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

 

Think about the first collections you were consumed by. If you were lucky, as I was, it was young in life. You had someone in your family or in your group of friends who showed you a collection and you became enthralled with the idea of having something to collect. That is how it happened with me. I can still remember every collection I was ever shown and I can tell you everything I ever collected and I remember with fondness the innocence of my desire to “collect”, not so much to own but to have an interesting group of one thing, a collection. It gave me a sense of pride and it formed a thirst to hunt down whatever it was I was collecting. What better way to teach a child about themselves and about the value of what they choose to collect. The most serious collection I had was collecting stamps. I would take my allowance to the old stamp store and buy a package carefully encased in a wax paper envelope and run home to see if I was lucky enough to find one my stamp book was missing. It gave me the sense of amassing, of working to earn something and I began to understand the value of money. How many young children do you know today have this in their lives? One of the benefits of being a Trollbeads retailer is being able to see children and see their minds working as they pick out their first beads.

     We once had a 3 year old who took shopping with Nana as a very serious endeavor. Cate would get up on our step stool and do her own choosing. No matter what Nana showed her she always had her own idea. Think about the memories both child and grandmother will always have. Cate never takes the bracelet off. She is shown in this photograph with her Trollbeads bracelet.

The idea of earning the beads comes later and girls and boys around the age of 7 to 8 do understand the concept of money and will work for allowances to purchase their own beads. These collectors have their own story books with the beads they want circled and starred. There are so many benefits of having young people collect something they are fascinated with. Beyond the value of the money, they learn what they can do without to add to their collection. They learn to take care of their collection,polish it, protect it and watch it grow. Trollbeads tell a story and who enjoys stories better than anyone?  Children! Are there young children in your life that could benefit from collecting Trollbeads?

 

Trollbeads Universe

 

  The end of February brought more than cold winds over from Europe, it also brought us the Aagaards. Anyone reading this Trollbeads blog is well aware, or should be, of the Trollbeads family from Denmark. The end of February was a turning point for Trollbeads in the United States because that is when the Aagaards took over the Trollbeads distributorship for the U.S. I have written about it in past blogs so if you need to catch up you can check back at the older articles. As predicted this change has been monumental for dealers and for collectors in the U.S. I think one of the biggest changes this has brought about so far, most obvious to the U.S. collectors is the loss of the TrollbeadsUS.Com website. Lund Trading, the former U.S. Trollbeads distributor, had a dynamic site for collectors and many enjoyed the use of the registry and of the bracelet builder. Unannounced, the site was taken down last week. That means anyone who still had their registries on the site, lost them. But worry not because the Aagaards have a terrific site for you to play at www.TrollbeadsUniverse.com.You can have a registry, find retailers, find events and read about the history of every Trollbead ever in production. The history of Trollbeads in Europe is long and so much can be seen through the museum they have featured on the site.  It may take a while to adjust to the new playground but in time you’ll love it and feel right at home.

Here (no pun intended) is a friend you can see in Trollbeads museum on TrollbeadsUniverse.com.  He is one of the 3 Monkeys individually created by Svend Nielsen in 2003 and it was also retired from the line in 2003. Apparently there was no monkey business in 2003.  Whatever the reason for it's short life the 3 Monkeys are very rare. This week a very kind soul from Europe was willing to sell me her monkey, "Hear No Evil" and he arrived and stands proud amongst his fellow retirees at the U.S. Trollbeads Museum at Trollbeads Gallery. The museum grows daily!

With the introduction of the Spring 2011, Trollbeads also released a limited Edition at the same time.  The Limited Edition was Agate beads, in Pink and in Turquoise.  These beads were very unlike the Crazy Lace Agate Trollbeads released in 2010 so the release was brand new and totally unexpected.  These Trollbead stones are finished with a very high polish and are very smooth and have similar outlines to the Jasper and Picasso Jasper Trollbeads.  No facets just smooth rock.  The two colors also came in 2 choices, solid and striped.  While the solid Agate Trollbeads offer you a very drenched color, the striped Agates add pattern and intrigue to your jewelry.  Once again a hard choice to make and my advice would be to choose what you like and decide where you will use them later.  Photo below and the set at the end of this post shows a solid Pink Agate and the set at the top shows the solid Turquoise set.

Collecting Trollbeads is always about choices but making decision based on what other beads you have to use it with will stifle your collection.  Think about your Trollbeads collection as a painter’s palette, one you have all the colors spread across, and start from scratch designing new creations.  Ok, now think about the beads you said no to because they just didn’t work with what you had?  Your palette would be boring and you chance at self-exploration would once again leave you once again at the boredom door.  Is this where you want to be?  No, I know you don’t because if you did you’d be collecting some other bead brand!  So go back to your local dealer or back to the website of your choice and choose the wildest of the Agate Stripes and know your collection will always lead you to exciting places where you can reinvent yourself through Trollbeads!

The striped Agate has a very interesting story behind its development.  Like many of the interesting varieties of stones, Agates are formed from volcanic activity.  There are nodules or cavities within volcanic rocks that have had layers of silica type materials have form in regular spaces and some are thin and others wide.  These agates when cut opposite to the grain, or transversely, shows the layers as they occurred in time and it is these layers that give our Striped Agate, its name.  Hold the striped beads up to the light and you will see the light through the bead.  (Notice the bead to the right.)

The lighter silica striations go from white to a cloudy but light clear. Sometimes called banded Agate, it is the most exciting to me as a Trollbeads dealer and collector.  When you look at these new Trollbeads remember to purchase for its beauty and then be concerned as to how you might use it.  Don’t give up the chance to own something so strikingly beautiful because you are afraid of its use.

 For interesting ideas of what to use your Agate LE Trollbeads with join us on Trollbeads Gallery Forum and see what collectors are doing!

Also join us on Facebook and continue your Trollbeads journey by learning and seeing what the rest of the world is doing with their Trollbeads! http://www.facebook.com/TrollbeadsGallery

This is a reprint of an email sent to our Trollbeads Gallery Forum members.  I am posting it here so collectors who aren't aware of our Trollbeads Gallery Forum can read about it and hopefully join it's most amazing members.  If you haven't joined, please do you will find it most rewarding and very educational.  You can sit back and just read and enjoy it all or you can partake in the discussions and groups.  I consider myself lucky to be a part of this forum.

To join click here: Trollbeads Gallery Forum

 

Greetings to all of you, our Trollbeads Gallery Forum friends. I have been going through the forum's most recently uploaded photographs and I have to say the collectors here on our forum have some of the most incredible Trollbeads. Some of the photos and beads are literally breathtaking.  Speaking of breathtaking for those of you who wish to improve your photo taking ability there is a group hosted by Ginger, our TBGF Photographer extraordinare!  Please follow the link to our most recent Blog article where I write about our Forum hitting one more benchmark, 12,000 photographs.  Please leave comments for Ginger or leave them just in general!

With all the changes and upheaval with Trollbeads at the beginning of February the scheduled price increase of 2-1-11 was pushed to the middle of the month and we kept on getting updates and mixed messages so now as of Monday 3-1st our Trollbeads Gallery will have the new prices. The changes aren't enormous but just the same it was considerate for Trollbeads to extend the date to the U.S. market.  

Speaking of Trollbeads the changes have been smooth and we are very excited about upcoming changes and benefits the new distributor will offering the U.S. market.  The Unique beads are coming in beautiful and wonderfully varied. For those of you who are new to Trollbeads Gallery Forum or new to Trollbeads one very big benefit of the new distributorship is our ability to now offer the 6 bead kits for the price of 5 beads. To see what kits are available visit our What's New Page. The new Spring 2011 Trollbeads are proving to be a very popular release but I'm sure none of us are surprised at this!

"Trollbeads Fest! 2011" is coming along and is all set for September 23th and 24th.  We are reworking our Trollbeads Fest website and will have fresh information soon. We have been working on some great plans so clear your calendar and make your travel plans!  We have it listed under "Events" on our Forum.

If you are looking for individual Pink and Turquoise Agates and can't hand select at a local dealer we will be listing them on Trollbeads Gallery shortly. We will also be listing many more Picasso Jaspers in the coming week so keep your eyes on the What's New Page!!   Our Retired Trollbeads Gallery website will be offering many new "old" Trollbeads once I get them listed in the next few days. From Big Fruit, Crane, Large BOF, 3 Red Armadillos, many retired Pink Ambers to the Tulip Lock...we have a lot to share! From changing the prices and adding all of the beads I've mentioned I think I'll be very busy!

We are about to announce a photography contest (I have mentioned it) and we are just nailing down the logistics and prizes. My idea is to lighten up the end of winter by adding some comedy so start thinking up funny Trollbeads photos. If you follow the link to Facebook you can see the photo of the Baby Trolls Beach PartyI took last summer. We are thrilled to announce Isabel and Nicholas Aagaard will be judging the contest! It was originally planned for the Trollbeads Gallery Facebook page and may still be there but for those of you who aren't on Facebook I don't want to exclude you. If you are on Facebook and not yet on our page please join our by clicking "Like Us". Trollbeads Gallery Facebook!   You'll see Trollbeads here that I don't show on the forum... just for variety!

One more thing!  I want to remind you to go to "Groups" and check them out and please join your local group or create one if you don't have one for your state or your country. This is a great place to learn about your local Trollbeads events so it is very worthwhile joining!!  New members are joining everyday and our international members are joining in great numbers and our groups will be getting busier!  Welcome to all of you.  If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me at:

louise@trollbeadsgallery.com

Warm Regards, Louise

 PS. Here is one of the kits! Don't forget that Trollbeads are now available in kits! Save $31.00!

 

 

 

 

Our Trollbeads Gallery Forum is quite simply a very special place to be if you love Trollbeads.  Our members are from all over the world and it was only about a month ago when we hit 2000 members on our Trollbeads Gallery Forum.  With each member our collective knowledge grows exponentially and our members are both adding to and benefitting from this knowledge base by being a part of it. We have an amazing group of collectors and it is growing stronger!

Our newest benchmark was hit today, Trollbeads Gallery Forum hit its 12,000 Photograph!  Our Forum format allows members to add photographs in a stream, based on when a photo is added.  We limit the subject by allowing only photographs of Trollbeads and by keeping the photos on target we are making sure our Forum is the best format for both serious collectors and for new collectors.  The photograph section allows photos to be featured and I try to change these daily. The serious collectors are always interested in seeing other collections and the new collector becomes easily inspired by seeing all the different uses of Trollbeads.  Trollbeads are very visual and by sharing our passion through photographs we all connect through what we love. Another reason our forum photos are so popular may be how they allow our members to communicate to each other even though we may speak dozens of different languages.

One of our members Ginger is a phenomenal photographer (Ginger conducted a very popular photography seminar at the Trollbeads Fest!2010)and she has added a group on our Forum where she has given her techniques and tricks for taking good Trollbeads photos.  I advise everyone to visit and review her ideas. The better the picture, the better our Forum! You can ask her questions and easily follow her advise and become a super photographer. Don't be disappointed if your images don't come out perfect the first time. The photography of jewelry is very difficult but with Ginger, you have a great teacher. To be a member of her group you will need to join our Forum but here is a link to Ginger's Photography Trollbeads Gallery Group.

The image above is one of Ginger's photographs. Thank you Ginger!

If you're not a member of Trollbeads Gallery Forum, please join and travel through our photos and transport yourself to Trollbeads Nirvana!

Below is a brand new photograph from Ginger!  I had to include it!

Trollbeads New 2011 Spring Release is out and so is the verdict! There isn’t anything from the new release I would advise you not to add to your Trollbeads collection. Honestly it is, overall, the best of the best and I can’t wait to get to work with the beads in the gallery and really dig in designing with them! The best part of this new collection is the brand new availability of the Glass 1 beads in sets! A set is made up of 6 glass Trollbeads and you only pay for 5! Pictured below is the new "Beach Set".

 

 

  Sets have been available in Europe but TrollbeadsUS chose not to offer them in this way. With the new U.S. distributor we are able to offer a number of predetermined themed sets all based around beads from a particular release. Examples being the “New Black and White Kit” set which has 6 black and white Trollbeads from a 2010 release and includes the Black Armadillo, White Flower, Black Bubbles among others.

There is the ”Desert Kit” (shown below) which includes all three Desert Trollbeads, Deep Bubbles, Khaki Stripe and Desert Flower.

To view all of sets offered view the “What’s New” on Trollbeads Gallery. Two new sets have been introduced with the 2011 Spring Release using all twelve new glass beads, the “Beach Kit” and the “Flower Kit”. The “Milky Quartz” is the new Precious Stone addition and it offer us a white bead that ranges from bright white to a darker white so owning one is not going to be enough! The new Fantasy Pendant bead is the sterling “Shadow Flower” and it uses the Pearl of the Fantasy Necklace to form delicate petals that encompass the pearl. Beautiful silver work!

The “Double Heart” is a nice departure from the sweeter scale hearts already in production and it has a “techno-romantic” style to it lending it more to the contemporary look. Sales have been excellant and people seeing for the first time are surprised how much more they like it in person!

 

 

 

 

 

“Cherry Blossom” (shown to the left) offers a GREAT bead somewhat in the style of “Forget Me Not” but in a balanced bead. The size is so usable and round. The “Family of Kittens” and the “Family of Puppies” are needed addition as house pets go but they also serve to tell me I need stronger glasses. Both of these beads are wonderfully rendered once you see the detail. I am thrilled they have added more pet beads because we all know the dog and cat market is enormous and we definitely needed more to offer these loving pet owners. One of the best beads of this release is actually a surprise to me because before I saw it in person I simply though, oh this is nice. Then when it came in I ran around our stores and showed it to everyone exclaiming how amazing it was and that is the Palm Island. I mean let’s face it here in New England we don’t get very excited about Palm trees, or you would think! This bead is a beauty!!! You can’t see it in the website photo but the ball is a beautiful soft translucent ocean blue with, are you ready??? Sparkles!! It looks just like the shimmering seas and the tree itself is standing on a sand colored mound, hence the “Palm Island”. If the gang had this bead on Gilligan’s Island they wouldn’t have spent 98 episodes trying to get off the island. So my advice to you would be run, don’t walk to Trollbeads Gallery and order up! We have loads and loads of inventory or run to your local dealer as soon as you can!

Shown above is the Nielsen and Aagaard Family

This article has been written for you the Trollbeads collectors, to keep you informed about last weeks procedings between Trollbeads and Lund Trading.  Don't fear the changes, celebrate them! As I write this I am sure many other changes will occur before all is settled and I will report them to you.

As many of you know there are many changes in the air for Trollbeads and for its U.S. retailers. On Tuesday, January  31^st U.S. Trollbeads retailers received a letter from Trollbeads Corporate explaining they would be taking over the distributorship for Trollbeads in the U.S. and ending their relationship from Lund Trading as of January 31^st.  You can imagine as retailers we were very concerned as to what this would mean for the future of Trollbeads here in the states.    I personally needed to have more clarification before I was certain the transition would be smooth and without any legal ramifications. As retailers we have been working closely with Lund and have enjoyed a positive working relationship with the office support staff so the change has sent unsettled feelings though many retailers.  We needed more information to understand the reasons and the purpose for this drastic change but with the new bead release in the balance retailers were in a very difficult position.  Hour by hour we tried to work out what the best course would be.  Some retailers placed the new bead orders with Lund and some went right over to Trollbeads without looking back.

On Wednesday we received a letter from Lund’s attorney telling us, in brief, their contract with Trolllbeads was still in place and would be until 2014.  It went on to say that any attempt by any third party to sell to us would be dealt with by legal proceedings.   For retailers the legalese came across as threatening and at this point I was contacted by other retailers worrying as to the seriousness for them and for the orders they had place with Trollbeads and did these orders place them in legal liability.  In reading the document over while it felt threatening I believed the warning was only meant for Trollbeads.  It was also the next step any attorney would have taken at this point. 

Still at a point of not knowing where to turn and whose allegiance we should place out trust in, Lund took action and placed a temporary restraining order on Trollbeads at the a state level.  Trollbeads was in the position of having to send a letter through their attorneys, to retailers explaining due to the terms of the court order we were not to contact them in any way and vice versa.  Once again retailers were sent into a tailspin not knowing where the new beads would come from and if they would come at all.  It was my feeling that Lund had determined that the well -being of its retailers was not its main concern.  The letter from Trollbeads attorneys explained in greater depth the reasons what led Trollbeads to break the contract with Lund.  Among them being the owner of Lund, he reportedly had made secretive actions to create his own brand of beads while having parameters within his contract not to be involved with any competing companies.  In essence we were brought into the loop and given the respect due to us as the main vehicles that drove Lund to the success that it had within the U.S.  It wasn’t much to ask and Trollbeads showed us more respect in what was only their second communication, than Lund had in all of our years of dealing with them.  The letter went on to propose that in creating and producing his own line of beads, Lund’s owner had not only ignored the terms of his contract but he used information he received from Trollbeads to do so.  So there we were as retailers with no clear captain at the helm and I can say for myself as aTrollbeads retailer for 4 years and as the top U.S. dealer as I write this, I was extremely concerned and lost a lot of sleep.  We were assured this order would be dissolved but when?  Courts can take all the time in the world.

On Wednesday night, February 2^nd we received a letter from Trollbeads telling us a Federal Court judge dissolved Lund’s restraining order with lightning speed.  Trollbeads United States would immediately commence with the shipping of new beads.  It was great news but tempered by the fact we also know it may be only until Lund can come up with another blocking tactic.  In the long run it is evident who will be the victor but the turmoil Lund has involved us all in is not right. It was between Trollbeads and Lund and the retailers should not have been dragged into it.

 This change was more than necessary and it will mean great things for Trollbeads dealers and collectors in the United States.  The visions the Aagaard’s have for Trollbeads and what it wants to invest in marketing will make the company so much stronger and it’s visibility in the U.S. will rise to where it should be and for this we should all be excited.  What we will be a part of is a whole new generation of the Trollbeads evolution and of the Trollbeads family.  Trollbeads-United States will be managed and run by Lise Aagaard’s (CEO of Trollbeads International) 2 sons, Robin and Nicolas and her daughter Isabel.  For a short term they will be directed by Lise’s husband Peter, who will stay as long as the transition requires the added and experienced management.  All of this is very important for me because this familial continuity is why Trollbeads stands so far above all the other interchangeable bead brands.   The endless fount of inherited creativity along with the steady steerage by the Nielsen/Aagaard family exhibits a perfect balance between artistry and business acumen.   Earlier generations have created, nurtured and maintained this brand and with this next generation, it will continue to thrive and offer their collectors an even greater depth of Trollbeads development.

To see the new 2011 Spring Trollbeads Collection follow this link.

 

As we continue the accomplishments of Trollbeads for the last year we move on to the Limited Edition Spring Flower sets, Pink and Blue. As with other special releases these were available for a short time and only to Premier Dealers. Premier Dealers are the retailers who sell no other interchangeable bead line. The two Flower sets were composed of 6 beads each and were strategically designed for each set to create complimentary colors for a bracelet or if you wished, the beads could be purchased individually. For the U.S. this was the first time the very unique designs were available to the collectors. Unique beads or OOAK, as they are called in Europe, were being offered abroad in these designs for a while prior to this release.

Right on the heal of the Spring Flower sets Trollbeads stepped up to answer the desperate needs of Haiti following the horrific Earthquake of January 2010 by producing the Haiti Empowerment Sets of Trollbeads. This release brought an even wider and more extraordinary range of new Trollbeads designs to the U.S. and the success was great for Trollbeads, for the collectors and for Haiti. By the end of the release Trollbeads was able to donate close to $300,000 to Haiti’s Habitat for Humanity which provided housing for 50,000 Haitians. As you probably know Habitat for Humanity is a not for profit organization that helps communities build homes for low income home ownership. In Haiti’s case the displacement of so many people has caused an on-going desperate need for housing.

Like other Empowerment Trollbeads the center core is made larger so all bead collectors can partake in the cause. Pandora and Chamelia both require the larger opening.  Below are examples of the Haiti Empowerment Trollbeads.

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As I was deciding what to include in my 2010 Trollbeads summary it astonished me to see how much Trollbeads accomplished in just one year.  Too much, in fact, it will take more than one blog to include all of the special releases that made 2010 such a remarkable year for Trollbeads and Trollbeads Collectors. Thank you Trollbeads!

February 2010 Trollbeads released a Limited Edition of the Crazy Lace Agate beads.  This bead is one of many different colors and forms of agate and is a deep rich pink with veins of purple, gray, rust and black running through the stone which gives the beads a wide variety of appearances.  For the first time there were actually two shapes created.  Europe was offered the smooth Crazy Lace Agate and the U.S. was offered the bead in a faceted version.

Crazy Lace Agate is known as a healing stone.  It provides balance and it protects the wearer.  It brings laughter to its possessor.  Crazy Lace Agate is used to help in making decisions by balancing the energies used in the physical, the emotional and the mental which keeps the possessor focused and better able to make good decisions.

As with all of the limited edition releases, only the Premium Trollbeads dealers were offered the Crazy Lace Agate beads.  Premium Partner dealers are dealers that offer no other competing interchangeable bead line. Crazy lace Agate was only available for a very short time and is no longer attainable through Trollbeads. Trollbeads Gallery sold many of these beads and is always looking for more to sell under our retired Trollbeads line.  We have the beads and will soon be adding them to our retired website. Please email if you have any you would like to part with! http://RetiredTrollbeadsGallery.com

email: Louise@TrollbeadsGallery.com

*Photo taken by Trollbeads Gallery Forum member! The four smooth pick beads are Crazy lace Agates.

Professional photographer Celia Pearson was visiting recently and I handed her the Trollbeads Coffee Table Book to watch her reaction.  Celia is a highly visual person and I wanted to see her reaction from a non Trollbeads collector's point of view.  While she finds Trollbeads fascinating, she isn't a jewelry person.  I always show, discuss and sell the book to Trollbeads collectors and I thought it would be fascinating to hear Celia's impressions.  She has illustrated books with her photography and I was eager to see what her reaction would be.  To understand Trollbeads could she see it from the the pages within this book?  I think she did!  LR

 

I was visiting Louise Rogers recently and she introduced me to the book An Icon in Jewellery Design: Trollbeads.  She’d already introduced me to Trollbeads. I think they are fascinating and beautiful - so creatively designed. I haven’t purchased any, but that’s only because I’m a person who wears very little jewelry.  When we opened this book together, Louise and I, I was immediately drawn to its strong and vibrant photographs. I am a lifelong photographer, so it was natural that I would notice the images.

All at once I understood Trollbeads better. The story of this family, and its company and designers, is compelling. Just as the beads come alive in the creative and inspired hands of the designers, the story comes alive in the book’s amazing photographs. All are flawlessly composed, and without exception the images are imbued with a sense of vitality and energy. There is life in these pages.

Trollbeads, too, seem to be imbued with this same life (so well described by the book’s stunning close-up photographs of them), and now I see that the vibrancy and integrity of the humans behind these beads is part of that life. They are an inspired and inspiring community and not only do they share who they are in this book, they seem as well to invite us to become a part of them.

This family and company have an unerring sense of and ability to share what I believe many of us want. I believe we want fine things, a sense of the life all around us (and in us), and community. Beauty, vitality, connection. The photographs in this book power that message, and the Trollbeads take on an added significance as they become a symbol for those things.

Thanks, Louise!

Celia Pearson

 

Celia Pearson Biography

Celia Pearson has been a fine art and assignment photographer for many years. Richard Bond’s lectures in Annapolis, Maryland in the 1970’s sparked a passion that has defined her adult life. Her fine art photographs are collected privately and are in two permanent museum collections: The Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD, and The New Bedford Museum of Glass in New Bedford, MA. Her work has been shown in galleries in Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The Cape Cod Museum of Art has just mounted an exhibit of her sea glass images that will continue through October 10, 2010. 

Pearson’s photographs of architecture, interiors, and gardens have been published in national magazines such as Coastal Living, Metropolitan Home, Southern Accents, and Residential Architect. Book credits include Pure SEA GLASS published by Sea Glass Publishing, with more than 85,000 copies sold since publication in 2004; and Wayne L. Good Architect: Tradition Elegance, Repose, a monograph published in four languages.

As a result of the book Pure SEA GLASS Pearson's work came to the attention of Maryland Public Television and was the subject of a segment on ArtWorks. MPT’s host, Rhea Feikin, described Pearson’s “innate ability to find the essence of an object that resonates with beauty”.

The artist lives in Annapolis, Maryland.

To Celia, Many thanks for looking into my world! Louise