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Now that the USA World Tour Beads have been released we can check out each bead and find its meaning for ourselves.  One thing I have come to understand is with each World Tour release there are at least 1000 unique opinions per bead!  It’s the difference of opinions we all share that make Trollbeads such an interesting collection.  We have shared our differences before and we can be open about how we feel but as I have said before, as Trollbeads fans we all represent collectors of a great line so we should be fair, even when you feel the bead is not for you.  Negativity does not mix with Trollbeads and we’ve proven time and again we are above that.

So how do I feel about the beads?  I think I have to say there is something good in each bead and something great in a couple of them.  I adore the Star Spangled Bead!  It has such personality and has such wonderful patriotic color.  I know from working with customers that there are those of you who love bumps and those of you who don’t sounfortunately I think this won’t be everyone’s favorite. If you are a member of the Trollbeads Gallery Forum (if not you should join!)you can see how people are arranging their Trollbeads using the red, white and blue bead.  To see if this bead will be seasonal, we have yet to know.

The Ol’ West is a work of art to me.  It has that good ol’ Trollbeads quirkiness but shows in one bead two of the west’s icons.  We have a customer that is designing a Ol’ West bracelet around this bead and it’s been fun seeing what the possibilities are.  The retired Cactus, of course! The Sparkling Star, Brown Desert, Stars in silver and gold for Texas, Horses and she is contemplating the ball of yarn to represent tumbleweed!  One of the best meanings for me, because I love the artist, is the symbolism in this bead and how it brings Georgia O’keefe to mind.  O’keefe was and is one the west’s most noted artists.

The White House is well done.  There is a lot of detail and I believe artistic license was used to get as much of the architectural detail as possible on a bead but both the back and front are very recognizable.  I was one who was happy about the choice because of all the history the White House represents, the good times and the bad.

The Pursuit of Happiness is one bead the vote is still out on.  I understand the meaning behind the bead and the shape of the bead as I really like three sided beads.  Whether or not the gold was important to it I’m not sure also but there are many Americans that cannot afford this bead and I’m sad about that and what that means.  The Smiley face has  adisparaging connotation for me because whenever I see one I am reminded of the iconic Walmart smiley face.  As a small business owner I have strong emotions against Walmart and what they have done to the landscape of America and to the demise of small town centers across the country.  In a way how much more perfect can this bead be?  In the Pursuit of Happiness some of have lost the original vision of America.

In closing I think the Aagaards have created a great set of beads for America and as a collector I am proud to own them and wear them!

*To clarify: The "Star Spangled Bead" has the classic size core.  This is not a Universal sized core and will not fit other brand chains.

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!)

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