 3 Retired Silver Trollbeads from the list below for $99:

Aztec, 5 Faces, Triangles, Pentanque, Unity, Transition Woman, Transition Man,

Bird, Cactus, Etruscan, Fabled Faces, Neither Fish Nor Bird, Sandi, Tower, Viking, Two Trolls -

(from the Anniversary Bracelet!) 

7-18 Update!!  Just added!!!  Clown,  Mink , 8 Faces, Big Bird

Quantities are limited on retired beads so please call to reserve what you want and we will process the order during the event.

Buy any Upgraded Clasp for a free chain.

Our gifts for you:

Spend $175 receive a Trollbeads Memory Book

Spend $250 receive a NEW Green Leather Jewelry Pouch

Spend $500 receive a Trollbeads Coffee Table Book

Spend $750 receive a Trollbeads Jewelry Box

Our Trunk Show is on Friday, July 20th and on

Saturday, July 21st (office will be open for calls both of these days)

Sunday, July 22nd (no one in office) and on

Monday July 23rd -office will be open for calls! 

Office Toll Free: 1-888-758-3641

Email: Louise@TrollbeadsGallery.com

 Above is a sample of our unique Trollbeads "Feathers"!  Our Unique bead category is the most active of all unique bead sites.  We load new unique Trollbeads daily!

The newest limited edition beads released by Trollbeads are the Malawi glass beads.   For Trollbeads this is another more effort by the Aagaard's to use their talent, their ideas and their where with all to help a country that is in great need but the Aagaard's take it further to a whole new and very essential step.

Just as Trollbeads brought a self sustainability to the Tibetan refugees living in diaspora in India they have given the people of this community in Malawi the tools, the studio and the training to allow them to move forward. With this gift they can work to sustain their families in a culture so in need of this.  I can't imagine a gift to give back more effectively than this. This particular group/release of beads is limited in number but they are already creating unique beads for us in many other diverse designs so although this release is limited the craftsman of Malawi are working hard for their future and for the future of our collections! 

To understand the endeavor in full here's a little background information on Malawi for you.  Malawi is a country in Southern Africa that was originally colonized by the migrating Bantu peoples in the 10th century and in the late 19th century they were colonized by the British but then again in 1953 by the CAF, the Central African Federation and in 1964 the land was given independence and called Malawi. The country is very pro Western and has a working relationship with many independent countries. Malawi is among the least developed countries and has a very low life expectancy but while the government is working on increasing healthcare the people are in dire need of finding ways to sustainability and what Trollbeads has accomplished is something that makes us all so proud to be a part of this organization.  This past month top retailers were awarded Hero Awards from Trollbeads and while very meaningful to the winners, in reality the Aagaard's are the true heroes here, over and over again.  Below is a photo of Lise and Isabel Aagaard on one of their visits to train the glass makers.  Look at the beads they are all wearing!  The smiles they are wearing are as broad as the horizons these people are now seeing thanks to Trollbeads and in a very small way we are a part of this.  So buy your Malawi Trollbeads and wear your Malawi bracelet with pride!  The dresses both Lise and Isabel Aagaard's are wearing were made in Milawi as was the fabric.  Look closely and you'll see colors within the natural dyes that they have brought out in the Malawi beads!

I am busy listing the Malawi Trollbeads and will continue to do so for as long as I can get them! You may have noticed the beads come in a number of designs and the designs come in multiples so if you missed a bead you wanted it may just come around again!

In a description on the Trollbeads retailer site:

They are young, artistic and surrounded by an immense mix
of colors. the talented glass artisans from Malawi create the most
intricate and playful glass beads. each of the beads’ inspiration
can be found in the everyday lives of their designers; from a pattern
of a woman’s vibrant dress on the street, a combination of exotic
fruits in the marketplace, or a peculiar flower in the grasslands.
once trained by Lise Aagaard, Trollbeads, these skilled artisans
are now running a flourishing business by designing glass beads
for collectors across the world.
The Trollbeads project in Malawi was set up in late 2010 with the goal of helping the challenged youth of the African country. Using the same overall formula as with a similar project in India, Trollbeads gave a group of young men and women the opportunity to learn the artistry of making glass beads over an open flame.
Besides providing financial backing for the project, Trollbeads also trained the staff in all aspects of running a successful jewelry business, including supply-chain management, production, design, and marketing.
Today their local operation employs around 12 people and is on the way to becoming completely self-sustainable.

From Trollbeads

Our Responsibility
"At Trollbeads, we believe in two things;
operating from our hearts and maintaining
a social responsibility. These values are
essential factors for us when running a
global business, just like they were when
we first began selling beads from a small
store in Denmark over 35 years ago.
As we have grown, we have embraced
new sets of challenges and opportunities.
One of these has been to help people
in developing countries in setting up
self-sustainable businesses of their own."

I should explain that a jewelry “show” isn’t a play or a talent competition although there was more drama here than one could find on Broadway. It’s an event for Jewelry store buyers to find new sources and see new products from their established lines. Granted I may be just a tad bit biased but let me describe the show by comparing bead brands. This will be a micro view into what the show is for all exhibiting brands through a seasoned (or skeptical) retailer’s eyes. To be fair to the Trollbeads competitors I should explain how the company paid for most of its 1000 U.S. retailers travel and accommodations to the show and for the 2 days before the show hosted an event that I can honestly say was the best run, most educational and inspiring event I have attended in 3 decades of retailing. Not only was it well run it was run from the heart of Trollbeads and at the final dinner there were few dry eyes. There were tears of gratitude and pride for being a part of this remarkable company. How many retailers are made to feel a part of a company they buy from? How many other companies have a soul like Trollbeads has? Speaking on the Trollbeads soul I need to reveal here that the competition is something Trollbeads doesn’t wish their retailers to be discussing in any negative light but I just can’t help myself. They believe you should never say anything bad about the other bead companies. If you can’t say something nice you should keep your thoughts to yourself. I agree with this so to be clear just let me just describe what I saw without judgment.

The show consists of over 50,000 square feet of exhibition space and it was huge.The booths range in size and I am guessing the Trollbeads booth was 1000 square feet. It was a new design and it was very handsome in all respects from the materials used and the various features. The booth succeeded in reflecting the design acumen of the Trollbeads brand. On the same floor was the Chamilia booth. Now I am trying to be fair and unbiased but you couldn’t miss it even if you tried and I did. It was enormous and showy. The company is either owned by or about to be owned by Swarovski Crystal, a mega company from Austria with over 25,000 employees. All you have to do is look at the Chamilia beads and you know there is a large crystal aspect to the line. The beads have a lot of glitter and were very cute. This booth was not only immense it had bright colors vying for buyers attention in case the two level booth the size of 4 regular booths didn’t get your attention. A player in the top 3 bead brands and another copycat brand riding on Trollbeads original design.

The other much larger brand Pandora was showing upstairs in a much fancier area but that goes hand in hand with Pandora’s direction. The original copycat of Trollbeads, Pandora has been trying to present itself as an upscale jewelry brand for a couple of years so it seems they are still trying. Remember, Las Vegas is a city of illusions. The company is a huge multi-conglomerate brand and depending on who you talk to they have also have a huge multi-level personality to go with it (the Danish arm went public in 2011 but crashed to the lowest prices on the DK stock exchange to the pain of its original investors) but I digress. Going back to the theme as I did with Trollbeads and Chamalia the sales area (can hardly call it a booth) was reflective of the beads…attempting to be something they aren’t but hope the hype and grand performance can bring them the respect of other large jewelry brands. My main observation was they may have changed their stripes but they are still out to copy Trollbeads. At the June 2011 JCK show in Vegas Trollbeads had a live glass bead making demonstration and it drew a lot of attention as it brought the retailer closer to the creation of the beads and closer to the font of creativity. Trollbeads continues to have this at all shows. Guess what? Pandora now has come up with the same demo but had 3 of them! For a company never known for its glass quality it’s too much of a reach and shows no matter how many times larger the company is to Trollbeads they still are compelled to copy them. In closing I have to say I tried not to say anything bad about the competition and I didn’t, well not really. I was just describing what I saw and what I have taken away from the Vegas show is summed up in the the old adage… less is more.

Picasso Jasper!

Just look at the sun as it streams in on the beads and highlights the natural colors and fissures found in Picasso jasper stones.  

Trollbeads released the Picasso Jasper as a limited edition kits well over a year ago (late in 2010) and it sold out very quickly.  If you are new to Trollbeads you need to remember that with Limited Editions once they are gone...they are gone.  Well that is unless dealers like myself buy enough to offer it to collectors a year of two out. This way new collectors (and we know there have been a large a large wave of new Trollies in recent months!)  Just recently I have listed Picasso Jasper beads on Trollbeads Gallery all at the original prices and I plan on adding more very soon.  We still have a good quantity to go and for me it's just taking the time to photograph and list while I am also doing the same for the unique Trollbeads and the unique Amber!! In case you are new to the Picasso Jasper Trollbeads everyone of them are entirely unique and to create a successful bracelet around them you want to look for the very unique colors and patterns. 

The Picasso Jasper is a very organic collection and very natural in a senses of the word.  As with all stone there are fissures and lines and interesting shades of colors at all different angles and this makes for a really warm and really organic bracelet.  Remember those large bracelets on Wilma and Betty's wrists? I'll bet you anything they were wearing large jasper beads. 

Ancient stories have people in the past using it for the transformation of one's creativity energy. Anyone feeling an artistic block can realize opening benefits by letting the eyes travel through the patterns of Picasso jasper and allowing thought to dissolve while in the process of meditation.  Maybe it would behoove me to adorn my laptop with a Trollbeads 31" Necklace full of Picasso Jasper Trollbeads. Why do I think I could use it? Have you ever tried coming up with creative blogs on a continuous basis?

Some ideas of what Trollbeads you can add to your Picasso Jasper Trollbeads. There are many, many Trollbeads that work with the Picasso Jasper but I've just names a few.  

As I mentioned I will be adding more Picasso Jasper beads soon!

Any and all amber beads!

Black Silk

Golden Thread Brown

Golden Cave

Golden Quartz

Brown Tiger Eye

Red Tiger Eye

This is a question I was just asked by a social marketer working with Trollbeads. This was after he realized I didn’t really want to talk about Facebook, Twitter or my Pinterest page. I work with those social sites but I only wanted to talk about the forum. There’s a big international Trollbeads event next month and I was asked to speak to him.  He will be talking to the Trollbeads distributors from around the world and to the U.S. dealers during this event and he wanted to talk to some dealers about their efforts.  Thinking about the answer brought me to thinking about how it started and why I knew the Trollbeads collectors wanted and really needed the forum.   I had Trollbeads Gallery, my Trollbead website for more than 3 years and I was overwhelmed communicating with collectors directly and trying to help them with information through emails and on the phone. For the sake of being more effective it seemed a better way had to be out there.  I needed to find a platform on the internet where everyone could meet and discuss the passion they so obviously wanted to share.  It had to be a give and share situation for all of us.  Sharing photos was definitely a tool it had to have.  It took a little research to find Ning and it seemed like a good fit.  I developed the account and worked on the design and declared it open.  The first day we had our first small group of members and we were off and running.  By the end of the first year we had 1000 members, end of two years 2000 members and now we have reached our third year at 3000 members.  The Forum is unique in that I'm a dealer and though I promote my own website I also remind my members to seek out their local dealers as well. My store is in a small  town and I know the importance of doing business locally.  I remember a comment made on a blog in Europe negatively saying I was “self-promoting” … well I should hope so(!) as I am in business and for this to succeed  I need to have it work out financially and I let people know I am a dealer.  The cost of keeping this forum is more than $1000.00 out of pocket each year and if we all still want it to keep going promoting my site important.

Watching over the Trollbeads Gallery Forum from a dealer’s point of view has me acting as manager but I still feel a part of the forum's family. I don’t count the hours spent monitoring the site because in the process I have met hundreds of Troll friends from all over the world and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.  When you have a passion to collect you need to trust the people involved in what you collect.  Being an authorized dealer brings with it trust as our legal agreements with Trollbeads assures it and my reputation promises it.  My position has been to keep information correct, to the best of my knowledge and to provide a supportive and positive place for collectors to gather.

To make the Forum's description less one sided I have asked a few of our members to give a brief comment from their point of view. I have only included where they are from and have omitted their names for privacy reasons. I will be including more in the next blog.

Wyoming: "The forum has been a great place to make friends who share my passion for Trollbeads.  Everyone is upbeat and encouraging.  There is none of the negativity that I have found on other foums.  I send my Trollbeads customers to the forum so that they can connect with other Trollies around the world.  We are one big family!"

New York: "This forum is important in reminding me that there are other people besides me who go gaga for little pieces of glass - that they're more than glass, but art! It's a little slice of heaven. I love being in such good company! I enjoy going to the forum to see all the wonderful creations of others and get some inspiration for my own!"

England: "I love this forum because it is a warm and friendly place, where many interesting things can be discussed. Louise has a very light hand on the helm, enabling a true  freedom of expression I have not found on other forums. The member's pictures are a constant inspiration to me. There are a number of  groups available to join, and the chatroom feature is unique to this forum, a brilliant place to be.

Pennsylvania:Trollbeads Gallery Forum gives me a chance to make new friends from all over the world.  I love sharing ideas & photos with people who love Trollbeads as much as I do and speak "Trolleese". Having secret partner gift exchanges is a blast, too.  I also love Trollbeads Fest--where you can meet and party with friends from the forum.  There are also talented artists and designers from Trollbeads.  It's a weekend of "Troll Bliss" hosted by Louise and her staff in a beautiful seaport town.

Tennessee: I live in an area where the closest TB shop is over an hour away and though it's nice, it's a small shop with not a huge selection or knowledgeable sales people  so my TB education has been solely here on this Forum.  I came to TBGallery Forum because I was captivated by the beautiful Trollbeads, but it wasn't long before I was captivated by the Forum members themselves who are such a great group of interesting, kind, fun and creative people and some have become my friends in the truest sense of the word.  This Forum means a lot to me....it's a unique place I can escape to where I can lose myself completely among the photos and share my thoughts with friends with whom I share a number of interests.

The photo above came from the photographs our members have shared on the Forum. There are over 18,000 photos to be inspired by.

To join us go to Trollbeads Gallery Forum !

Greetings!  Here is another article about the the top sellers as of the end of 2011.  It is always interesting to see what we have in our own collections versus the specific list.  I have had many positive responses to the other lists so here is one more!  I have created links so you can see the bead in case you are not familiar with them.

1.Forget Me Not  One of my very favorite flower beads. A must in your collection! Shown below.

2.Three in One  Another favorite as it is a clean bead without too much detail for the right place

3. Snowball  Great for your winter themed Trollbeads bracelet designs.

4. Sparkling Star A winner in summer (July 4th!) or for winter & holiday Trollbeads bracelets.

5.  Crab I love this because my grandsons visit in the summer & love crab hunting.

6. Snow A seasonal favorite like the Snowball bead. Perfect for holiday or snow sport themes.

7. Turtles Many people love turtles and this has been a favorite for years.

8. Hearts, Big Another long time favorite for collectors. Great to incorporate with any style.

9. Rose (11203) A small and very detailed bead and a long time favorite of many!

10.Hugging Bear A new bead for all the bear lovers who like to be reminded of their youth.

When looking this best selling Trollbeads list keep in mind that it was based on the final quarter if 2011 and that is the quarter where you will find the winter seasonal beads like "Snow" and "Snowball" selling well.  I think you will find these beads not to be in the first quarter 2012 best sellers.  It is always a good idea to keep in mind what time frame it covers when you are looking at it.

Shown below is "Hugging Bear", "Forget me Not" and "Sparkling Star".

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