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

As an Authorized Dealer of Trollbeads I have a stake in stating the case of why not to buy your Trollbeads on Ebay. Obviously I want to protect the brand but my somewhat biased position does not overstate the fact there will always be scams by sellers offering "authentic" Trollbeads which are not Trollbeads. This is a buyer beware for the new collectors. I will repeat throughout while there are reputable sellers on Ebay but these are not the sellers I am referring to. If you have been following my blog or my posts on Trollbeads Gallery Forum you know where I stand.  I offer up what information I receive for you (the collector) to take in and do what you want with.  It seems I send these warnings out every couple of years to keep the newer of the dedicated collectors in the loop. 

Forgive me my strong mindedness on this issue but I've been a dedicated dealer for a very long time, I have a strong connection to the Trollbeads company/family and to Trollbeads collectors around the world. For these reasons I feel it is my duty to warn collectors about counterfeit beads. Thousands of these beads have sold and continue to sell and with each bead sold there is one more chance that your collection can become less valuable. It doesn't even matter if you own a counterfeit bead or not. History has shown brands that are counterfeited are ultimately negatively affected.  Why else do brands spend billions on long legal battles against counterfeiters? If you collect Trollbeads and you want to protect the future of your collection then it is your duty to stay away from these sellers.

I started a thread on Trollbeads Gallery Forum which brought out good points on both sides of the aisle because as mentioned there are reputable sellers on Ebay.  It is always good to get a conversation started to share information and in this case you have me telling you the perils because I have seen first hand how bad the situation has been.  With any brand once it gets to a certain level of desirability the counterfeiters are already pushing product off their conveyer belts. You need to keep in mind that the manufacturers in China are so adept at counterfeiting everything that nothing is sacred.  Antique specialists at the Smithsonian are confounded at the degree of competence in copying everything from antique paintings, furniture and jewelry.  If you think you can judge a Trollbead because it has a LAA hallmark forget about it.   The stamp is easier to copy than the bead.  But with that being said I know there are also sellers on Ebay who are serious collectors whose bead collections are evolving (as collections tend to) and this is their only outlet to sell. We need to keep this in mind too. So as you read the snippets of the thread keep in mind it boils down to three things.

1. Purchase from Authorised Trollbeads Dealers.

2. Purchase from known reputable collectors. (Takes research)

3. Just keep in mind one thing: Buyer Beware.

The following are excepts from our Forum thread and being shared here to help educate new buyers. I am pasting in the way the comments appeared and I've stayed as true to the thread as I could with my cutting and pasting abilities. I think I am supposed to mention something about the opinions below may not be those of this blog...or something like that.  It may seem fragmented but just take the information as you want and as you will see we have sellers protecting their position in the light of my comments against fraudulent sellers. 

I started the thread by posting the photo accompanying comment.

  This is a chain someone ordered thinking they were ordering a real Trollbeads chain. It is NOT a Trollbeads chain.  I received this photo through a dealer.  They received it from a customer who asked them if this is an authentic Trollbeads chain, as even the collector knew something was wrong. I have to admit I never even thought the chains would be be copied. Not only are the beads being copied but the chains are too. Buyer beware.  

Comment: Collector 1

Always good to be warned, there are some really ruthless people out there.......many thanks for this Louise xxx

Comment: Collector 2 (new to TB)

Comment: Collector 4

Twins and Trios!

At Trollbeads Gallery we've been selling unique Trollbeads for so long and in so many formats and in so many ways and I thought it would be fun to come up with just one more way to make choosing and purchasing unique Trollbeads easier for the collectors. Even prior to this I added one more unique selection for Valentine's day but now that is behind us we are releasing this new category today, February 15th.  Being snowed in helped with this creative endeavor and while I am starting out with about 70 kits I promise to be adding more in the near future.  Like you all my creative juices get flowing but instead of creating bracelets I like creating even more alluring ways to show you Trollbeads. Yes, the Trollbeads Devil lives in breathes within me! Let this be a warning for those who get weak in the knees around unique Trollbeads. 

Starting before the new year I have been saving (perhaps hoarding is more like it) and matching beads and setting them aside in either groups of two identical beads as in "twins" or in groups of three beads that would match each other.  The "trios" kits I have offered before from time to time but the twins is a new format which was brought about by the need to have a balanced design on the new Bangle Bracelet. Yes, I have been listening to your requests! I have had collectors wanting matched uniques in times past but the need was more for a necklace design but now with the Bangle there is even a greater need.  The Trollbeads Bangle below is a quick design using twin unique beads.

One surprize for those of you who have been seeking out the "Small and Beautiful" beads in a rather relentless fashion (and those of you know of whom I speak) will find I am showing the same designs but in a larger bead as these new beads have come in with the Universal core.  Judging from the style and the colors of these beads I am guessing they are coming from the Malawi bead makers but as I said this is just an educated guess. Below is a Bangle made with beads also found on the "Small and Beautiful" kits.

When listing these new "Twins and Trios" Kits I will make a mention in the description area as to whether the cores are Universal or Classic and from what I am gathering many of you are really buying your beads based on the style and less on the size of the core and this makes finding what you want so much easier!  But just in case you are holding out just for the classic core I will have the size core mentioned in the description. 

Our Valentine's Trunk show was a success-even with the blizzard and I wanted to thank everyone who had to wait through our loss of internet and power.  Another reminder is that our special pricing on Gold Trollbeads over $500 and Gold/Silver Trollbeads over $250 is an everyday deal now.  That was a little confusing over the Trunk show but now that the trunk show is over and the special prices remain...it will be more clear.

Post Script:  I just released these maybe an hour or 2 ago and the response has been wonderful.  I'm not referring to the sales but to the emails, calls and mentions. It seems like many of you have wanted something like this to make choosing matches more easily and I will promise to add more next week!

Update! The World Tour Trollbeads In a Nutshell

I've seen many new Trollbeads enthusiasts and collectors join our ranks this year and with the new collectors come a lot of questions about past releases and one of the releases that has garnered most of the questions has been the World Tour Trollbeads.  What are they? Why are some not available?  Are they limited editions?  So forth and so on.  I'd like to make a brief description to bring the newbies up to date while not giving too much info in case this becomes boring for the more informed. I am writing this now because as I was doing the year end inventory I discovered that some of the World Tour beads are very low in inventory and I ran out of a few before Christmas. I thought giving a fair warning would be helpful for those of you who are waiting for the right time to purchase...now is it!  The whole collection was done in a small scale limited edition and was originally only created to be sold in each of the country's the beads represented. When the tour was completed we were treated with the news that every dealer in every country would have a small window of opportunity to purchase the kits from all countries.  Even though I purchased many (I always over do it) I am already finding myself running out of some and running low on others.

The World Tour is a group of 12 kits of Trollbeads, 4 beads to a kit, with each kit representing the 12 countries Trollbeads is most well known and appreciated in.  Through out the tour which lasted many months a new kit would be introduced every few months.  The beads were designed to best celebrate the culture and history if each of the 12 countries.  What a great tribute and one that was appreciated by collectors everywhere.

The first release was appropriately Denmark and the Danish Kit was kicked off at a World Tour Celebration event in Copenhagen.  The Danish beads were the Viking Ship (my favorite for the Denmark set), Design Troll (sold out) and the Runes -a beautiful Amber bead.  Amber had been hard to get as of late and the Runes amber bead was sold out for months but we now have a good quantity available. The markings on the side of the bead is Denmark engraved in Runes.  The glass bead of the kit was Anemones, a very pretty green flower bead.  This bead is one of the beads low in stock.  The World Tour glass beads while being limited were very well priced at $31.00.

Following Denmark we saw the World Tour Kits from Germany and the Netherlands released with such perfect beads!! Two of my favorites was from Germany, the Beetle and the Frog Prince.  It is shown below with a crowned from sitting on his green thrown!The Netherlands Van Gogh bead is a beauty with sculptured Sunflowers in an interesting rounded shape which celebrated one of the many artists to come from the Netherlands, Van Gogh.  See below!

The World Tour Kit release from the Baltic States was exciting as it gave us another Amber bead, Baltic Amber, shown below, which people loved because of its facets that dance in the sun and it is only $43. The Baltic Amber bead was out of stock at TBG for awhile and then we got some back in stock late fall.  The kit also gave us another silver and glass bead, the Iron Wolf.  The sweet Mushroom Family, shown below was a favorite of many cooks! At Trollbeads Gallery we still have a few of these.  A great bead at $28.

As you can well imagine there are so many other beads to talk about from the World Tour and as I am limited to space here on the blog please take the link to our website and look through  all the beads to see the grand tribute Trollbeads created for each of the countries they are represented by.  I have left the images of the sold-out beads visible on the site so you can see them close up.  Below is a list of just some of our favorites at Trollbeads Gallery but not mentioned above!  Follow the link at the bottom of the blog and enjoy the designs!

Japan- Blooming Sakura Beauty of a glass bead! (Far below left)

Switzerland- Edelweiss (sold out) A beautiful flower. (lower right)

Austria- Amadeus  (almost sold out) Great for all Musicians! (lower left)

Italy- Love Locks

Hong Kong- Chinese Auspicious  (Shown below upper right)

UK-Tea Party- (Shown below upper left)

 The World Tour collection is another aspect of Trollbeads that sets it apart from the other bead brands on the market.  The carefully executed release of each of the countries beads as far of sense of timing and the overall plan shows the amount of forethought that typically goes into every major or minor Trollbeads release. The depth of this artistic line is so much more complex in design and in meaning than any other brand and this is why Trollbeads has continued to evolve and continued to inspire other bead brands for over 35 years. If you are new to Trollbeads one other thing to remember is this line is family owned and operated and manages to hold it's own in a world of huge mega conglomerate bead brands so spread your love of Trollbeads to help support the original brand! 

See the Whole World Tour Here!

A Great Christmas Gift Idea - one that keeps on giving!

The new starter bracelets are so exciting and we have many in stock just waiting for you to jump in on the action and become involved with this awesome Trollbeads endeavor! It's up to you, the true collector so continue reading and do your part! 

  Have you read about Trollbeads "Joy and Luck" Starter Bracelets or seen them anywhere? If not you will want to read this blog. Each one of the six colors have special meanings and who doesn't love polka-dots? 

 Each Starter Bracelet is priced at $99 you save $60! Included is a chain, a clasp, a Lucky Knot silver bead and a glass bead! Now that is one amazing deal!

These new Starter Bracelets have been designed and specially priced to introduce new collectors to the Trollbeads collection!

As many of you know Trollbeads was the original bead brand and came into being 36 years ago. Today the company remains true to their mantra and continues to maintain a level of artistry not seen in any of the other bead brands that have come into being utilizing the Trollbeads concept. Trollbeads works with the best materials available and maintains a level of doing business that demonstrates their core of high standards. Their humanitarian efforts are deep and committed by creating jobs in parts of the world desperate for gainful employment and giving these people in need individual purpose. How have they managed to stay at this optimal level?  They've done it by being a family owned business and it's this aspect that keeps Trollbeads so special. It's the owners commitment to their company and their people that makes this brand so special. It's this closeness that trickles down to all of the collectors through out the world that puts this brand so far above the competition.  It's not about volume and it's not about trying to be the biggest.  It's about connection and the stuff that keeps people together.  Think of yourself as the chain and and as you collect your beads you are  collecting those near and dear to you to become a part of your Trollbeads collection. Think about it - how many of your beads represent a loved one in your life? So many times I see photos on Trollbeads Gallery Forum of people from all over the world getting together through a friendship they have formed through Trollbeads alone. I see it during Trollbeads Fest and am always awed by it. It's a remarkable connection.

If you are reading this blog then you are a Trollbeads collector and please ask yourself who can I share this with?  Why not share what you love and bring joy and luck to your friends by either telling them about this deal or by purchasing one for them giving them the most thoughtful holiday gift ever?  Not only are you opening your heart but you are opening their world to something you enjoy and love. It will strengthen the connection you already have and it could add a depth not there before. Life is all about connection.  If it is more appropriate for you to go in with a friend then find another friend who loves Trollbeads to share the cost with! 

A quick list of ideas of who you can give the starter bracelet to (to get you thinking):

1.Go in with friends at work to give one to a co-worker or start a Trollbeads club at work!

2.Your Mother or Mother in law- then your family will always have gift ideas!

3.Your sister -just imagine the fun you can have traveling buying Trollbeads together!

4.Your daughter-no matter how young starting a collection now to offer later is meaningful.

5.Your husband or brother-we have many men collecting and wearing Trollbeads.

6.Your hairdresser-you can compare and talk beads with each haircut!

7. Your child's teacher-make this a group gift!

8. A sick friend -just imagine the joy this could bring them!

If you have other suggestions please let me know! I will add to this list and it will be fun to see the ideas!

There's no better feeling at the holidays then sharing so I would like to take it one step further and include Trollbeads gifts to be sent with the bracelet when you buy one for a friend AND for following up on this challenge we have a gift for you of a $10 TBG Gift Certificate. Please help us share the incomparable history and beauty of Trollbeads to others. To qualify for this extra group of gifts the Starter Bracelet must be sent directly to the recipient and we will gift wrap it and enclose a note from you.  Along with this bracelet they will receive the following:

1. Trollbeads Mood Book ($5.00 Value)

2. Trollbeads Memory Book ($15.00 Value and TBUS is sold out)

3. Trollbeads Catalog and Inspiration Brochures

4. Trollbeads Bumper Sticker (a TBG original)

Click here to order!  Trollbeads Starter Bracelets

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.

 IMPORTANT UPDATE! Books are beads are being shipped to stores next week! Week of 4-16.

We are thrilled to learn the Tourmalinated Quartz  Trollbead and the Coffee Table Book, "An Icon in Jewelry Design, Trollbeads" set is here in the United States and will start shipping this next week.  The faceted bead and the book sells as a set for $128.00, not including shipping, the shipping cost is $10.50.  Authorized dealers are  to sell the bead with the book as a set.  The bead is featured in the Coffee Table Book. The edition is very limited and this stunning bead will always be a special Trollbead.  The stone has also been referred to as a Rutilated quartz although there is a slight difference.

On Trollbeads Gallery Forum our Australian and European members have been highlighting their Quartz beads in their photographs and it is a dramatic and quite unusual bead.  I know many collectors will be very grateful we now offered this set. The faceted stones in the Trollbeads line are so rich in color and texture.  The small scale facets add a texture and depth to the smooth glass beads on a bracelet.

Tourmalinated Quartz, is a variety of clear quartz with naturally occurring needle-like inclusions of dark Tourmaline or black Tourmaline also known as Schorl.  It can be polished to give a very effective look for jewelry purposes.

As with all stones the Quartz has many properties in folklore and in the mystic qualities. Tourmaline Quartz is said to detoxify the  body and is used to treat disorders of the digestive tract.   Another interesting belief is that it is said to be a problem solver and a unity stone.

The photo below was taken by our Forum member Linda from Australia, thank you Linda!

(Joyful is shown on the left)

It has been a very interesting few weeks in the Trollbeads world.  If you don't know what I'm talking about drop down to the blog discussion prior to this and read the commentaries.  We definitely have 2 camps of thought but there is news from Trollbeads and it concerns a decision that no more retired beads will be re-released.  I know that this will sadden those of you who were hoping for a Crane or the Old Fruit but the old beads will remain what they are-old and hard to find Trollbeads.  This will make many older collectors ecstatic.

For quite a few years I have been involved with the retired beads and it's something I am known for.  When someone wants to sell they come to me and if someone is interested in buying they come to my site Trollbeads Gallery and find the retired bead section. I have been fortunate to be able to offer the price to pay the collectors have been asking but they have come to the value by searching other websites and auction ending prices.  The internet has a wealth of knowledge and history about many sales of items from clean fill to Trollbeads. If anyone has done the research you will find the prices for older retired Trollbeads to be very high.  Trollbeads dealers have close to nothing to do with this as we price the beads and for the most part we only add enough for overhead and for the cost of selling the bead.  This includes the 3-4.5% we are charged by our credit card processor or Paypal.  This means the prices of the older beads are legitimately the price they are.  If there is high demand and few beads we know what the value will be.  Another issue in the retired Trollbead world is the fact that in the earlier releases compared to the last 6 or 7 years Trollbeads production was much more limited.  Think about when they made beads just for Denmark, as they did in the beginning. The numbers were low and that's why beads like "Big Fruit" and the set of Monkeys or any of the really early beads are so valuable.  There just were not many made.  Move up a few years with Trollbeads selling in 60 countries and the bead production has to sustain this and they produce the quantity for the collectors they now have. This means the recent retirements, meaning 2008,2010 and 2012 will never reach the value of the original beads because of the large numbers they made.

Imagine you have been a collector for 5-10 years and you've been focused on attaining the "Chicken in the Egg", the "Joyful" and others all at the current going rate of $800 plus.  You have bid on autions all over the world, stayed up all hours watching the price go up and up until you bid well beyond your limit to win that elusive bead.  It's not just ownership that gives pleasure, it's the passion of the pursuit and the pride of the total collection that pushes your buttons. It isn't just a collection when you are in the high stakes with this kind of puchase and for some, investment.  It's the whole picture including all of what Trollbeads are about and what the company is about.  You have put all your faith into this company and you know they would not do anything to hurt the value of your collection.  Are you still with me here?  You look at your collection and you see the amount of passion and money you have expended without an ounce of regret...that is until you hear that there are plans to recreate these same beads in huge numbers so everyone can share the bead.  The re-release of Joyful was an emotional event for long time collectors and for those of you who are newer collectors and could not understand this I hope you can now see it from their point of view.  Yes indeed it is nice that Joyful can be in everyone's collection but there are so many other wonderful new beads that can accomplish a very similar look, such as the Silver Whorl.

The great news is Trollbeads did in fact hear the pain so many of you felt and expressed and will not reissue any retired bead. Think of that. Can you think of any other company that actually listened to the wishes of their customers this directly? As I began this discussion there are 2 camps here and for those of you who were hoping for a "Crane" or a "Big Fruit" take joy in the fact that so many great beads are introduced each year and enjoy the new ones as I know I do as I personally don't have the older beads except in the museum. If you do want some retired beads many recently retired beads are still available at your local Trollbeads dealers or if not there, try through our retired beads section on Trollbeads Gallery.

Additional thoughts:  I should say "for the immediate future" all plans have ceased as far as making any more old beads over again.  As for the distant future...well you know business. Decisions in the business world are changed all the time so I think I'll leave it open to what may happen a few years out. 

I am always interested in seeing our websites sales statistics as far as the product numbers and in discovering what are the best sellers.  Specifically this past month because of the large release of new beads and with the retirement of so many older Trollbeads.  Each month I see stoppers and bracelets as one and two so we will skip right past that and move on to the beads.  The Mixed Armadillo, a new bead, does not surprise me as being the number 1 seller.  The green is rich and the shadings are quite beautiful and as in many glass Trollbeads there is a lot of variants from bead to bead.  The Cream Armadillo at 2 doesn't surprise me either because it's neutral and easy to use and of course everyone loves armadillos!  This bead doesn't have any variants or none that I can notice.  Number 3 is Opposites and I adore all the new barrel beads and I am thrilled the size and the resulting price has not prohibited some from getting this bead. The Coffee Cup is the 4th biggest selling of the new beads and there's no surprise there!  Who doesn't like a great cup of coffee?? Mountain Flower is a sweet Group 1 silver with a double flower. Black Squirrel coming in number 6 just goes to show you how much people will miss this bead, it is one of many leaving the collection.  Tea Cup is a great one and like Coffee Cup the price is the lowest silver price and haing a cup of tea is symbolic for taking time out to enjoy the simple things. The Valentine Bead is always a best seller in February and as a gift it's large size and beautiful framework makes it a stunning Valentine's gift. Like Black Squirrel the Red Feather has also been retired and people were busy scooping it up for their collection but maybe also for their Valentine's Bracelet.  With the retirement of this bead and "China Red" we see two less red glass beads in the line. Flying Geese, another barrel bead, is 11th and White paper fold is 12, another neutral bead. 

If you haven't had the time to see the new beads just click on the bead below and it will take you to that bead!

1.Mixed Green Armadillo

2.Cream Armadillo

3.Opposites

4.Coffee Cup

5.Mountain Flower

6.Black Squirrel

8.Tea Cup

9.Valentine

10. Red Feather

11.Flying Geese

12.White Paper Fold

Tell us what your favorite Trollbeads are from this most recent Trollbeads introduction.  To see them all got to What's New Trollbeads Gallery.  Hapoy Trolling!

You may have noticed various discussions about the negative side of Ebay. A lot has been discussed on Trollbeads Gallery Forum or on this blog. Usually it is warning about the fake beads being sold on Ebay by unscrupulous sellers who are making a killing on the brand’s name. We’ve had many collectors reporting the sellers who continually sell counterfeit beads closing down one selling I.D while opening another. But this discussion isn’t about erroneous beads it’s about erroneous listings. I spent some time cruising around the Ebay site and saw a definite change from when I last looked around about 6 months ago.

I was so aghast at what I saw I thought it was wise to bring it to your attention. As I read each listing it appeared every other one had something untrue about it. How did this happen so quickly? But then I considered the huge upswing in Trollbeads awareness and I think this is one of the natural steps a product takes as it matures in the marketplace. First you have your “counterfeiters” who closely follow the market and try to recreate a product before it hits its tipping point and this we have seen over and over again. Now the curve has widened and the people who are next in line, we’ll call them the “taking advantage” group has now joined the fray. These people are listing beads on Ebay but by twisting words and the truth and they catch people’s eyes and these people want the product to be what it is so badly they don’t recognize the warning signs. I took a quick and brief snapshot of the listings that disturbed me and I have listed them below. These are Ebay listings that to a trained eye would stick out as wrong but to a new collector they seem like everyone’s dream bead. If you are a “newbie” before you go on Ebay remember there is more than just counterfeit beads to worry about, it’s counterfeit listings also. Please just remember you need to do your homework.

1. Retired Eye Bead. The truth: The Eye Bead is not retired.

2. Authentic Grey Prism Trollbead. The Truth: The Grey Prism is not retired

3. Authentic Sterling Penguin Trollbead-Retired.: The Truth: The Penguin has never been a Trollbead so hence it is not a retired Trollbead.

4. Retired Troll Baby. The truth: This has not been retired at this time.

5. Original Authentic Retired Red-Green Dot OOAK. The Truth: This bead is an OOAK, not retired. 6. Authentic Trollbeads “Orange Bubbles” Rare, Retired. The Truth: There has never been an orange bubbles in the line.

7. You’ll find sellers like “collect a troll” selling a retired Rooster for $225.00. The product is real but the price is unreal. Check around at the authorized dealers and you’ll find it for half the price. Trollbeads Gallery has it at $79.00

8.The retired Clown, on this site, is $169.00. Again look around. Other prices are half this amount.

9. The retired “Striped Bud” is $129.00 with the same dealer. Other prices with authorized dealers are always lower. Trollbeads Gallery has it at $45.00. But people must be buying from these dealers and my question is why?

In closing I want to remind you of one basic tenant in the marketplace, Ebay destroys the brands it proliferates. History shows it’s true. Ebay doesn’t mean to but their platform for selling offers the counterfeiters and the “take advantage” people the chance to strut their wares to those people who are unaware. Again, do your homework or better yet, buy from Authorized dealers .

*Not all Ebay dealers are unscrupulous.

Since early Spring when the Aagaard/Nielsen Family came to the U.S. to establish a new distributorship we have been fortunate to meet each of the Aagaards.  Lise, Peter and their children have all been working so hard to create a smooth running distributorship and one that will see Trollbeads rise in popularity.  There has never been a question of the quality but the brand deserved so much more than what had been provided for preciously.

Next week I am very happy and excited to meet another member of the family,Soren Nielsen, Lise Aagaard's very prolific brother.  Soren is actually considered the creator of the Trollbeads line as he created the very first Trollbeads back in 1976.  Soren will be coming to Rogers Gallery and will be demonstrating the steps involved in creating a silver or even gold Trollbead.  The process includes creating the wax model and then creating a mold from that.  To see this "Imaginative Troll" use his skills will be a thrill to see when I think about all the times I've wondered about the process. We have some special take home memorablia for those who purchase one of Soren's Beads.  We will also be offering all of the Retired Beads of Soren's that we have on our website.

Just last year at this time I would never have imagined we would have him in the flesh.  It has been an amazing year for Trollbeads and I hope the focus continues to be as positive has it been.  To be lucky enough to sell a line as extraordinary as this makes me so fortunate but then to have it still be family owned and be managed but such good family centered people, makes me ecstatic.

SO if you are anywhere near the South Coast of Massachusetts please put this coming Thursday, August 18th on your calendar! Both Soren and Peter Aagaard will be with here between the hours of 1-5 PM. 

All this excitement and we still have Trollbeads Fest ! 2011 to look forward to!

We will be offering Trollbeads Specials during the event and they are the following!

Purchase 3 Trollbeads, receive 4th free.

Purchase gold beads* and receive $100 off. *(3 smallest beads are exempt.)

Purchase and gold and silver Trollbead  and receive $50.00 off.

We are also offering the brand new promotion from Trollbeads.  Buy a chain and any clasp and receive a free Glass Group 1 Trollbead!  We are also offering the special on our website. Trollbeads Gallery

Here is Soren's wonderful Skeleton Necklace!

Top Photo:Peter Aagaard,Isobel Aagaard,Lise Aagaard, Krista Rogers,Louise Rogers,Robun Aagaard,Alex Rogers and Nicolas Aagaard.