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TrollbeadsFest! 2015

We are so excited to announce that we will be hosting

our 6th Annual TrollbeadsFest! on

October 2nd and 3rd!

The excitement is mounting...so make your plans now!

It seems remarkable but this will be our 6th year that we have held this event and we hope you can make it to Massachusetts for this year's TrollbeadsFest!  Visit New England in it's premier season, catch up with old Trollbeads friends and make some new ones and, most importantly, pick up some beautiful Trollbeads! 

This year, like last year, we are hosting the event at Rogers Gallery, our store so there is no entry charge but as usual we will always have a TrollbeadsFest event gift for you!  You'll find the gallery is a more intimate experience and you will get to meet other Trollbeads collectors and see their collections and relax with your beads!

We will be offering the Buy 3 Get 1 Free to help you make the most of your Trollbeads dollar!  We will have hundreds of unique Trollbeads to offer you and many of each of the new Autumn Release so you have choose you bead from many of each bead! So call your Trollbeads buddies and make your plans for a fun weekend!

We have saved our release of the NEW Black Storage Case for this event! Pick up your case here!  These are very limited so we are thrilled to have them for the event!

Where: Rogers Gallery, Route 6, Mattapoisett, MA 02739 508-758-3641

 Event Schedule

Friday, October 2nd:

9:30 Doors open and bead play begins!

12:00-1:00: Lunch offered. Sandwiches buffet style.

4:00 -6:00: Wine and Charity Bead Auction.

Saturday, October 3rd:

9:30 Doors Open and Bead play begins anew!

10:30 - 5:00 Gail Crosman Moore exhibits her glass bead making skills!  Have a seat and watch the remarkable process unfold.  Gail will be offering her beads for sale as well!

12:00-1:00: Lunch Offered.  Sandwiches buffet style.

If you haven't seen a glass bead being made you have to see it!  We are thrilled for Gail as she designed one of the two newest kits in the 2015 Trollbeads Autumn Collection, the Dreams of Freedom Kit! 

Here is Gail at last year's Trollbeads Fest!  We are so happy to have her here again!

RSVP's: We would appreciate if you could let us know if you are coming and if you would like to have lunch with us.  It helps us plan for food and help! Feel free to email me at Louise@TrollbeadsGallery.com

If you need hotel suggestions click on this link and see the area's hospitality suggestions!  If you are coming from a distance it may help to know we are 1 hour from Boston, 45 minutes from Providence and 30 minutes from Cape Cod!

Area Hotels Listings

I don't usually tell everyone I am a Trollbeads specialist but in this case and as the author of this blog I can tell you all, that I am a unique bead specialist. From the early beads that were distributed by Lund, up to the current beads I have photographed, verbally described and sold upwards of 10,000 unique beads.  So yes, I proudly admit to being a Trollbeads Unique specialist.  That may not seem like a big deal to most but when you have to look, photo, process, hold and verbally describe 10,000 beads you get to know them very well.  Just look at the 3 unique beads from 5 years ago in the first photo! I can remember people being bored with these old beads!!  I think we just don't realize how special most of the uniques are now because too many are focused on the beads they can't find such as the Footprints bead and the Running Man bead.  I must comment here, be very careful if you find yourself on Ebay looking for either of those beads.  When Scott Bouwens was with us with his bead making demonstration at Trollbeads Fest he commented on how easy it would be to create the Footprints bead so you can bet there are fakes already on Ebay. Don't devalue your collection to get a bead that could be a fake. So look at the current designs on sites and find the beauty in the beads, even if there is no "Running Man"!  So you can look forward as each year brings new style uniques and it's fun to see the older ones.  Look at the bracelet at the end of this blog and you'll see some other old ones! Aren't they great?

Recently it has been brought to my attention by collectors and people within the company that there is a lot of misinformation out in the internet about Unique beads. A dealer in Europe has been reporting that Trollbeads is stopping the production of unique beads. I can tell you that is absolutely not true.  What has been happening is that unique beads have become so collectable that they are a bit scarce right now.  As Trollbeads has opened up greater distribution throughout the world all of the Trollbeads production centers have been pushed to their maximum output. According to Peter Aagaard, the Trollbeads workshops around the world who create our beloved unique beads have been very busy creating the new beads for 2014 which I hear will be beyond anything you can dream about.  So yes there is a shortage of unique beads but for a good reason. I can't wait to see 2014 releases for both production and brand new ideas in Unique designs.

How am I sure this shortage will be resolved?  A couple of weeks ago when a change in leadership occurred at TrollbeadsUS I received a call from Peter Aagaard who was in the country and we did touch upon the current need for new unique beads. He mentioned that he and Lise were traveling to India to work on the problem.  India is the factory they have with displaced Tibetans who years ago gave us the Tibetan "kit".  Since that kit it is my understanding they have continued to produce beads for Trollbeads and with the visit the Aagaards are planning to ramp up the unique beads for 2014.  What does this mean to us?

Well it means that we not only have a very exciting year ahead for standard Trollbeads releases but we have to look forward to a whole new collection of Unique beads!  I for one am very excited to see the next highly sought after bead.  The progression of talent within these Trollbeads factories in Malawi and in India has been exciting to see and it's clear we have a lot to look forward to. In the meantime just know that there are still many, many unique beads in the U.S. As many of you know I am a unique bead hoarder and I have many, many great beads in stock that I will continue to list so all is not lost until 2014.  At the moment I am preparing our traditional Christmas Unique release that so many look forward to!  I hoard all green and red beads through out the year and release them in late November so stay tuned!

One rumor that appears to be true is there will be a stop in Critter beads.  Now while we are very sad about losing Butterflies, Turtles, Ladybugs and Fish doesn't it just make you wonder what else will be coming?  To help you through the next few months just know that I will continue to be listing the Critters I have and I will be listing and yes sharing the unique beads I have saved up in my arsenal of goodies. To see our selection of Critter Trollbeads before they are gone click here! Critter Unique Beads

So look forward to the future and know that unique beads will continue to come from Trollbeads and embrace them as they come!

July 4th Unique Trollbeads Are Here!

It’s that time again! For the 6th  year now Trollbeads Gallery is happy to present our exclusive   July 4^th celebratory release of red, white and blue Unique Trollbeads.  We save (or hoard, depending on how you look at it) red, white, blue and a combination there of all year long to offer our collectors this special release each year.  There’s one thing we can most likely all agree about when it comes to Trollbeads collectors and that is their penchant for loving to wear their beads to celebrate and enjoy all holidays!  

When you think of it getting all “decked out” for a holidays is one the huge benefits of the most attractive features of Trollbeads.  Think about all other holiday jewelry you have ever had or ever seen and I’ll bet most of it is…well junk.  Am I right?  It may be fun and tacky in a fun way but let’s face it…it’s not something you can call beautiful.   This is where the interchangeable feature of Trollbeads comes shining through.  With the many standard glass Group 1 Trollbeads you can create great individual and personal holiday creations but with Trollbeads Gallery offering of unique holiday unique beads you have the chance and the option to make your Trollbeads holiday jewelry even more personal and even more totally original.  Our special holiday offerings began 5 years ago in June after a year of collecting appropriate beads and we continued the tradition at Halloween time and then of course as many of you know at Christmas time.  

Our selection of red, white and blue beads is limited due to the quantity of unique Trollbeads released in the last 12 months in this color combination and as you can imagine there really isn't a lot of them so I fortify this selection with red unique beads and blue unique beads. When you select from our offerings remember to keep in mind that the red beads can be worn on your Christmas jewelry and on your Valentine's creations too!  The blue beads I have on offer for July 4th will offer you limitless uses through out the year as well and as we know there are many standard glass Trollbeads that the blue beads can be used with.

Our Design Contest!

So let's get that Patriotic spirit going and get yourself some spirited unique Trollbeads to create your July 4th celebratory design and show it to us on Trollbeads Gallery Forum and win a special Trollbead!  If you aren't a member please join and enter our design contest! We will all vote for the winning design. The winning design will be given the Gold & Silver "Pursuit of Happiness" Trollbead from the United States World Tour beads with a value of $231.00! The 4 runners-up will win a Group 1 Glass bead of their choice!

Please note!

 This special release is a tradition here at Trollbeads Gallery and we love having you all so excited about our own special releases. There are times when other dealers may think to themselves that what I have created with my enthusiasm and with the time I've invested is something they cannot attain but if anyone put the hours and hours into their effort, they too can do equally as much.  I can't claim to say this is the best way to conduct a business, financially speaking because what other retailer would be crazy or stupid enough to tuck beads aside for 12 months of the year for one special release?  Or who would spend every day and night listing beads?  It isn't a smart way of doing business but it's little things like this that gives me my energy to keep my love of my Trollbeads business going strong the way I have. Being a small business owner I find staying energized is a constantly evolving task.  In my Trollbeads life I absorb myself in finding the best unique beads, photographing them and listing them for my customers.  Last week just as my store turned 36 years old,  my latest Trollbeads site turned 2 and I was busy listing unique beads and hit the #7000 mark.  That means in two years I have listed 6000 beads (I started at #1001) and this doesn't even include all the holiday listings I have completed in the past two years.  I don't know about you but that's scary to me.  That means I have photographed, processed the images, listed the images and written descriptions for 3000+ beads a year...all by myself. Yes, I am a control freak and the word delegate is not in my vocabulary.  You do the math...no don't, you'll have me committed.  So if you are a dealer and wish you could accomplish what I do...go for it!  I will give you any help I can but don't tell me I didn't warn you! :-)

Trollbeads with a Twist is a category we have had on Trollbeads Gallery for about 2 years.  It’s a sleeper of a category but when someone discovers it they become “twist” fan and will continue to check in to see if I’ve added something new.   The listings are not plentiful but I try to always offer you beads to choose from!  What is Trollbeads with a Twist? 

Trollbeads with a Twist is just as it sounds.  Here you will find standard glass beads and stone beads from the Trollbeads line that are in some way unique from the bead as it is usually offered. This is due to the fact that every Trollbead is made by hand and there is bound to be differences.  With  working with customers purchasing Trollbeads in my gallery I discovered that there are those collectors who love to seek out the unusual beads.   We all search for that special something that speaks to us whether it’s a color or a theme but when you’re hunting for beads that are somewhat “off” from what they are meant to be the discovery is all that much more rewarding.   With this in mind I was wondering how I could offer this experience for people who don’t have local Trollbeads retailers. There are many collectors who only have the opportunity to buy Trollbeads on line and that is when “Trollbeads With a Twist” came in to being.  Through the years I have had some great offerings in this category and I am sure to have many more.  I also include retired Trollbeads but many times this is merely so my customers can actually see the retired bead before they purchase it. 

If you are wondering why I don’t offer more beads in this category it is because there are only some beads that come in with a unique look or that vary at all in their appearance.  Think about your collection of standard glass beads, not including your unique beads, and think about the beads you love the most and I’ll bet they are the beads that vary from bead to bead.   Don’t get me wrong as there are many stunning beads that don’t vary but for me it’s the ones that do I feel closer to.  It's the thrill of finding the perfect bead.  Some of our all time favorites are Azure Bubbles, Blue Desert, Organic Bubbles, Wildcat and of course the Armadillos.  The numbers next to each of the Twist listings refer to the number of beads I have listed here and when Azure Bubbles got up to the 80’s I started over again!  Blue Desert is always a fun one because there are so many features that can be unique to it.  Sometimes it is green, sometimes pinkish red with the blue.  The level of the “glitter” within the Desert beads is good to check for also.  The Wildcat is now retired but in its day I had versions that included ones with a heavy presence of black, some with more green, some with more blue and some with more of a brown presence.    The Feather beads are also great beads to keep your eye on!  The Red Feather and the Blue Green feather are retired but I still list them as I made sure I had plenty in stock when they were retired.  The “feathers” in each bead can come out in so many style from a calm “combed” look to a crazy “teased” look.

Another very important distinction between beads is the size.  Some beads can come in a whole range from tiny to huge and collectors tend to hunt out their preferred size when given the choice.

Below is a list of Trollbeads that make great twist beads that are currently in the line!

1. Azure Bubbles-the queen of Twist Beads!  Some collectors have made bracelets of just this bead!

2. Blue Desert-so many great versions.

3. Organic Bubbles-varieties are not as plentiful as they are in the Azure Bubbles but still can be found.

4. Florence and Milan-always fun beads to check out for the varying bumps and tones.

5. Fireflies – once you start looking at this bead you will see how the wings change.

6. Milky way - a nice variety of silver particles in each bead.

7. Silver Mountain and Golden Cave-always varies in so many great ways.

8. Chakra Colors and any of the Chakra beads as the gold banding can vary.

9. Cozy –love the variety of black lines within the bead.

10. Whitecap-This bead is a great twist bead! Although a blue and green bead it can also have pink!

11. Moon Ocean-some can have a  coating of mirror glass and can be light blue or dark blue.

12. Faceted Stones as these are natural and differ from stone to stone.  My favorite one is the Golden Quartz because there is a wide variety from dark to very light!

Great Twist Retired Trollbeads

1. Wildcat - A wide variety of tones
2. Grey Wolf - Came in wide variety from wild and wooly to thin calm lines.
3. Orange and Green Armadillo - So many tones!
4. Clear Brown Braid- So many unique types of braids.
5. Clear Blue Braid- Again this bead seems to have a variety of braids.
6. Issy - The orange whisps of glass varied in depth and in tone.
7. Twisted Bud - So many kinds of twists!
8. Fur Animal- Again with fine details they can vary.
9. Red Feather and Blue Green Feather - our personal favorite.
10. Aventurine - as this was another stone bead that came in a variety of colors from very dark green with sparkly inclusions to a very light green.

If you check my Trollbeads with a Twist and see a bead you love sold just remember I am always adding new beads so keep checking back! 

Here is a perfect example of a "Twist Trollbead" yes. this is a Turquoise Prism!  Usually the bead has a soft flow of purple going through the bead but this one the purple ended up on one half and the turquoise is on the other!

I believe the most interesting, challenging and totally addictive product from Trollbeads are the glass Unique beads.  If you are a collector of these beads you know what I'm talking about.  Unique Trollbeads are a focus of mine and of my website Trollbeads Gallery.  In June of 2011 we opened the newest version of our website and I started numbering the unique beads on this new site at 1001. I list new beads everyday and today I was working on 5980. If you add in the 1 and half years of July 4th Unique beads, Halloween Unique beads, the Christmas Unique beads and the all the Amber Unique beads (all not included in the 5980) it means I have listed at least 6500 Unique beads in that amount of time.  Besides being an unusually high quantity of beads for any one person to photograph and process can you then imagine writing 6500 individual descriptions for each bead? Talk about being obsessed with Unique beads!   Sometimes I show two to 4 photos if the bead is different on the other side or if it is a kit.  Our latest website is great not only because  I can show multiple photos but there is also a magnifier to look closely at the beads.  That's good and bad.  I can't tell you how many times I have to re-shoot beads because of dust.  I keep a clean studio but I think the lighting I use creates static electricity and sucks every free floating piece of dust to the bead!  So if you have seen the dust on any of my beads let this be a blanket apology.  I guess you're getting the idea that Unique beads are time consuming for me but they're no doubt also a huge labor of love. I hope no one is under the impression I am boasting because it certainly isn't that. It's almost embarrassing that I have been so completely absorbed by unique beads but I guess many of us can say that but just in different ways. 

I've been selling unique Trollbeads for seven years and I still remember some of the older beads and love seeing the photos still hanging around on my computer.  Initially, as I have understood it, the unique beads were considered one of a kind or OOAK because they pretty much were but not all the time.  If a standard glass bead did not meet the set standards as it went through inspection it was put into a pool of beads that the glass artists would then add designs to and by doing that created a unique bead to sell as just that.  Trollbeads never named them OOAK and the US Distributor at the time disallowed the name because they could make more than one and believed the term to be misleading, which it was. Trollbeads Gallery chose the word Unique back when we first started posting them on our site.  When the popularity of the beads grew and grew Trollbeads saw the need to create Unique beads as a category they could offer on a full time basis to their retailers.  The Unique glass beads created by artists in different studios that have been trained to create Unique beads and they keep getting better and better. The two studios I know about are both part of Trollbeads humanitarian involvement one being the Malawi group and the other being with the Tibetan refugees in India.  The recent beads coming from these two studios have been some of the most artistic and some of the most beautiful beads I have ever seen.  Below is a sampling of some of the more creative new endeavors.

In years past we have all been able to see a progression of talent and designs and although you would think a consistency is more desirable ... it is not.  We LOVE seeing the glass artists challenge themselves and we love the different effects they have grown to create.  I know one of the groups I just got in was from the Malawi studio because there was one bead we had with the Malawi beads this summer and the exact bead came in with the smaller core. All of the beads above were the same size as the Malawi classic core and they were all outstanding.   To see the advancement the artists have made from June when the original Malawi beads were released to this group it's astounding.

There are some drawbacks when it comes to in handling the inventory of these beads and I would like to discuss this because many people, especially newer collectors, may not understand the process by which the retailers buy Unique beads.  I've visited some Trollbeads collector Facebook pages and read some negative comments concerning pricing so I would like to explain the situation to defend retailers. It's a hard thing to grasp and even some retailers don't get it at first.   When we buy unique beads we have to purchase them sight unseen in kits of 6 and we pay for the 6 beads. We don't have the option to return them and we don't have an option to choose only the more desirable beads, we have to keep all of them.  It's basic survivor math and we have to charge more for the best beads to help cover the cost of the other beads that may never sell.  One collector wrote something about how retailers were gouging the consumer when it came to the critter beads and armadillos and I have to say that is not the case. I've already talked about how many beads I have sold in a year and a half but what that doesn't tell you are the hundreds of beads I have in inventory many of which may never sell.  It's just basic business.  In order to restock we have to be able to sell what we have or sell the definite sellers for a bit more to cover the future purchases.  I know there are retailers that don't bother with them because of this issue but for me it's what I love and it's what my collectors love. It's because we want to continue to offer them that we charge a bit more for the sought after beads to cover the beads that hang around for awhile, sometimes forever!

To see many of the Unique Styles please visit our Unique Trollbeads Glossary!  It is a very special source for everyone to research and enjoy.  Share it with your friends! We have many more to add in early January!

(Scales Beads from the Glossary of Unique Beads)

Trollbeads Fest! 2012

The actual excitement begins when we start our plans for Trollbeads Fest  a month after the previous Fest ends. This way our memories are fresh and we can proceed with planning so everyone has an even better experience at the next Fest!  It is important to change it up each year and we work hard on creating an event you'll want to come back to again and again.  After looking through the ticket purchases I can see we have a good number of people returning for a 3rd time!  Another fun note: we have attendees coming from as far as Wales and the Netherlands! 

Last year the bead table with the unique Trollbeads was quite overwhelming. Everyone wanted to see all the unique beads all at the same time! It was a frenzy of people and some had stronger elbows that others and some never left the table and there were some who never got to the table!  We love the enthusiasm but we would love all of you to have a fair time with the beads this year. Our plans are to have 3-4 tables each with one attendant with 3-4 trays each. When you have selected your beads, we will keep them aside for you in bags with your names.  When you are finished looking through the trays on one table you can move on down the line to the next table and start a new bag to be put aside and so forth.  After you have picked out all that you want, we will get your bags and take to cash out.  We will be replenishing the beads through out the day so everyone should have a fair chance at the unique beads. I am hoping this will be fair for all. There are some stunning beads and I think you'll all be happy with enough to go around. 

This year Trollbeads Fest will be host to leading bead designer Soren Nielsen who will be visiting from Denmark. Soren will be giving wax carving demonstrations showing how his ideas once formed in his head are then carved in wax.  From the wax a mold is made to use for creating the actual beads in silver and in gold.

We also have this year's People's Bead Award winning artist Maria Af Rolen who will be signing bead information cards for "Stay Positive".  The 2012 winners were just announced this summer and Maria is a member of our Trollbeads Gallery Forum.  Another member and winner of the 2012 People's Bead Award is Linda Karuso from Australia.  Linda cannot attend this year but has been good enough to pre-sign cards for attendees to receive with their "World Within" purchases.  To celebrate the event and the winners success we have commissioned Trollbeads to make their winning beads in 18K Gold in a limited quantity. We will be offering them for sale at Trollbeads Fest.  We are also looking forward to seeing "Ice Bear" bead designer Kristy Denning who has never missed a Trollbeads Fest event! She was the second People's Bead Award winner in 2010 for her "Ice Bear".

Michael Bellevue, the CEO of TrollbeadsUS will be speaking about the company and about the exciting direction it is taking. Only on board now for over a year Michael's team and the Denmark team work hand and hand in focusing their attention on the bright future of Trollbeads.  He will be sharing what he can and I for one am very excited to hear it!

Along with Bead Photography Lessons Ginger will be addressing our user needs for photography on Ipads and Iphones.  Ginger was with us for the first Fest and I am so happy she is returning for the third and with all the tech updates I know we all happy she is coming back! 

Sarah Johnston from Trollbeads will be back once more to give glass bead demonstrations on both Friday in Mattapoisett at Rogers Gallery and on Saturday at the event in New Bedford.  We love Sarah and how in the midst of pandemonium she calmly goes about creating glass beads and works her magic.  By the way for those of you who haven't tried it glass bead making is a lot more difficult than it looks!

 The post-fest dinner Saturday night has many treats along with a guest comedian from L.A.! So if you are coming to the Fest make sure you have dinner all blocked in as it will be the most special one to date.  The Trollbeads team will be staying for the dinner so please join us all for a final farewell feast. The food is great but the company will be the best!

Please view our quick videos on the first two Trollbeads Fest and smile along with us!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByHPnE7X2PE&feature=plcp   Trollbeads Fest! 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK8RFLQi_as&feature=plcp      Trollbeads Fest! 2011

Just try to count the smiles on the happy group of collectors that come from all over the world and many different states to share a most memorable time celebrating their love of Trollbeads and the friendships formed around this outstanding bead brand. 

One more great link for you!  Today the jewelry trade's top magazine published a blog all about Trollbeads Fest as a way to honor our retail creativity! They wrote an article last year after the event and we were so honored.

September 17th In Store Magazine Blog on Event  Thank you In Store Magazine and Eileen!

To finish here is one more very quick video to entice you to come visit us on October 5th & 6th for Trollbeads Fest!  2012. There's only a few tickets left so grab a friend or two and come join us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glX2NcE128A&feature=channel&list=UL

Today the venerable interchangeable bead pioneers released a new kind of Unique beads, Universal Uniques.  The only thing that separates these from the original Unique Trollbeads is the size of the silver core at the center of the bead.  As the original bead line Trollbeads set the course for all other lines and the lines that followed them developed their products so anyone with Trollbeads could not use their chains.  With Pandora the end is larger allowing it only to accept its own beads that have large cores. Chamelia came out years later and they use the same closure, not allowing Trollbeads to be used on their chain.   I have to explain that many Trollbeads collectors know Trollbeads are the original bead brand and are questioning this move to modify on Trollbeads part.  I too was conflicted but now that I've learned the "why's" I understand and support this decision.

Universal Uniques are a meant to be, in Lise Aagaard's exact words, "a migration tool" for other bracelet wearers to be able to add our beautiful glass to their bracelets.  There are so many other people with other bracelets who have yearned for the Trollbeads product, especially the glass beads.  So Lise's idea was to make something for them without impinging on Trollbeads or forcing the other collectors to go without.

Having been a retailer for Trollbeads for years now I have seen many people who wear Pandora look longingly into our cases full of colorful glass beads, discussing the desire to have them but are simply not able to change the chain they wear.  (The glass beads from Pandora are very limited and they have a visually intrusive silver band running on the side of the bead and attached to the core with PANDORA all over it.) When you consider the collectable beads are often gifts from husbands and children (mother’s day being our biggest holiday) the Pandora or Chamelia wearer’s may want to add more color to their bracelets but they don't want to offend the gift giver.  Or maybe it's the cost of starting over but whatever the reason the Universal Uniques will stretch and break the boundaries laid down by the subsequent bead brands. No other bead brand has the history and experience of creating and offering glass beads like Trollbeads and this seems the best way to accomplish sharing of the beads! The Aagaard's are inclusive by nature and want all people from all communities to be able to try Trollbeads while keeping the integrity of the Trollbeads Mantra... excellence is craftsmanship, materials and design.

On Trollbeads Gallery Forum there is an on-going discussion by collectors on the pros and cons of this decision and both sides have valuable merits and you may want to read this discussion. Please join the forum for the most up to date Troll beads information.

This isn’t the first time Troll has offered the larger cores.  In both of the charitable collections one being the breast cancer awareness beads and the beads created to raise funds for Haiti’s earthquake survivors both used the larger core so all collectors could take part in the fund raising efforts.

My personal experience in seeing the Universal Uniques for the first time was overwhelming and if you know me and my history with Unique beads I have always offered them and I am not easily overwhelmed.  Just last week at the jewelry show in Las Vegas dealers were given the opportunity to select their own sets from large bowls filled to the brim with some of the most glorious beads I have ever seen.  Having only met Isabel Aagaard prior to this show I was excited to meet Lise and the rest of the family. I was also beyond excited about the new beads.  For a week prior to the show I kept on imagining myself rushing right past Peter and Lise, the two people I have been dying to meet for years, to dive into the Uniques!  Well it just about played out exactly as I imagined but I did it with a smile.  My son was the first in the booth and had already pulled his selections for Starfish, the Trollbead store in Boulder, Colorado- so I was the natural second.  I want to finish by reporting after my first day of sales they are being met with strong enthusiasm and so far my collectors have been all Trollbead collectors!

If you feel strongly one way or the other I would love to hear your comments.  If you have already left them on Trollbeads Gallery Forum, please also leave them here for the people who don’t visit the forum. (imagine that!)

Visit us on Facebook!

From l to r:Peter,Isabel,Lise Aagaard,Krista,Louise Rogers,Robin A, Alex Rogers and Nicolas Aagaard at Las Vegas party!

  When I discovered Trollbeads I learned that there was more then only the regular collection. I read about unique beads, limited editions, retired beads and more. I think that makes this brand so special. Collecting Trollbeads is like being on a treasure hunt.

If you really want to be up to date and want to know about every release you really have to put some time in your hobby. Visit Trollbeads dealers, look in all their boxes, snoop on forums for sneak peaks and look on webshops for special beads.  And if you are lucky your piggy bank can keep up with all the great beads that pop out of the great ‘Trollbeads Creators’ in Denmark*.

At the beginning I didn’t know where to start. Did I had to hunt down all the great retired beads like crane, joyful and bead of prophecy? Or should I choose a specific type of unique bead, for instance with buds or flowers, and search a bunch of those? Or should I just buy what I really liked and don’t follow others preferences?

On Trollbeads Gallery Forum there is a topic about collections in collections. It is great to see that some people have necklaces full with unique armadillo’s, bubble beads or ambers. And even retired beads. They have set a goal and are on hunt constantly. I really love to see their photos.

But I don’t have that urge or need for a specific bead. My goal is to collect beautiful regular beads and from the special beads I would like one or two (or a few more) of everything.  Chinese jades, pink agates, picasso jaspers, kimono beads, gemstones. I feel proud when I spot them lying around in a shop. I like to combine them with others to get a nice variety on my bracelet.  

I have a few favorites in my collection like the anniversary cater pillar and anniversary Viking bead (shown below). The retired python, lovely peacock pearls and some great unique beauties, they are my little treasures. I am satisfied with them. For the simple reason that I, mother of three little children, just can’t buy a bead of prophecy or a glass turtle bead. And that is alright, a person has to have something to wish for. In the magical world of Trollbeads everything is possible.

*Unique beads come from Tibet and China. Lise Aagaard gets most of her unique beads from refugees, among others. Lise maintains a close relationship with the artists. With each group of unique beads that arrive in Denmark she will go through them and she will chose the best and give these artists an increase in compensation.  The special beadmakers learn the skills of making glass beads and earn money in doing so.

Anna Teresa is a guest blogger from the Netherlands and has a great interest in Trollbeads and is a professional journalist.

...but were afraid to ask!

Part 1. It's All in a Name

The Unique glass beads by Trollbeads are undeniably the one category of Trollbeads that is open for all kinds of interpretation depending upon your own experience with and knowledge of these incredible beads. To begin this discussion let’s start at what to call  these beads as this is one area that confuses many collectors. I remember a couple of years ago having a debate with our Trollbeads Gallery Forum members on what the best name is and it was really quite arbitrary with the name being different on different websites and in different countries. 

Lund (our past U.S. Distributor) referred to them as “Assorted Beads” but that name was too vague for me and we were permitted to call them anything that fit but not "OOAK".  Many dealers in the U.S. chose to call them "limited edition" beads but for me this didn’t work either.  Owning an art gallery my idea of a limited edition is something that has a finite end and I’m sure no one has been counting the beads as they were being made. Another problem with calling them limited edition is that Trollbeads had actual limited editions such as Brilliant Hearts and later Crazy Lace Agate, for two examples. Calling them "Limited Edition" would surely confuse the collector because these releases had nothing to do with Unique beads.

In Europe the dealers were selling these beads as “OOAK” beads  (which is  an acronym for "one of a kind") but as I mentioned Lund did not allow us to use the term due to legal ramifications. They believed the term to be misleading, where most all of these beads were not one of a kind.  This difference in the terminology may not seem like a big deal yet it was for the U.S. dealers.  At this point in time collectors the world over would run computer searchs for the term “OOAK” Trollbeads and where we could not use the term, it cut us out of a lot of internet searches. This was a big drawback for the U.S. dealers but I also understood the issue involved. The discussion I mentioned on our Trollbeads Gallery Forum brought up interesting points but I remember one of my Forum members telling me that “Unique” literally meant one of a kind and she was right of course but my use of the word was more about something being different from the norm. Since we had been using the name on Trollbeads Gallery since the early days, people had come to know the Unique beads on Trollbeads Gallery were in fact the same as the OOAK beads in Europe.

So call them what you want but on Trollbeads Gallery they will always be known as Unique!

In future blog articles I will be discussing the styles, values and origination of the Unique Trollbeads. Please contact me if you want anything specific or have anything to add!

The photograph above was taken of the Unique Trollbeads I was sent for Trollbeads Fest 2010.  I can't wait for the Unique beads to arrive for Trollbeads Fest 2011!

At the end of this past February the distributorship of Trollbeads in the United States changed.  The new distributor is Trollbeads-United States a company based in Princeton, NJ completely owned and managed by the parent company, Trollbeads Headquarters and the Aagaard family.  The past month has been a busy one for the Aagaards and Trollbeads-United States from setting up their ordering and shipping processes and hiring management and support staff.   Many of the U.S. Trollbeads stores have been eagerly waiting to see the changes implemented and to find out what the changes will mean to both retailers and to our customers.  While the drama is still unfolding I can tell you, as a retailer, the changes worth noting are all positive.

One change that is most notable is the availability of Unique Beads and the quality of the Unique Beads.  The original U.S. distributor offered the Unique beads only to the premier dealers and limited them to a certain number each month.  Unique Trollebeads are now available to the retailers wanting to offer them and their quanitities are not limited. The beads themselves are altogether different and in time this change of style will create a time frame for collectors to judge the date of these beads.  To accelerate the sales and clear the stores of the old style Unique beads, Trollbeads-United States has allowed it’s dealers to run a special price event for the month of April.  Both our website, TrollbeadsGallery.com and Rogers Gallery,our actual store, is offering 3 Unique beads for $75.00.   There are many "old" familiar styles going away and they will be missed so check out your local stores and the websites and get them now before they are gone!  A sample set from Trollbeads Gallery is shown on the left.

Replacing the old beads will be the beads we have become familiar with through the European sites but are now available to the U.S. dealers.  The new Unique Trollbeads are extraordinary and are works of art showing more detail and more degrees of difficulty to create.  Isabel Aagaard, who is working in Princeton on a temporary basis, just visited Rogers Gallery during our Special Event* and she spoke about the new Unique beads explaining how some of the designs are executed which of course left us all wanting for more! Our attendees listened with focused attention as Isabel, who is the owners’ daughter, explained how she creates Unique glass beads. Isobel was also the designer for the “Origami” Trollbead.  This leads me to one more important change in the United States.

Based on availability, Trollbeads designers will be visiting the U.S. stores during Special Events and will be sharing how glass beads are made, to the extent of eventually having them make glass beads at the event.  Demystifying this process will only serve to support our love of these beads and will make collectors want more.  I know I do.  We plan on having the glass bead artists at Trollbeads Fest! 2011, in September.

Now in its second month of operation, Trollbeads-United States has shown us the promise of a great future for Trollbeads here in the United States and this discussion will be continuing in another blog soon!

 *Shown above at Rogers Gallery is Isabel Aagaard, Louise Rogers and Kristine (from Denmark Trollbeads).