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Top Ten Best Selling Glass 1 Trollbeads

I know how much fun it is to see what the best selling beads are at Trollbeads US and they have just published a list for the top 10 in each of the Trollbeads catagories. I have included links to their photographs. 

For Glass 1  (all sell for $31.00)

Beach  This bead has a soft sparkling within the blue glass giving it an appearence of the ocean on a sunny day.  One side of the bead has a sand color and sometimes dark grey which signifies the beach. It is incredibly clever and makes most customers smile when they see it.

Midnight Flower  A deep cobalt glass with floating aqua flowers floating differently within each bead

Whitecap My all time favorite because there is always a variety of colors, all in the same family but some have more blue and some have more green and that's not even addressing the pink that comes through occasionally.  (photographed above)

Grandma's Favorite  A lovely soft violet toned bead with darker toned flowers.

Conch  A wonderfully textural bead with many soft bumps.  A nice lighter neutral Trollbead to own.

Blue Petals  Blues in a soft pattern of petals.  A good balance bead for the Midnight Flower.

Sea Urchin  So much like the Sea Urchins from the Ocean.  Very natural and neutral tones.

White Stripe Alternating stripes of clear and white stripes.  You can never have too many stripes and you can never have too many white beads.

Azure Bubbles A perfect example how one Trollbead can have so many looks.  Hand created beads are the best.

Summer Dot In design, whether interior design or fabric design polka dots have always maintained  their popularity.  This bead is a soft and true pink.

In future Blogs I will be listing all the Trollbeads categories of the top 10 sellers.

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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This is so exciting!!!  When you consider the thousands of entries Trollbeads gets for their annual People's Bead contest it is so exciting to have 12 of these finalists on Trollbeads Gallery Forum. This is the 4th year of the contest and this year was the first year a topic was given and it was based on spirituality.  If you haven't looked at the finalists yet on Trollbeads Universe please do and take the time to vote for your favorite beads...you can vote more than on one bead!  Quick-the voting is over on February 26th! So act fast!

The Finalists from Trollbeads Gallery Forum:

Sarah Schoenauer, Brenda Rappo, Kristi Denning, Iris Morrow, Sherrie Pennington, Anne Lilleby, Tina Parker, Linda Karuso, Maria af Rolen, Sue Dowling, Erica Mizzie, Suzanne Hopping, Michele Dellanno.

I wonder what the odds are that 12 winners are a part of this group.  I am not taking personal credit for anything but I have heard it discussed often there is something magical about our Forum and it has something to do with being a part of a group who collectively drench themselves in the spirit of Trollbeads day in and day out in the spirit of sharing your passion in an open and caring way.  I was never a joiner of groups but this has been a perfect example of what being a part of a group can do.  It's capable of providing the positive power to build your sense of esteem and knowledge on the group's common interest. It also affects your willingness to put yourself out there for the whole world to see and to vote on.  Our finalists first had to come up with a concept, then work the ideas into designs and then they had to have the inner strength to submit them.  I think of the commitment they all had and hope you can follow the link to TrollbeadsUniverse and vote for our winners. It is up to us to show the entrants how proud we are of all of them!

Congratulations to all. 

Louise Rogers

Photo above is the Pax and Ice Bear Trollbeads both People's Bead Contest winners from 2009 and 2010 by Suzanne Hopping and Kristi Denning respectively.  Below is Kristi holding the model of her Ice Bear at Trollbeads Fest 2010 and a picture of Suzanne and me (I'm sure we were drinking ginger ale) at the same Trollbeads Fest. Suzanne was visiting from Australia and Kristi is from Maryland. 

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

As the year comes to a close and as the holidays are upon us I find myself thinking about what Trollbeads will create for us in 2012.  I just received an email from Trollbeads United States outlining the new approaches and new ideas and this has definitely got my mind going and my imagination wandering.

Just imagine what great things are coming our way! Each year we can look forward to new beads, new limited edition releases and new surprises through out the year.  Just think of the surprises we got this year! I think my favorite release this year had to have been the Silver Whorl and second most favorite the Anniversary Coin!

No definite plans except for the National Trunk Show events.  I know many of you have been discussing the pros and cons on discussion panels and when the holiday is over I will go and read all about them.  There will be a total of 3 during 2012.  You may be missing the opportunity to go to more trunk shows but on the flip side of that Trollbeads is giving retailers the choice of offering other specials through out the year. 

No more serious business today because I am actually writing to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for whatever days you want to celebrate. Below are some new holidays that you might want to add to your list of days to celebrate.

1.December 26th is national "Play With Your New Trollbeads Day".

2.December 27th is "Buy New Trollbeads With Your Christmas Money Day".

3.December 28th is "Return all that other jewelry you got and buy a lot of Trollbeads Day." 

OK, you get the idea. How can you not celebrate being a part of a line of jewelry that brings people together from all over the world, gives back in many charitable venues and is simply the most exquisite line of beads ever created.

I have just added a page to Trollbeads Gallery about the company and it's philosophies. If you are want to read or see the page and you aren't near this blog you can find it on the site's home page on the top row of features on the far right. I hope you will go and read it, here is the link.  About the Company.

(The photo above show the holiday decorations inside the food concession at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen where I shared glogg with my favorite Trollbeads designer, Soren.)

All the Forums are buzzing about the upcoming Trollbeads release and the excitement is buzzing around the globe. When this time comes it's always a race to try to find out before anyone else does what the beads will be and hoping you get to see the images BR (before release). It seems to be the quest of collectors as so many try to get the images or descriptions out before the release, which is before Trollbeads, the company, according to a well conceived schedule,wants them out.

I wonder if the people who have this drive to discover what the beads are BR, when young, were the kind of kid who peeked under their parents bed to see what they were getting for Christmas because the suspence was killing them.
Or were they the kind of kid that got home on Halloween night and ate all the candy in one sitting.

Come to think of it we are all like anxious children wanting to know what beads are coming out and it's this excitement that makes us want to share our discovery with the world. How frustrating they don't want us to see the beads befor they come out, but I get it. The time is required so all retailers are on an equal playing field and can all start selling close to the same time.  It takes time to create marketing materials and ship the product to all of the retailers around the world...or maybe it's some kind of ploy to get us all so worked up waiting for the release...we can't think of anything else! I doubt it but it sure helps in upping the excitement.  As a retailer I am required not to show any images before the release but it's hard not to talk about it and here I find myself talking about it for a few paragraphs without giving anything away. Sorry about that.

For anyone planning to be near S.E. Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Cape Cod*

Rogers Gallery is hosting a Trollbeads Special Event on 11-11-11. 

For you our planning has worked out well.  On the day of the release you will be able to include the new Trollbeads in your special purchases.

Besides the deals we will be offering dozens and dozens of new Unique Trollbeads, both Universal and Classic Unique! 

Purchase 3 Trollbeads, receive one of equal (or less) value free.

Receive $100.00 off any Gold Trollbeads* not including the Mini Heart Drop.

Receive $50.00 off any Silver and Gold Trollbeads.

Receive $50.00 off any Fantasy Chain when you purchase any Fantasy Pendant.

*This will include out very specially made Gold "Trefoil Knot" and "Two Sides to Everything" by Kim Buck in honor of his visit to Trollbeads Fest! 2011 last month.

*We are within an hour ride from many parts of Mass, including the Cape and Rhode Island.

Rogers Gallery/Trollbeads Gallery

Event Hours 9:30-5:00 Friday and Saturday 11-11-11 & 11-12-11

Route 6 (Next to the South Coast Diner)  Mattapoisett, Ma 02739 

508-758-3641 or 888-758-3641 For information and directions.

We have just heard Trollbeads Worldwide CEO Peter Aagaard will be at Trollbeads Fest! 2011 on Spetember 24th.

Everyone at Trollbeads Gallery and Rogers Gallery couldn't be more excited or more proud.  Since the end of January and since creating Trollbeads-United States, Peter has worked tirelessly to bring together the best team he could and the success of his efforts is so apparent on all levels of the business. From retailer communications to national advertizing and now by hiring the new CEO of Trollbeads-United States, Michael J. Belleveau, Peter has created a steady vessel worthy of this brand we all love so much.  Belleveau, a well-respected executive, headed Baccarat Inc. for 8 years before stepping down earlier this week. During his career, he has held positions in the Swiss watch and luxury tableware arenas, including sales and general management posts with Cartier, Victorinox/Swiss Army and Bulgari. I was lucky to have met him recently and my first impressions found him direct and warm.  The future of Trollbeads in the United States is more secure than ever and the future plans,according to those in the know, will be tremendously exciting.

As you can imagine the last 8 months has been a whirlwind for Peter and for the whole Aagaard family visiting all the jewelry shows, U.S. retailers and between flying back and forth from Denmark.  Now you can understand why for us it is so special to have Peter make it to Trollbeads Fest! 2011.  Peter will be speaking during the event discussing the history of the family's involvement and some of the outstanding accomplishments of the the Aagaard Stewardship. They have created glass making centers in communities in need from India,South Africa and their work with displaced Tibetans has been monumental.

We started Trollbeads Fest last year and had an amazing event with people coming from all over the world...and 19 states!  This year promises to be even better with glass bead demonstrations, visiting Trollbeads designers and hundreds of special beads.  For more information visit TrollbeadsFest!2011.

Yesterday I made our newest category on Trollbeads Gallery go live...and within half an hour 14 Trollbeads had been sold!  With no notice my very quick customers caught on and took advantage of a new product category created JUST for Trollbeads collectors who can only shop via the internet.

"Trollbeads:With a Twist" is the name of the new category and that is exactly what it is.  They are standard glass Trollbeads that have some noticeable difference from the bead it is supposed to be. From color, design and size! The really big versions or small versions of the standard Groups 1,2 and 3 will also be included in this new category. Have you seen those great Azure Bubbles with green streaks or the Blue Deserts that are red or even yellow? The Trollbead to the left is a striking rendition of the new White Cap Trollbead. How about the Khaki Stripes with Pink in the khaki area?  I know for a fact that many collectors who are close to Trollbeads stores love to collect these beads and go around hunting for them. Notice the pink in the Khaki Stripes below!

Whatever the bead is the price is it's original retail price. Also shown here will be the precious stone beads that are very light compared to the standard stone bead or very dark.  The extremes of the stone beads makes them beautiful when used all together.  The dark Aventurine looks like deep emerald.

Another precious stone Trollbeads to keep your eyes out for is the very light Golden Quartz.  It looks like a yellow sapphire! The one below is a beauty but they

come in even lighter than this one!

The beads like Azure Bubbles (above) are good to buy from this category because where they are all so different at least you can choose the one you want. Do you like it with brown? With Pink? With light green? The Blue Desert (below) is certainly a beautiful bead but it definitely is not blue!  I will be posting more and more beads here so stay tuned!

I am getting very excited thinking about this year's Trollbeads Fest with both  Eske Storm and Kim Buck, both being guest designers from Denmark.  Kim Buck is a relative new comer to the Trollbeads design team but he has already carved out a clearly recognizable "look" with his beads.  If you happen to study the Trollbeads and come to know the designers you can see a style that is definitely unique to each designer and Kim has a very clean style.  With his designs it appears to me very favorably that less is more.

Kim Buck's style is not specifically just for his Trollbead designs as he is a professional full time jewelry designer with his own studio and works on commissioned pieces for the world famous Georg Jensen Silversmiths in Copenhagen.  The Georg Jensen company is where fine jewelry and silverware has been produced for over a century and has enjoyed a prolific and successful history. Kim graduated from Copenhagen's Institute of Precious Metals in 1985 and as a designer for Georg Jensen, "Kim Buck does not solely focus on creating elegant lines, but rather on the interplay between personality and design, between the wearer and the object."

Kim's "Love Within" Trollbead speaks volumes in a very private way as you can wear your heart on your sleeve but keep it to yourself.  The simplicity of this design adds a great band of silver on your bracelet and it can be engraved upon. At Trollbeads Fest! 2011 we will have these beads available engraved with "Trollbeads Fest! 2011".

My personal favorite is "Two Sides to Everything".  I liked it so much I recently contracted to have it made into 18K Gold and it quickly sold out.  I would love to see his "Trefoil Knot" in 18K Gold but judging from the weight it would be prohibidly costly where gold is historically so high.

I am very much looking forward to meeting Kim and I know many of you are also!  For information on Trollbeads Fest! 2011 please visit the website. Tickets and events are listed. History making year for Trollbeads in the United States.

*From the Georg Jensen website.

 This is a blog by our guest blogger from the Netherlands, Anna Teresa Bellinzis. Below she is standing next to our sign on Trollbeads Fest 2010, Day 1!

Memories of Trollbeads Fest 2010

When I see Louise's announcements for Trollbeads Fest 2011 I just have to think back to October 2010. Because I was so lucky to be at the first Fest and that was a great experience. When I joined the Trollbeads Gallery Forum I never even thought of going to Mattapoisett. That was something unreachable. But then, one day, I received a mail from a great, great friend who asked me if I would like to come. I looked at my husband and was speechless. What should I say, I asked him. Go, if you want to, my husband said. We sure can manage a few days without you. So I wrote back a big YES, my tickets were booked and I found another lovely friend who wanted to share a hotel room with me. Then the waiting began. Six long months in which I saved money to buy wonderful beads; the happy universe was number one on my list. I bought some souvenirs for my friends in The States and thought night after night which outfits I should bring to the fest. Because they had to match my beads of course! And then there was the day I flew to Boston were I met Chuck and Mary. I was a bit nervous: would we like each other in real life as we do on the forum? After a big hug I knew the answer. Yes we would have a great time together. I felt instantly safe with them. After a few hours we arrived at New Bedford and saw other forum members. More hugs followed and it was as if we were relatives that hadn’t seen each other for a long time. It felt trusted, like family. We laughed, looked at each other’s beads and talked for hours. The following days were great.

We met Louise and her staff at Louise's great gallery. We could look at beads as long as we wanted and if we needed a certain color we could choose from so many beads that were in store. Penni was so patient with me looking for the perfect color when I wanted to buy a deep bubbles with pink and a real dark amethyst. Do you remember Penni? And there was wine and cheese and a raffle and we had a lot of fun with plastic skeletons that Chuck brought with him, with a nod to the Trollbeads silver and gold Skeletons that had jsut been released in Europe. (Pictured at the end of the blog)

Louise also organized a day with even more beads, Australian pax designer Suzanne Hopping signing the Coffee Table Book, there were demonstrations, balloons filled with beads, a boat trip and a superb diner. And I think I can say that everyone present felt proud to be at this Fest that turned out to be a great success. And no: it was not all about the beads. It was about seeing friends and talking without the passion we share. And celebrate that passion with even more Trollbeads!

Now I remember something funny. At the hotel I saw other (non-Trollie) guests looking at us as we were all dressed up with as many beads we could wear. What were they thinking? Well, at least that we were a very happy bunch of people. This year I am not able to go to the Fest, but I recommend to everyone who is still doubting, to go. If you want to have a great time and meet all your Friends from Trollbeads Gallery Forum, the weekend of September 23 and 24th is one you can’t miss.

                                The skeleton crew in 2010!