The upcoming world tour release is creating a vast amount of interest among collectors it seems. Firstly, I’m going to recap on the specifics for those who aren’t aware.

The Trollbeads world tour ended in February with the final stop being Australia. During the world tour, it was only possible to purchase each collection from their representing countries. While some retail stores and resellers helped alleviate this problem, stock levels have always been a little dubious. In some cases, it’s been possible to order the beads from online stores in the home country but import taxes, shipping and exchange rates have made this a costly ordeal and sometimes entirely prohibitive.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

The intention was apparently for the world tour collection to always be made available for a limited period and in all countries at the end of the tour. Rumours are that retailers are only able to place a single order of world tour beads. Their launch date is next month (on or around the twelfth of June) and in addition to the familiar world tour collections comes a new limited edition bead. The bead is called Big World and is similar in design to the existing Big Earth.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

While there is an obvious advantage and appeal in being able to physically the beads before purchase (specifically with the glass), I’d hasten to guess that not all smaller retail stores will stock these beads. As such, many collectors will be turning to online stores. With a couple of the Danish based online stores offering highly competitive prices, there are also economic reasons for purchasing online.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Earlier in the week I highlighted that Diamonds4ever were taking pre-orders on complete sets with a tantalising fifteen percent reduction on the recommended retail price. After speaking to Rasmus, he also confirmed that they would be selling the beads individually but were waiting to receive the delivery from Trollbeads first. They’re predicting shipping to begin around the eighteenth of June.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Over the last couple of days, Danish retailer Perlen have also begun taking pre-orders with a shipping estimate of the twelfth of June. They don’t currently have every bead listed (and I have no idea if this is because they aren’t all added yet or if they’ve sold out of some on pre-orders alone) but they’re offering very competitive prices on this coveted beads.

Ordering Options

For those looking to place advanced orders on these beads there are currently two online options; Perlen and Diamonds4ever. As I’ve had personal dealings with both stores, I’d like to reiterate that they both offer fabulous service, both speak English and are both authorised Trollbeads retailers. I’ve never had any problems with either retailer and both offer world wide shipping. If you’re wanting to purchase full sets, then the best option at present appears to be Diamonds4ever. If you’d prefer to order singles, then Perlen are the earliest pre-order option.

The pre-order page for Perlen’s world tour beads can be found here.

The pre-order page for Diamonds4ever’s world tour beads can be found here.

In regards to the Big World bead, I have had it confirmed that this will be a limited edition but as is often the case with Trollbeads, there’s no clarification on how it is limited. With the world tour beads, retailers only seem able to place one order for the entire collection before they (I presume) revert to being solely available in their representative areas. Diamonds4ever were hoping to be able to offer a pre-order on this bead also but for now, there is no confirmed release date for them to work with. I sincerely hope they are able to offer such a pre-order as it would make absolute sense for those collectors interested in the sets to be able to buy their Big World simultaneously and combine the shipping costs.

As always with pre-orders, please be aware that shipping estimates are just that; estimates. Deliveries of the beads haven’t yet occurred and both retailers are at the mercy of Trollbeads and the Danish postal system. Both have excellent reputations however so they can be trusted to process your orders as fast as stocks become available.

With Pandora also releasing their destination charms soon (hopefully in June but as of yet, this is unconfirmed), this is the perfect opportunity to begin planning those international bracelets. Happy shopping!

Update – 11th of May

Diamonds4ever have begun taking pre-orders on some single world tour beads. These include the coveted Japanese and Hong Kong tour sets. These two sets specifically have been very costly for collectors to purchase. You can find the Japenese pre-order page here and the Hong Kong page here.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Yesterday when blogging about preorders being taken by Diamonds4ever for the world tour beads, I also happened to mention that they had stock of the Trollbead’s limited edition amethyst fantasy necklace. Judging by the sheer number of clicks on the link, I’m assuming that a reasonable number of people are still lusting over this piece.

For the benefit of those unsure, this necklace was sold at the Copenhagen launch party for the commencement of the world tour. It was available on a strictly one per ticket holder basis. After the event, remaining chains were made available to Danish retailers.

Aside from it’s rarity, I firmly believe this to be the most attractive of the Troll fantasy chains. It features a beautiful faceted amethyst stone on a darker, tarnished chain. It’s unsurprising therefore, that this is highly coveted as a “must have” piece to any collection.

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The remaining chain that Diamonds4ever had in stock sold last night. A second Danish retailer, Perlen, also have stock of this chain and it’s available here.

I’m assuming they have very limited quantities so if you’re considering purchasing this necklace, I’d advise you to do so hastily.

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The Trollbead’s world tour commenced in the autumn of 2010 with a fabulous launch party in Copenhagen. In February 2012 it made it’s final stop in Australia. During this time, each set of beads has only been available in it’s host country. Some retailers and resellers have managed to secure limited amounts of other country releases but stock levels have varied considerably.

Next month, the world tour collection becomes available to all. Retailers are able to place orders for every world tour set but reportedly for a limited period of time.

Danish retailer Kappel Guld og Sølv (more commonly known as Diamonds4ever) are offering customers the opportunity to pre-order each collection and receive a fifteen percent discount off the usual price.

The Trollbeads World Tour Collections

Here’s a visual reminder of those fabulous world tour sets.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Ordering Information

Diamonds4ever are an authorised Trollbeads retailer based in Denmark. Indeed they’ve gained a reputation for specialising in the rare and retired section of the market. In addition, they offer their products at highly competitive prices. For the benefit of those who have never dealt directly with this retailer, please be assured that their customer service is second to none. I’ve had many dealings with Diamonds4ever over the last few years (indeed I was one of those who indulged in their massive museum sale last year) and don’t have a negative word to say about them. Their delivery is always prompt and for customers outside of Denmark, they do speak perfect English so please don’t let that be a cause for concern.

To reiterate, they’re taking pre-orders on all world tour sets with a fifteen percent reduction on the cost compared with recommended retail price. They’re currently estimating that delivery will commence from the fifteenth of June but please be aware they’re somewhat at the mercy of Trollbeads supplying the stock.

I think it’s therefore safe to assume that the release date for the new Trollbeads Big World bead is the fifteenth of June. For the benefit of those who have missed the details regarding this release, it’s a large silver bead, similar in styling to the existing Big Earth. It’s being release presumably as a limited edition to commemorate the end of the Trollbeads world tour. For those who have vehemently collected each set, the Big World is undoubtedly going to be a must have compliment to those world tour bracelets.

The direct pre-order page for the world tour sets can be found here. For ease of use however, I’m going to list the direct links below.

• World Tour Germany
• World Tour Italy
• World Tour Netherlands
• World Tour South Africa
• World Tour UK
• World Tour Baltic States
• World Tour Switzerland
• World Tour United States
• World Tour Japan
• World Tour Austria
• World Tour Hong Kong
• World Tour Australia

Obviously as a Danish retailer, they already carry stock of the Danish world tour and also offer highly competitive prices on these. For those interested in the Danish collection, they’re available here.

As a final side note, collectors may remember that the world tour launch party featured a very special, limited edition fantasy necklace. This beautiful and coveted chain boasted a faceted amethyst as it’s main attraction. Diamonds4ever have a few chains remaining and they can be found here.

Update – 9th May

I’ve had quite a few enquiries regarding the availability of beads as individuals rather than in the entire set. I’ve spoken to Rasmus this morning and be assured that this will be an option. They’ll be updating their site once they receive stock from Trollbeads but state that they have ordered a lot so there should be good availability of all beads.

Update 11th of May

Diamonds4ever have begun taking preorders on single beads with the fifteen percent reduction on recommended retail price. Today they have added pre-order pages for both the Japanese and Hong Kong world tour sets. Prior to this, the exchange rate made it impossible for them to offer these sets at a competitive price.

You can now find the pre-order page for the Hong Kong world tour set here and the Japanese set here.

Firstly a small apology; there was some confusion last week over the release of the Lady Godiva bead. As such, I didn’t photograph her along with the rest of the collection. This bead was indeed released on Friday along with the others and here is my personal take on this design.

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An Introduction

For those unfamiliar with the story of Lady Godiva, she was an eleventh century English noblewoman famed for riding naked through the streets of Coventry as a sign of protest over her husband’s taxes that were crippling the townsfolk. According to legend, her husband challenged her stating that he would abolish the oppressive taxes should she ride naked through the town. She rose to the challenge and did so resulting in the abolition of the taxes. She was characterised by her long, flowing hair that allegedly hid her modesty.

The Bead

This is a relatively small bead but of graceful design. The naked Lady Godiva wraps elegantly around the chain. Unfortunately, I feel this is a bead that needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. Due to the nature of the design, she’s incredibly hard to photograph in a complimentary light. It has no real front and rear, rather it’s a fluid and encompassing design.

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Despite the relatively small size, the details so synonymous with the *Redbalifrog* brand are very evident in this bead. The image below shows the “rear” of the bead where her acknowledged long hair intertwines with her hands and feet. Her hair is heavily textured and this makes for an aesthetically pleasing contrast to the smooth silver used throughout her body.

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As previously stated, she’s a relatively small bead, at least in comparison with many of the *Redbalifrog* range. Her size is similar to the Mermaid bead and indeed her design is highly complimentary also.

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For the benefit of Trollbeads collectors, the photograph below shows her size in comparison with the retired Bead of the Vikings.

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The hallmark for this bead is split into two parts and tucked snuggly under each arm. This doesn’t detract from the beautiful design in any form.

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I think side-on photographs offer a better idea of the flowing design of this bead so the following two pictures hopefully offer that. Her core is, of course, larger than that used by Trollbeads so she will fit comfortably on bracelets of other brands, including Pandora.

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Bracelet Combinations

For me, Lady Godiva is a symbol of female empowerment. She took a very strong stand against her husband and in defense of the townsfolk of Coventry. As such, when using this bead, I wanted to create feminine combinations. This helped in the selection of both the colours and the other silvers used.

There are many statues dedicated to Lady Godiva and she is always pictured on horse back. In creating these bracelets I wanted to acknowledge that and did so by using the Trollbeads Horses bead.

In regards to colours, my initial thought was to use pinks but the release article for the rest of the collection featured a pink bracelet quite heavily. As such, I decided to opt primarily for purples.

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In the above bracelet I combined quite deep purple glass shades with whites. Again I found myself using the *Redbalifrog* White Coral beads and this is simply a testimony to how often I do use these beads. For the silvers, I was drawn to those either celebrating the female form or femininity in broader terms. The limited edition Klimt inspired beads are used here in addition to the new Lunar Moon and the Mermaid.

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While I loved the quite crisp feeling these colours created, for the next bracelet I opted for softer purples – moving more into the lilac palette – which I feel added slightly more femininity.

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For the next bracelet, I wanted to remove the whites and add more purple and lilac beads.

Removing the whites resulted in a bracelet with less contrast and the creation felt a little “heavier”.

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For the final bracelet, I decided to indulge my initial reaction to using this bead with pinks though I combined them with the existing purples. The result is a very vibrant, fruity feeling explosion of colours.

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Ordering Information

As I mentioned for the May release article, the official *Redbalifrog* store is now back online and the Lady Godiva bead can be found here.

For European collectors who want to avoid longer delivery times, Heidi’s Trollbeads & More also have the bead in stock and it can be found here.

Conclusion

This is a truly beautiful bead. Despite her relatively small shape, there are still details present that truly imply a great deal of though has gone into the bead. Amanda has managed to capture the grace and elegance of the female form and once again, I firmly believe this bead needs to be seen and handled to be wholly appreciated.

For collectors searching for complimentary beads, I mentioned her common depiction with her equine companion. I’ve always found the Trollbead’s Horses bead a little hard to discern. While it’s a touch more fantastical, I’d be inclined to grab a *Redbalifrog* Ubaldus Unicorn to wear with Lady Godiva. I don’t have this bead so I’m basing my thoughts on the stock photographs but the horse’s head is much more prevalent and it’s long flowing mane will compliment Godiva’s own luscious head of hair quite well. If you’re aiming for accuracy, then obviously disregard my recommendation but for those not against (or indeed fans of) fantasy designs, I think the pair would look beautiful together.

I mentioned earlier that the shape of the bead compliments the *Redbalifrog* Mermaid greatly and I do like these two beads together. Further to that, I suspect the Fallen Angel would look equally spectacular. Again, I’m basing purely on Amanda’s own photographs but both beads display the female form in similar poses and I imagine they’d create a very fluid and well presented bracelet.

I also found the Endless Loving’s shape to work well with the Lady Godiva and Mermaid beads.

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The Klimt inspired Art Nouveau bead is another idea companion. Klimt is famed for his artwork celebrating the female body and this bead, with the addition of the pearl, brings a very feminine feel to any creation. This bead is only available from Heidi’s Trollbeads & More but they offer worldwide delivery.

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Oh how I love new *Redbalifrog* collections and this one is especially spectacular.

I’m broadly going to split this collection into three. There are two “themed” beads, a pendant and then a third bead. To kick start the article in explosive style however, here are pictures of the entire collection; proudly presenting Luna Moon, Howling Wolf, Sugar Skull and the Mayan Calendar pendant.

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Luna Moon and Howling Wolf

These beads compliment each other beautifully and I’d highly encourage anyone interested in either one, to purchase the pair.

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I’ve longed for a wolf bead for quite some time. While I’m aware that Trollbead’s have the beautiful Iron Wolf from the Lithuanian world tour collection, I’ve always felt that due to the glass base, the focus is shifted away from the wolf. While it’s an undeniably stunning bead in it’s own right, I’ve yearned for a bead with full attention paid to the actual wolf.

I share my life with two Siberian Huskies and aesthetically, there are similarities between the breed and the wolf. As such, I do consider myself somewhat bias in regards to this subject matter.

I was positively buzzing when I received news that part of the new *Redbalifrog* release would contain a wolf bead and I most certainly wasn’t disappointed when the bead arrived. The attention to detail that Amanda captures so perfectly is very evident in this design. The first thing one arguably notices is the heavy texturing on the wolf’s coat.

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Moving away from the coat however, the feature I truly adore about this bead is the detailing of the face and ears. I’m so familiar with this howling pose from my own dogs that I found myself instantly endeared to the bead. When one thinks of these beautiful creatures, the obvious visualisation is that of them howling. There’s something almost eery and mystical about this bead. It evokes very strong emotions in me and that’s precisely what I love about *Redbalifrog*.

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Moving onto the practicalities, the bead itself is quite large in size and I think this is a good thing. I would have hated for some of this exquisite detailing to be lost due to size constraints. What’s more, it makes the bead very eye catching when worn on a bracelet. To try and give an idea of the size, the picture below shows Howling Wolf nestled between the existing *Redbalifrog* Russian Egg and the retired Trollbead’s Old Vine. It’s a tall bead without being substantial in it’s width.

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The hallmark (unfortunately for the wolf) can be found underneath the bead as shown below.

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The bead is cored in such a way as to keep the majority of the weight to the base. This results in a bead that stays in place on a bracelet as opposed to spinning around at bizarre angels. As with all *Redbalifrog* beads, it features a larger core thus allowing it to be used on other brand bracelets (including Pandora.)

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The Luna Moon is obviously a spherical shaped bead. As such it’s very simple in it’s design and incredibly versatile. There are a lot of spherical beads on the market, from various brands and using such beads throughout a bracelet results in a real sense of consistency. The Luna Moon should appeal greatly to fans of such spherical designs.

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The feature I love most about this bead is the contrast between the smooth and the textured surface. I’ve mentioned many times before that texture is something I think can be explored for huge benefit in bead design and Amanda really takes advantage of that here.

This bead is a solid piece of silver. It’s weight truly implies quality. It would have been perfectly possible to produce this design with far less silver by making the bead hollow but this isn’t the case. I find this a reflection of the quality now associated with *Redbalifrog*.

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Again shifting to the more practical aspects, the bead’s hallmark sits close to an edge and if this is placed facing downwards on a bracelet, it’s absolutely unnoticeable while wearing. As such, it doesn’t detract from the aesthetics in any fashion.

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It’s a medium to large sized bead though it feels quite heavy in hand. The picture below shows the Luna Moon in comparison with the *Redbalifrog* Russian Egg and the retired Trollbead’s Old Vine.

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Obviously there are no issue with spherical designs sitting at odd angels on a bracelet but as I’m aware many people specifically like to see side on pictures, here is the coring.

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The Luna Moon has obvious appeals for those enjoying space or galaxy themed bracelets and I’ve seen many combinations dedicated to this over the years.

These beads truly compliment each other and as I previously mentioned, I’d urge anyone considering one to buy the other. I personally find myself considering them a set.

Sugar Skull

This bead is truly fun. I find it difficult to look at it without smiling and again, I’m a huge fan of jewellery evoking feelings in the wearer.

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Sugar skulls are associated with the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration and more broadly with the Roman Catholic All Saints Day. Despite their use of honouring the dead, sugar skulls are associated with bright, fiesta style colours and marigold flowers. Rather than a mournful event, it’s a celebration of life.

The detailing on this bead is absolutely impecable with the entire area covered.

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To emphasise this point, the following pictures show the side and rear of the bead.

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As a side note, for those who asked me about a certain “sneak peek” featured by Redbalifrog USA – this is the bead in question. I did promise I’d research what it was but as the bead was officially unreleased, I couldn’t elaborate on that for you.

While the bead has an obvious connection to both the Day of the Dead festivities and All Saints Day celebrations, it’s also going to have a clear appeal to fans of more gothic feeling jewellery as well as those that simply appreciate Amanda’s incredibly detailed creations. There aren’t many skull beads out there so it’s very refreshing to find such a design. Looking ahead, this bead is going to look magnificent on Halloween combinations (and as it’s one of my favourite holidays, I can’t help but imagine it’s uses there.)

The Sugar Skull is a more regular sized bead but for the sake of consistency, the picture below shows it’s size comparison with the same *Redbalifrog* Russian Egg and Trollbead’s retired Vine.

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Mayan Calendar Pendant

While the highlight of this collection, for me, is undoubtedly the Howling Wolf, this pendant is a close second. Furthermore, I’ve actually found it extremely versatile.

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When it first arrived I delegated it to being solely for use as a pendant as I initially believed it too large to be utilised on a bracelet. I soon changed my mind however.

I’ll admit that I don’t generally like to see large pendants used on bracelets so I have no idea why this appears to be an exception to the rule. Perhaps the reasoning lies with the coin-like design. Honestly, I have no idea why I appreciate this pendant on a bracelet but I find it very effective.

Firstly this pendant has two sides. The “front” features the Mayan calendar (hence it’s name). The rear features an engraved message reminiscent of “carpe diem”. This small feature is such a fantastic reflection of Amanda and it’s a very sweet touch to a beautiful pendant.

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Regarding the design of this pendant; to clarify on what I mentioned earlier, this pendant conjures images of an ancient coin. I have never seen this level of detailing on a pendant. It’s so intricate and it’s quite astounding that it’s transfered so well to jewellery without any of it being lost.

It’s a large pendant and for those familiar with Danish currency, it’s comparable to a five kroner coin.

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One of the prominent fashion trends for this summer is that of gypsy inspired clothing. The key features of this trend are floaty, romantic materials with heavy patterns. You’ll find maxi length skirts, lots of layers, cropped tops and Iberian influences. Jewellery is a massive part of this trend with 2012′s oversized earrings playing a huge part. This pendant would compliment such a trend perfectly. Alternatively fans of the more enduring boho chic will adore this.

The pendant’s rustic charm makes it an excellent choice for use on leather and I opted to try it on a leather bracelet.

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When exploring alternative ways to use this pendant, I decided to try it as an anklet with some chunky heeled summer sandals. I have to say, while I’m not generally a fan of anklets, I loved this look. Worn this way it will draw attention to a show stopping pair of shoes. Most anklets tend to be too small to make an impact. The advantage of using this being that it’s large enough to be incredibly eye catching, even at foot level. This is a perfect way to accessorise the summer’s gypsy fashion trend if you don’t particularly wish to wear a necklace.

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I’d also like to apologise for the quality of the picture above. Taking photographs of your own feet proved more challenging than I’d initially predicted. This aside, it should give an idea of the look I was aiming for.

Bracelet Designs

In considering bracelet designs for this new collection, many ideas are quite obvious. In regards to the Luna Moon and Howling Wolf, obvious colours are dark blues and blacks to represent a night sky.

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Initially I opted for an addition of white beads as an ode to the snowy climes that homes so many wolves. I wanted to keep the feel slightly more rustic so specifically chose white beads with a more matte finish. The *Redbalifrog* White Coral were absolutely perfect for this.

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For the second bracelet, I removed the whites and favoured a blue and black combination, more reflective of the night sky.

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The next bracelet utilises colours that I recently wore and adored. It also demonstrates the option of using the Mayan Calendar pendant on a bracelet.

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A real variety of beads went into creating the above creation. The silvers are all from *Redbalifrog* including the limited edition Art Nouveau bead exclusive to Heidi’s Trollbeads & More (it added a reach touch of femininity to this bracelet that felt so appropriate.) The glass and stone are all courtesy of Trollbeads and feature limited edition Crazy Lace Agates from 2010, retired Pink Prisms, limited edition gemstones from 2011 and the beautiful Kimono kit also from last year. The only production stone is a faceted Labradonite which I’ll admit to finding one of the most versatile Trollbead’s gemstones.

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Maintaining the colour trend from the above combination, I decided to try a similar creation based on leather.

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For the Sugar Skull, I was excited at the prospect of creating a vibrant, fiesta style bracelet.

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This seemed the perfect opportunity to use my Trollbead’s limited edition Smiley glass (which I just love!)

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Once again there’s a wide variety of beads in play here with *Redbalifrog* silvers mixed with more floral themed Troll silvers. The colours are vibrant, eclectic and not combinations I’d generally wear but they felt incredibly appropriate for this bracelet.

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Finally, there was one last combination I’ve wanted to tackle for a while. I’m quite aware that some people are going to be groaning at this so I apologise in advance. As a fan of both fantasy and urban fantasy books, I adored the Twilight books. For the last film release, I’d promised to recreate an inspired bracelet but I struggled to create something. With the release of the new *Redbalifrog* Howling Wolf, I just couldn’t resist revisiting this notion.

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The colour choice was obvious; reds and blacks to create a vampish feeling vibe. The silvers are a mix of *Redbalifrog* and Trollbeads. Endless Loving from *Redbalifrog* sets the obvious tone. The Trollbead’s Lamb and Lions beads are representative of that beautiful and iconic quote. Fantasy elements are provided by *Redbalifrog’s* Howling Wolf and Igor the Bat (tongue in cheek vampire representation at it’s finest!) The remaining silvers are Trollbead’s retired Baby Carriage and Angel and Demon beads. The entire combination is tied together by my current favourite lock, the *Redbalifrog* Heart Lock.

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Ordering details

The official *Redbalifrog* store is now back online so for anyone with a preference for ordering here can do so.

The Luna Moon is here.

The Howling Wolf is here.

The Mayan Calendar pendant is here.

The Sugar Skull is here.

For European collectors who would prefer to exploit faster shipping times, there are a couple of options. Heidi’s Trollbeads & More offer world wide shipping and fabulous service. You can find the Luna Moon here, the Howling Wolf here and the Sugar Skull here.

Conclusion

I never cease to be amazed by the level of detail boasted by *Redbalifrog* products. I also really love Amanda’s release policy. Collections come frequently but are small. This allows fans to collect the entire collection without being overwhelmed by large numbers of new beads. Small themed releases really appeal to me.

I can’t fault the actual release. I feel the Howling Wolf fills a real gap in the market for a wolf bead. I’ve been repeatedly shocked that none of the other large brands have released such a bead into their general collections. The Luna Moon is going to be another bead you find yourself using a lot, regardless of the theme of a bracelet. It’s incredibly versatile in it’s shape but it’s mix of textures ensures it’s still interesting and eye catching. There will always be some beads you find yourself reaching for again and again and I’m adamant this will qualify.

The Sugar Skull is such a fun bead. It’s heavily detailed which creates the contrast between high shine silver and oxidised background that so many collectors love about silver. It has a gothic feel due to it’s subject matter which will appeal to many and fill yet another real gap for darker themed beads. At the same time, it’s representative of a festival and allows you to play with colours you perhaps wouldn’t consider. Come Halloween, it’s going to be a fabulous bead for holiday combinations.

The Mayan Calendar pendant will be very popular I think. The intricate detailing on the surface of the pendant is quite astounding. It draws you in and you find yourself really studying it, almost as a piece of art. It has a real boho feeling charm to it and it’s going to look fabulous on leather or as part of a more relaxed creation for the summer months. I loved wearing this as an anklet and found it a really fun way to expand on my jewellery.

In regards to the pricing, I firmly believe these all represent fantastic value for money. The Howling Wolf and the Luna Moon are both very solid feeling creations that ooze quality. The Sugar Skull is a little lighter in weight but it’s detailing is a true selling point. The pendant truly has to be seen to be judged and my photographs absolutely do not do justice to this piece.

It’s the first day of May and we’re creeping closer to those anticipated summer months. While I hear the UK is being battered by foul weather, Denmark is currently being graced by the opposite and we’re enjoying a beautifully warm and sunny week.

It’s been a little quiet in regards to charm and bead news recently and here’s a round up of what to expect over the next month.

Pandora

Pandora’s Floral Nostalgia is still in the throes of a very staggered release albeit most places now have the majority of the collection available.

June is set to be a busy time for Pandora collectors with the animal print muranos and destination charms both rumoured to launch.

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For a full preview of the animal print charms please click here. For the “leaked” destination charm pictures (low resolution), please click here.

It seems like we’re going to have to wait until July (or at the very least the end of June) for most of the UK charms however. A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing the unreleased double decker bus and I have to say, I instantly loved it. It was smaller than I expect for some reason but terribly cute! The enamel detailing worked really well and was very eye catching. You can look forward to a review of this charm as soon as I can acquire one.

Rumours are already abound regarding Pandora’s autumn / winter release and as always this has the community buzzing. It seems like fans of the more “blingy” style charms are going to be in for a real treat. Speculation of very bejewelled hearts are rife (in the style of the existing silver hearts with zirconia centres.) In addition a cruise ship charm seems to be on the horizon (sorry, I had to say it!) This seems a slightly peculiar addition to a fall collection in my eyes though it’s certainly possible. Perhaps it will mark another Pandora cruise?

Trollbeads

June also sees the launch of the Trollbead’s world tour collection in every country with the addition of the new Big World bead. I’m therefore assuming for now that May is going to be a quiet month for Trollbeads.

Rumour has it that the world tour prices will be quite competitive, particularly in regards to the glass beads. With various currency conversions and import taxes having hit those who’ve sought the world tour beads from their host countries, collecting this set has been a rather costly affair. While I do sympathise with the people who’ve spent large amounts of money on these beads, it will also be fabulous for others to acquire them at a more reasonable price (in addition to having the opportunity to choose the beads themselves.) I’d like to stress once again, however, that retailers have to order these sets specifically and the window of opportunity in which to do so is very small. Please don’t assume that your local store will stock these sets (particularly if they’re a smaller store.) If you know you want to buy a specific bead or set of, please contact your retailer to discuss this with them.

Image Courtesy of Trollbead's Australia

*Redbalifrog*

With quiet months for both Trollbeads and Pandora, the highlight of the month is undoubtedly the new *Redbalifrog* release. There’s still no official launch date for this confirmed by Amanda but she did state early May so collector’s don’t have too much longer to wait. This new release features a pendant and while I can’t discuss details it’s very unusual and absolutely stunning.

As always I’ll be releasing a launch article for this collection with full details and a lot of pictures. As soon as their is a publicly confirmed release date, I’ll update everyone.

Image Courtesy of *Redbalifrog*

A few weeks ago, UK retailer Me Me Me Accessories managed to acquire a small number of highly coveted, retired Pandora charms. These consisted of the ram and the Hans Christian Andersen top hat. I leaped at the opportunity to acquire this two charms for my personal collection and they arrived very quickly thanks to the service I received from the lovely Gillian.

Last week, I received an email notifying that they’d received the very last delivery of the two aforementioned charms and in addition, a few retired Ugly Ducklings. I know several readers took advantage of the offer and hopefully the following pictures will offer a glimpse as to what you can expect.

Pandora have always had a great deal of success with their animal themed charms. They’re terribly cute and perfect additions to a bracelet for the animal lovers out there (of which we are many!) The ram is a charm I’ve searched for but never succeeded in finding so I was delighted when this little guy turned up on my doorstep.

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Please note that in all of the photographs utilised in this article, the chain is from Trollbeads. This is purely because moving charms on and off a bracelet for photographing is far easier without the twist ends on the Pandora chains.

Obviously for anyone wishing to use the ram on a Troll chain, it does feature a larger Pandora core so you’ll get some space between the chain and the charm. This can’t be seen on a full bracelet of course.

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There are a couple of things that make me really love this charm. Firstly, I love textured charms. I like the feeling of the charm when it’s handled, I like the appearance of it on a bracelet and I like the contrast it can create with neighbouring pieces. This charm is appropriately textured, you can almost feel the course fuzzy coat.

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Secondly, I love the chunky stature of this charm. While it’s on the small side as per most Pandora products, they’ve correctly captured that “table top” appearance of a ram in full coat.

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The hallmark for this charm can be found on the underside, as seen below.

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I actually think this charm depicts a decent amount of detailing. Due to the size of Pandora’s charms, they often lose a great deal of this, particularly when you compare them to *Redbalifrog* for example. The picture below shows the ram next to the Trollbead’s lamb and it captures the detailing on the head. It’s easy to ascertain what the charm is depicting as the horns are very evident.

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Reverting back to the issue of it’s size, the comparison with the Trollbead’s lamb above gives a little more context for the Troll collectors. It’s worth noting however that the “chunky” nature of this charm is evident below when you compare them from above.

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The Pandora ram is cored in an entirely different fashion to the Trollbead’s lamb. Where the lamb sits in profile on a bracelet, the ram is designed more traditionally to point outwards.

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Personally I love both these charms (but I am an animal lover) but some collectors will undoubtedly favour one type of coring over the other. I like to think they could happily compliment each other on a themed bracelet.

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Conclusion

Pandora do cute animals well, they always have. Indeed for a long time I think this is what they were most associated with. I began collecting Trollbeads at a time when I was a little tired of the constant cute charms. In more recent collections, I think Pandora have addressed this and they’re now releasing much more contemporary feeling designs. I still have a real fondness for the animal charms however and I think a great many Pandora collectors do. This is a real gem in Pandora’s back catalogue and it’s very highly coveted. Of all the animal charms in Pandora’s collection (both current and retired), I think this is a real highlight. It’s also perfect for the spring themed bracelets.

I noticed recently that the lovely ladies over at Charms Addict published an article highlighting their ever growing Pandora zoo. Perhaps it’s time to showcase my rather extensive farm yard in the not too distant future.

Ordering Details

Gillian at Me Me Me Accessories did still have a few of these left and it’s a perfect opportunity to secure a rare and retired charm. Each charm (she had the Hans Christian Andersen top hat, the ram and the ugly duckling) is £45.00 (410 DKK / 55 EUR / $73) and shipping is offered world wide at an additional charge of £5 (46 DKK / 6 EUR / $8.) This is a very reasonable price and far cheaper than what these charms fetch on Ebay or with resellers. Anyone looking to purchase one needs to contact Gillian at gillian@mememeaccessories.com, detailing the charm or charms you wish to purchase. She’ll invoice your email directly via Paypal. Those without Paypal accounts shouldn’t be concerned as it’s now possible to pay as a guest using most credit or debit cards.

As has been mentioned here before, May sees the launch of a new *Redbalifrog* collection. I’ve already received the beads (and indeed am dedicating a few hours this afternoon to photographing them) and they’re stunning but obviously, I can’t share details.

However, Amanda did update her official *Redbalifrog* Facebook page last night with a couple of teasing details to tantalise eager fans.

*Redbalifrog* will be releasing three new beads and a beautiful pendant early May… keep an eye out for them, I’m sure you’ll love them all:)

This has been the first mention of the specifics of the release and is undoubtedly exciting news for fans. There’s been no announcement regarding an exact release date but I’ll keep both my Facebook page and the blog updated as more details are confirmed.

I’m sure most people have seen the new *Redbalifrog* poster but for the benefit of those who haven’t (and just because it’s so lovely), here it is.

Image Courtesy of *Redbalifrog*

Regular readers will be aware that when I became alerted to the fact that UK based Me Me Me Accessories managed to procure some retired Pandora charms, I leaped at the opportunity to acquire them (as did my mom, my aunt and a few friends.)

The charms in question were retired Hans Christian Andersen top hats and rams; both highly coveted charms and long since retired.

Sadly for collectors, the rams sold very quickly due to highly limited supplies.

I’ve just received an email from the lovely Gillian informing me that they’ve managed to secure the very final stock of some highly desirable retired Pandora charms. The charms currently available are the Hans Christian Andersen top hat, the ram and the ugly duckling (also from the Hans Christian Andersen “range”.) For the benefit of those who are unsure what the charms in question look like, here are some photographs.

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Each charm is £45.00 (410 DKK / 55 EUR / $73) and shipping is offered world wide at an additional charge of £5 (46 DKK / 6 EUR / $8.) If you purchase two or more charms, Me Me Me Accessories will cover the postage costs for you. They’re dispatching these very quickly (same working day), though please keep in mind time differences if you’re ordering from outside of Europe.

To take advantage of this fantastic offer, you need to email Gillian@mememeaccessories.com detailing the charms you wish to buy. She’ll then invoice the same email with a Paypal request for payment. Please note that if you don’t have a Paypal account, this no longer matters as it’s possible to pay as a guest using most debit and credit cards (and it’s really straight forward so don’t be put off.)

This is absolutely the last stock of these coveted charms from their former distributor. The ram and the top hat are very difficult to find now without resorting to resellers or Ebay (and the prices they are fetching are far in excess of these). The ugly duckling, while still around, is also becoming more scarce and it’s a perfect accompaniment for the top hat. Orders are being fulfilled absolutely on a first come first served basis.

For those wishing to buy but who are unfamiliar with the retail store, rest assured I’ve dealt with them over a number of years and never had any problems. They’re fast to answer emails, they’re a former authorized Pandora stockist and their delivery times seem very prompt. (I received my order on the Saturday as they dispatched on the Wednesday night which I consider to be a very good delivery time to Europe.)

Hurry up ladies, this is a fabulous offer on these retired charms.

In 2005, Pandora released a commemorative charm for the two hundredth birthday of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. As a child, I was strongly encouraged to read from a very young age. My dad was an avid reader and it’s thanks to this that I’ve undoubtedly developed my passion for both reading and writing. Looking back, I have quite distinct memories of going to bed clutching a bed time book of fairy stories. Featuring among these were a couple of Hans Christian Andersen tales. As an adult, I still have a fondness for fairy stories and I have found myself living just outside of Odense; birth place of this famed author.

There are many statues dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen scattered around Denmark and in a number of these he’s depicted as wearing his characteristic top hat. It’s clear therefore, where the design for this now coveted and retired Pandora charm derives.

I’ve often found Hans Christian Andersen to be an author that people believe themselves to be unfamiliar with. That is until you begin reeling off some of his better known works. Among the stories, the most popular and well known are probably The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Ugly Ducking, The Princess and the Pea, The Nightingale, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Tinderbox and The Snow Queen

A couple of weeks ago, a lovely lady on Pandora’s Facebook page alerted fellow collectors that former UK based Pandora retailer MeMeMe Accessories had a number of top hats remaining in their back stock. I managed to secure one for myself and also posted here in the hope that a few other ladies longing for this charm would grab theirs.

My top hat arrived last week in addition to his travelling companion, a retired Pandora ram (though he’ll feature in his own article at a later date.) I like buying charms / beads in pairs. I get fond flashbacks of Toy Story characters being told to “choose their moving buddies” – swiftly moving on..

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I’d like to mention that in all of the photographs featured in this review, it’s a Trollbead’s chain utilised. This is simply because it’s easier for me to add and remove charms to a Troll chain than a Pandora (due to the “screw” ends.)

This charm is quite small in size, as is often the case with Pandora and while it’s design is simple, it’s also highly appropriate as an ode to this author.

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On the front of the charm are the initials HCA etched into the surface (as seen above.)

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On the rear reads “200 years,” an explanatory inscription for the production of the charm. The bracelet threads through the centre of the charm and after a week of wearing, I can honestly say that it doesn’t appear to spin around on the bracelet. I presume the rim of the hat results in the heaviest part of the charm being the base and this ensures it sits “correctly” when worn.

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Despite it’s small size, the charm is actually very solid and heavy feeling. Aside from the required hole for the bracelet to thread through, the charm isn’t hollow. Rather it boasts a solid base. As such, it doesn’t feel cheap or of low quality. It would have been very easy for Pandora to have left the entire centre hollow to minimise the amount of silver used but this isn’t the case.

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Indeed the above picture shows the solid base of the charm. The underside of the hat rim also displays Pandora’s hallmark.

The photograph below displays just how the charm sits on the bracelet in terms of distribution. The bracelet threads quite centrally in terms of the overall size.

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Obviously for anyone wanting to use this on a Trollbead’s chain, it does feature a slightly larger core to accommodate Pandora’s screw end bracelets so you’re going to get a certain amount of “free space” between bracelet and charm.

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The top hat isn’t the only Hans Christian Andersen dedication to be found in either Pandora’s range or indeed in Trollbead’s collection. In addition to the top hat, Pandora also released their Ugly Ducking charm and a Princess and the Pea charm (in duo tone.) Both of these charms are now retired though their availability isn’t anywhere near as scarce as the hat. The Ugly Ducking (often incorrectly referred to as the swan) is pictured below. Sadly, I still haven’t gotten round to purchasing the Princess and the Pea so a stock photograph will have to suffice.

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Image Courtesy of Pandora

I’ve often seen confusion relating to the design of the Princess and the Pea charm and it’s understandable for anyone unfamiliar with the fairy tale. The story tells of a prince in search of a bride though all the women he has met have proven unworthy and he frequently questions whether they are truely a princess. A young girl, claiming to be a princess, knocks on the palace door seeking shelter from a storm. The prince’s mother, keen to discover the authenticity of her royal claims prepares a bed for her guest by placing a pea at the base and covering it with twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. In the morning the princess complains that she was unable to sleep in the night due to something uncomfortable in her bed. She’s thus hailed a true princess as no other woman would display such sensitivity. (The passage is actually quite famous in literary circles as being dripping with double entendres pertaining to the princess being kept awake by something hard in her bed that surely bruised her.) The charm’s design depicts a golden pea hidden among layers of silver mattresses with a crown perched atop.

Conclusion

This isn’t a highly detailed or intricate charm – that’s not really where it’s appeal lies. It is, however, a very solid representation of a much loved author. For anyone who loves fairy tales or literacy in general, this is a charm to be coveted. For those just loving Pandora, it’s an ode to the company’s Danish history.

For those who haven’t yet added this charm to their collection, MeMeMe Accessories did still have a few available last week. To reiterate my original article, you need to contact Gillian directly via email at Gillian@mememeaccessories.com. She can then update you on their current stock levels. Please be aware that payment for these charms is being sought via Paypal invoice (though it’s now possible to fulfil these by paying as a guest rather than needing to create a Paypal account.)

Obviously, I adore this charm and it’s one I’ve wanted for quite some time. I’ve mused here before about the possibility of creating a fairy tale themed bracelet and with this new addition, I think I’m going to go ahead.

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It’s been mentioned here before that during June, the Trollbead’s world tour collections will become available at local retailers, regardless of the countries they represent. During the course of the world tour, each set was only available from retailers in the represented country. While online retailers and resellers offered sets from other countries, they were often at unfavourable prices due to currency differences and import duties.

As the world tour has now reached it’s conclusion, the entire range of beads has been offered to authorized retailers for a limited period of time. This gives collectors a chance to physically see the beads, select their own glass and buy them at local and often more competitive prices.

With the release of the entire collection comes a new limited edition bead called Big World. Apparently, this bead is similar in design to the existing Big Earth bead (shown below) as a globe design but features latitude and longitude lines across it’s surface. The launch date is set to be around the third week of June and given Trollbead’s preference for Thursday and Friday release dates, I’d guess around the fourteenth or fifteenth of June. (Please note that the picture below is of the existing collection’s Big Earth *not* the new Big World.)

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

The bead is being flagged as “limited edition” but it’s not yet known in what fashion it earns this description.

It’s advisable that collectors interested in any of the world tour beads contact their local or preferred retailers to advise them on specific beads they’re after. The window of opportunity for retailers to order these beads is rumoured to be quite small so to ensure good availability, it’s worth talking to your store.

Images Courtesy of Trollbeads - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Image Courtesy of Heidi's Trollbeads and More

On a side note, the above bead has generated a lot of interest since I featured on the site again a couple of weeks ago and I received countless emails after I linked to the “limited” page on Heidi’s website which featured all of the other Austrian themed beads but not the wheel. The Riesenrad Wheel is still in stock and the direct link to purchase it can be found here. I will try and do an official review of those beads in the future as they undoubtedly justify it, so consider them added to the “to buy” list.

As I personally adored the last collaborative release, I was incredibly enthusiastic about the prospect of these beads. They’ve officially launched tonight (the 16th), marked by a “meet and greet” event with the wonderful lady behind the *Redbalifrog* brand, Amanda Bazarow. The event was held at Heidi’s Trollbeads & More and it’s worth mentioning at this stage that both the aforementioned Austrian beads and the subject of this article, the Klimt inspired beads, are only available through this store. Fortunately, the store offer worldwide postage and also accept Paypal so they should accommodate everyone.

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter most famed for his works detailing the female form. In 2012, his 150th birthday, the city of Vienna is hosting numerous exhibitions celebrating his life and works.

Initial Impressions

The two beads are officially named Klimt and Art Nouveau

My initial impressions of the two beads were that the detailing now synonymous with *Redbalifrog* is very apparent. The two are very distinctive of each other, despite arguably comprising a “set”.

The Klimt bead is tubular in design depicting the famed tree of life pattern from the work of the same name. The patterning creates a filigree like style across the main barrel of the bead. The top of the bead is engraved with the words “Hommage a Klimt” and the bottom bears the dates 1862 to 2012.

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Where the Klimt bead is relatively simple in it’s design, the Art Nouveau bead is quite complex. It depicts the female face so characteristic of Klimt’s work. Below the bead itself hangs a small fresh water pearl.

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The rear of this bead is plain with two roped hoops providing the attachment to the bracelet.

Both these beads display slightly different hallmarks to the rest of the *Redbalifrog* products owing to their collaboration with Heidi’s.

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The detailing in both of the beads results in a striking appearance on a bracelet, even when worn alone.

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Indeed while the Klimt bead is clearly predisposed to being utilised on a necklace, the Art Nouveau would make an elegant and classical look when worn in the same fashion. The latter could be worn in quite a formal setting.

When it came to using these beads, while the obvious choice was to place Klimt on a fantasy style necklace, I was drawn to wearing it on a bracelet. Due to the subject matter, I opted for a brown leather bracelet.

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I really liked the simplicity of this design. The brown leather is a good compliment for the theme of the bead. I believe both beads are detailed enough that they can be worn alone and I thought the use of leather would appeal to both genders.

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Adding the second bead brings a touch of femininity to the creation without becoming overwhelming.

Tree of Life, the inspiration for Klimt, features a beautiful neutral spectrum of colours ranging from the creams through to burnt orange tones; everything is very earthy. For the first bracelet, I tried to stick to these colours and opted for more matte beads where possible.

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Much of Klimt’s work is typified by beautiful golden hues. Indeed a whole era of his career has been dubbed his “Golden Era” in recognition of the colours employed. For the second bracelet, I tried to capture this palette by drawing in a couple of orange beads.

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As mentioned originally, the Klimt bead is an obvious candidate for a fantasy necklace and while I wanted to explore it’s potential uses on a bracelet, ignoring it’s perfect predisposition for a chain would be neglect at best and idiocy at worst.

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Here I wanted to maintain the same golden tones as were used in the bracelet. Unfortunately, my only fantasy necklace is the limited edition amethyst version from the world tour launch party so I’d like to apologise for the clash of colours.

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Conclusion

All in all I love these two beads. I rarely wear Trollbead’s leather bracelets as I prefer leather to be thicker but I admit that I thoroughly adored the combination I used here. It felt a very casual way to proudly display these two beads. The leather seemed appropriate for the Klimt bead and the addition of Art Nouveau added that perfect hint of femininity. While Klimt is clearly more suited to a pendant, I personally loved the look of it on leather. It’s long, tubular design gave the bracelet a real highlight. It’s open filigree surface allowed the leather to peek through and that looked fabulous behind the silver tree design.

I equally love that Heidi’s decided to commemorate the life and work of this iconic artist. I wholly appreciate designs with a real meaning behind them. They can add real structure to a bracelet allowing you to create a theme and a story. The colours I used for this photo shoot weren’t tones I’d normally wear but thanks to the beads I got to try something new.

They’re both very different feeling designs. With so many brands out there, some products feel somewhat generic. Ideas get repeated and while it’s always nice to see an individual designer’s fresh take on the familiar, it’s also fabulous when something different comes along. It’s unlikely that you’ll have anything quite like these in your collection.

Fans of the world tour beads will find an obvious appeal in these. In addition they’d make great gifts for anyone visiting Austria – perfect reminders. If you’re ordering these beads with the intention of sculpting an Austrian themed bracelet, I’d recommend a glance at the other limited beads. The Riesenrad Wheel pictured at the beginning of the article is just beautiful but I personally believe that the Circle would be an excellent accompaniment. This bead pays homage Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, famed for his work depicting circles and spirals. What’s more the enamel detailing in the bead would compliment the colours in Klimt’s work perfectly.

Image Courtesy of Heidi's Trollbeads and More

Ordering Information

As stated at the start, these two beads are exclusive to Heidi’s so there is no point in checking other stores (including the official *Redbalifrog* web store.) The link to Klimt is here and to the Art Nouveau is here. The cost of these beads is 39 EUR (290 DKK / £32 / $51) and 42 EUR (312 DKK / £35 / $55) respectively which I firmly believe offers great value for money.

It’s come to my attention that some readers are having issues connecting to Heidi’s store at all and I know they raised this concern with Amanda. For those suffering such problems please be aware that Heidi’s do use Paypal and are speedy at replying to emails. As such, I’d recommend dropping them an email at office@trollbeads-online.at and asking there about ordering. I’m quite sure they could invoice you directly via Paypal so please don’t let any technical issues put you off buying these beautiful beads.

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As a special treat, check out this lovely short movie created by Heidi’s Trollbeads & More and dedicated to the launch of these lovely beads

I’ve had a couple of queries regarding this so here are the details. Next month sees the launch of the Trollbead’s Memory Book. It’s a combination between a brochure and a journal featuring stock photographs of the Trollbead’s collection in addition to “wish list” pages and blank pages designed to hold your own photographs and notes.

For now, it seems that this might be a US exclusive and that it will be offered as a “gift with purchase” type promotion with a minimum spend to qualify.

Authorised American retailer Trollbeads Gallery have been the first store I’ve found to mention this book and they’re offering it with a minimum spend during their Mother’s Day trunk sale next month (May the 3rd to the 6th), though they haven’t yet confirmed what the spending requirement is.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads Gallery

The image above was released earlier on Trollbeads Gallery’s Facebook page and it’s clearly taken from the US distributor. I’d advise US Troll collectors keen on this book to contact their local retail store to enquire about this. For the EU collectors, I haven’t found anything that suggests it will hit our shores I’m afraid and there have been other “gifts” that have been exclusive to the USA. Given the interest in this however, I sincerely hope it does come to Europe.

2005 saw the 200th anniversary of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The author is famed for his fairy tales and Pandora released three charms to commemorate his life and works. By far the most coveted and sought after of these charms is the Hat (79321), representative of the top hat so often present on this magnificent author’s head. Indeed visitors to Denmark will find a number of statues honouring Hans Christian Andersen, all featuring the famed top hat.

Image Courtesy of Pandora

All of the commemorative charms are retired but this is by far the most difficult to source. Indeed my recent search resulted in me being laughed at by a number of retailers. While the charms still appear on Ebay, they’re usually at rather inflated prices. A couple of American stores specialising in retired Pandora charms have stock but they won’t ship outside of the United States in accordance to Pandora’s own guidelines.

UK retailer Mememe Accessories currently have a small amount of these coveted charms available. Initially they had stocks of both the HCA Top Hat and the retired Ram charm. Sadly, as I began writing this article, I received an update that all the Rams are now sold but there are Top Hats remaining. The retail price is £45.00 (405 DKK) and they will ship outside of the UK.

Image Courtesy of Pandora

Anyone interested in taking advantage of this unique opportunity to acquire a highly coveted retired charm should email Gillian@mememeaccessories.com. All transactions are being processed via Paypal and they’re dealing with the orders very quickly.

For those wondering about the authenticity of the products on sale there, be assured that this retailer is a former Pandora stockist. Taken directly from Mememe:-

We only ever sell genuine products. Our Pandora products are reduced to clear as we are no longer a certified Pandora retailer. We had been certified Pandora stockists since Febuary 2006 and certified online retailers since August 2007.

I’ve personally had a number of dealings with the store both from before they chose to stop their association with Pandora and until the present day and their service is second to none so order with confidence.

As I was lucky enough to snag both the retired Ram and the Top Hat, expect pictures when they arrive! I admit that I’m ridiculously excited to finally secure the Top Hat as I’ve lusted after one for years. Happy shopping ladies but keep in mind that stocks are very limited!

Easter is now over for the majority of us and people are (grudgingly) back to work. It’s the first break many people have had since Christmas and the last before summer vacations (barring the odd bank holiday.) As such, I always find the days following Easter to be a real down period. For others (myself included) it’s the start of weaning off the extortionate amounts of chocolate I’ve consumed over the weekend. Summer isn’t far away after all! In order to hopefully brighten a few lunch times, this article is going to be a recap of what’s to come in the bead world – a little something to look forward to.

April

The most imminent release is for the *Redbalifrog* fans as next Monday marks a new “mini launch” of two limited Austrian themed beads. These beads are limited in the sense that they’re only available via one retailer; Heidi’s Trollbeads and More. This isn’t the first release of this type as Heidi’s play host to another set of Austrian themed beads. For those who love collecting the Trollbead’s world tour collections, these are perfect accompaniments. For others who felt the Austrian world tour perhaps missed the mark a little, these can be considered replacements. If, like me, you just buy what you like regardless of any sentiment behind them, they have the detail that *Redbalifrog* is becoming synonymous with at a price that represents exceptional value for money.

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This new release is in celebration of the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, best known for his work featuring the female form. As 2012 marks his 150th birthday there are numerous celebrations and exhibitions taking place in Vienna.

I’ve been fortunate enough to receive these beads in advance of their release. As such, I’ll be doing my own extensive review of them. Obviously, this won’t be available until Heidi’s launch the beads themselves on the 16th of April. This coincides with a very special “meet and greet” event featuring Amanda Bazarow, the amazing designer behind the *Redbalifrog* brand. For anyone in the area, details of the event are available by contacting Heidi’s directly at office@trollbeads-online.at. I’d encourage anyone close to the store to attend this event as Amanda, Erich and Heidi are all fabulous people and it’s sure to be a great evening for all involved (not to mention a shopping opportunity!)

While I obviously can’t reveal any details regarding the beads themselves, I will say that they’re absolutely lovely and a real treat for *Redbalifrog* collectors. With just under a week until their official unveiling, there isn’t long to wait and it gives me time to attempt to take some photographs that hopefully do them justice. I’ll be publishing the article as soon as the beads are unveiled at Heidi’s online store.

May

Looking ahead to May (which is actually just a little over two weeks away thanks to the Easter break) there should be another *Redbalifrog* release to anticipate. There’s no date for this yet and while I’ve now seen the beads in this release I can’t disclose any details. Suffice to say that once again, this is truly a release to be excited about! If you’re a fan of another brand, now is a perfect time to consider adding some *Redbalifrog* to your collection as the recent releases have all been amazing. The beads fit both Pandora and Troll chains so they’ll compliment either brand though their styling is arguably closer to Trollbead’s own.

Image Courtesy of *Redbalifrog*

June

June is going to be an expensive month for me as we’re expecting two Pandora releases. First come those luscious animal print muranos that captivated collectors when they were first leaked in March. I’m looking forward to these for a couple of reasons. I love animal prints. They’ve been a staple and recurring element of fashion for many years now and particularly in accessories, they can add a real “pop” to a neutral outfit. Traditionally, Pandora have been slightly overlooked in regards to their glass charms I think. When I first began collecting (many years ago), their glass was very simple in comparison with Trollbeads’ range. The patterns were slightly repetitive and they stuck fiercely to pastel colours. For fans of glass beads, Trollbeads were the real “go to” brand. Over the last year or so, Pandora’s glass has leaped forward. They’re attempting bolder products both in terms of the patterns and designs and the colours employed.

Animal prints aren’t unheard of it the bead world. Indeed Troll have many in their back catalogue and some in their current range. Perhaps the most iconic of these is the tiger. I’d argue that this bead is one of the most coveted retired beads out there. While the original designer, Kathy Perras, is now remaking these beads (and I’d just like to state clearly – they are *amazing* – they’re also the tigers that feature in any of my photographs), many collectors still yearn for an original “Troll” tiger.

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There were actually two incarnations of the Trollbead’s Tiger; the Siberian Tiger designed by Kathy Perras featured a solid black core.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads Universe

The newer Tiger then did a very brief stint in the collection, designed by Lise Aagaard it was released in 2005 and retired just one year later in 2006. This variation featured the Tiger markings right from core to surface.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads Universe

Allegedly, the reason the Tiger was retired came down to manufacturing issues. I’ve since heard Kathy Perras mention that the sheer number of layers of glass required to produce the pattern is far higher than with most glass beads. Indeed this is apparently the reason that she manufactures her Tigers on a larger core. With such obvious difficulty surrounding this pattern, I’m fascinated to see how Pandora’s version will turn out.

Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Aside from two tiger patterns (shown above), Pandora are also releasing two giraffe patterns, two leopard spot patterns (shown below), one zebra print (shown below) and two python patterns (shown below).

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Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

The giraffe muranos are closest, in my opinion, to Troll’s retired python glass and arguably the closest I will ever come to a retired silver python.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads Universe

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In total there are a total of nine new muranos in this release and I’m quite sure I’m going to covet them all. Tentatively speaking, these should be released in June and a number of retailers have been kind enough to confirm that they will see both Danish and American releases. (I’m going to assume that if Denmark receives them, most of Europe should.)

In addition to the animal print muranos, June should see the arrival of Pandora’s new “destination” charms. Whisperings of these charms have been making their way around the Pandora community for around a month now. Last week finally saw retail confirmation of their existence and shortly after, pictures were obtained by a collector. Obviously these aren’t stock photographs and as such their quality isn’t great but who cares! It cements them as more than rumour and gives us an idea of the design.

Image Courtesy of Charms Addict

I adore these charms. As someone who actually hoped Trollbead’s would produce some more cliched representations in the world tour (though I think I’m one of few wishing this), I was just delighted to see a “Big Ben” charm honouring my home country. I’m also a fan of “dangle style” charms so these suit me perfectly. I’ll admit that I’m somewhat relieved too as I was pondering how Pandora were going to tackle such intricate building designs around a chain (and avoid the dreaded issue of the charm flipping upside down or sideways on due to weight issues.)

Once again, their release date is tentative until Pandora confirm anything themselves but they should arrive in June. There’s been no word regarding their availability though an online retailer seemed confident that they’d receive the full set. This at least implies they won’t be exclusive to certain countries (such as the Trollbead’s world tour.)

In Troll news, June should see many retailers stocking the Trollbead’s world tour collections. It was always Troll’s plan to allow individual retailers to order all the world tour sets in a limited window of opportunity. While the world tour was in full flow, they could only be obtained from their represented country. While most collectors could still obtain the beads via online stores, it wasn’t possible to physically view them before ordering. Many prefer to see before buying, particularly where glass is concerned. Unfortunately, this offer isn’t going to be a permanent fixture. Retailers have only been able to order the world tour beads for a short duration of time which will probably result in stocks being quite limited in your local stores. (Simply put, once they’re sold, there are no reorders.) I’d encourage anyone interested in seeing these beads to speak to their retailers as soon as possible to ensure they make enquiries with Trollbeads to order the appropriate sets. (I was originally told that this offer was only available to higher ranking retailers so please keep this in mind.)

The world tour collections were always marked as “limited editions”. It was never really elaborated as to whether they were limited in the sense of only being available in their representing countries or whether they’d only be available for a certain duration of time. After their more widespread release this summer, it’s not known whether they will be withdrawn entirely or continue to be available from their representative countries.

July

July… the height of summer and a very exciting time for sports lovers as it marks the start of the 2012 Olympic games in London. To commemorate this, Pandora are releasing a set of UK themed charms. There are three in total; two silvers and one murano. The murano boasts the familiar swirl pattern in patriotic red, white and blue to represent the Union Jack (though indeed, this could appeal to many other countries.)

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Of the two silvers, one is a miniature double decker bus, so familiar on the streets of London. This charm bears a Union Jack in enamel detailing on it’s roof.

Image Courtesy of Pandora

The second silver is an commemorative dangle in the style of an Olympic medal. This has a Union Jack pattern etched into it’s surface.

Image Courtesy of Pandora

Of the three, the latter dangle is limited edition. There’s been no news on how it is limited yet though I’d suspect that it will only be available for a small period of time to mark the Olympic games. In regards to wider availability, Pandora confirmed that these charms wouldn’t be restricted to the UK but their availability in different markets would vary.

Indeed Danish store Perlen recently received a very early delivery of the murano charms. Unfortunately they sold out incredibly fast but I did manage to snag two for a full product review. You can read that here.

August

August brings with it the release of the Trollbead’s People’s Bead 2012. This year’s format has been slightly different to previous competitions in that they were searching for more than one winner. The competition had the broad theme of spirituality and the winning beads would comprise a mini release in August.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Obviously the winning entries have been kept under wraps and the designers concerned subject to a no disclosure agreement. The release for this collection should be the third of August.

Tentatively speaking, August usually brings the Trollbead’s autumn collection. It’s possible that they may move this to September to avoid a clash of releases but honestly with how frequently they pump out new products, it would not surprise me to see the People’s Bead 2012 collection released at the beginning of August and the fall collection at the end of.

While the rumours regarding these charms have been floating around for a few weeks, last week I managed to gain confirmation that this collection was indeed something more than fictitious. Indeed tentative release date of June has been offered for the entire collection.

Since then everyone has been eagerly awaiting the first pictures of these charms to emerge and yesterday, the lovely ladies at Charms Addict managed to obtain them.

The picture isn’t a stock photograph so obviously the quality is far lower. Unfortunately the picture is incomplete and lacks the Brandenburg Gate charm. Never the less, it gives us a good idea of what to expect.

Image Courtesy of Charms Addict

The first obvious aspect of this collection is that all the charms are dangles. While this is unfortunate for people who prefer bead style charms (those that sit around a chain), it does allow them to focus on reproducing the building rather than be concerned about building it around a bracelet. In addition, it completely solves any problems with the charms sitting oddly. To make a charm stay upright on a bracelet can create interesting dilemmas for the designer. By creating this collection as dangles, that problem is removed and they can focus on the details.

I must admit I’m still very excited by this release. At the moment, June is looking to be a fabulous (and expensive) month for many collectors with both these destination charms and the animal print muranos set to see their release.

There is still no word on pricing or specific availability for these charms. It does seem likely that Denmark is seeing a release of the full set however, which at least suggests they won’t be limited in any form. (I’d find it peculiar for these to be limited to certain markets and yet Denmark receive them.)

This rumour first began circulating on the Pandora Facebook page a few weeks ago. Initially I thought that perhaps the posters were mistaken and had spotted pictures of charms from a different brand. Never the less the talk persisted and today I contacted a couple of authorized retailers in an effort to discover whether there was anything more substantial to the rumours.

This led to confirmation of the existence of this collection of charms. Furthermore they gave a tentative release date and details of what to expect.

Regular visitors to Pandora’s Facebook page may have seen these discussions centralised around an Eiffel Tower “dangle” style charm. According to the retailer the full collection will consist of the following charms:-

• The Eiffel Tower
• The Colosseum
• The Statue of Liberty
• Big Ben
• The Brandenburg Gate
• La Sagrada Familia

That sees the cities of Paris, Rome, New York, London, Berlin and Barcelona represented.

Obviously it’s not the first time that landmarks and indeed countries have been represented by a charm company. Indeed Trollbead’s world tour collection has only recently come to a close with the Australian stop reportedly the final release of beads. Pandora has such a different style however that I’m incredibly excited by this news and I suspect the majority of collectors will be (regardless of whether they collect both brands or not.)

When the Trollbead’s UK world tour was first announced, I’ll admit that a part of me longed to see a miniature Big Ben. I’m quite sure I was in the minority here however with many Troll collectors favouring more subtle representations. The Troll UK collection indeed did skip such an overt symbol of the UK, instead opting for Love Spoons, Celtic Kilt, English Tea Party and UK Colours. I can barely contain my delight at the news that a Big Ben is indeed in the pipelines. (Trollbeads UK world tour collection pictured below.)

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Pandora have traditionally stuck quite closely to two main releases per year; one for spring and summer and one for autumn and winter. While they’ve produced numerous charity charms, they haven’t deviated hugely from this pattern. So far 2012 has brought us the wonderful Floral Nostalgia and we’re eagerly awaiting the complete launch of the UK themed charms, the animal print muranos and now the “destination” collection.

There are no pictures available of this collection yet but they should arrive during June. I’ll admit that I’m slightly shocked about this potential release date as already the animal print muranos are slated for a June release with the UK themed beads then launching in July. It potentially means a very busy and exciting summer for Pandora collectors.

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Obviously at this stage any availability is purely speculative.

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Earlier in the month, an error on the UK version of Pandora’s official website saw images of unreleased murano charms published to the world. As discussions regarding these charms hit Facebook, Pandora were soon alerted to the error and the images were pulled. While Pandora have never addressed this mistake formally, the images have been available to collector’s for some time via this blog and our lovely friends over at Charms Addict.

Today has seen another snippet of news.

Image Courtesy of Charms Addict

The above image was anonymously emailed to Charm’s Addict. It’s a screenshot of the Pandora mobile application clearly displaying Joyful with a £60.00 retail price. While both myself and the lovely ladies at Charm’s Addict rushed to check Pandora’s UK website, no trace of the bead / charm can be found there at present.

Having discussed this at length with Charm’s Addict, we have reached the joint conclusion that Pandora and Trollbead’s are testing the water for some kind of joint release. As many Troll collectors know, Trollbeads began producing their iconic glass beads with a larger, “universal” core last year. Since then a number of glass beads have seen a launch with this universal core, aimed at attracting collector’s from other brands – specifically Pandora. Joyful’s design fits perfectly with Pandora’s newly released Floral Nostalgia making it the perfect choice for such a test project.

Our personal guess is that this bead / charm will be marketed as a “limited edition” to fit Trollbead’s current business model. Quite how limited this will be is open to speculation particularly considering Pandora’s larger customer base.

From the image above we sadly can’t glimpse the bead’s hallmark. The original, retired version of Joyful had no hallmark. The current limited edition (small cored) version that was released in the UK and Denmark during March boasts Trollbead’s hallmark of LAA. We’re speculating that this “newer”, larger cored Joyful will display LAA ALE to distinguish it as a joint Pandora-Troll venture!

Both myself and Charms Addict are working hard to secure any firm details regarding this highly secretive collaboration between Trollbeads and Pandora and as soon as we have any further details, they will be published.

When images of Floral Nostaliga were still being leaked at the start of the year, rumours began to arise regarding a release of UK themed charms. Pandora took a fantastic decision and both confirmed their existence and published the official stock photographs.

2012 is a fabulous year for the UK. London is hosting the Olympics and the Queen is celebrating her jubilee. If Pandora were ever waiting on an opportunity to produce UK themed charms, this is the perfect year.

The UK collection consists of three charms; two silver and one murano. The first silver is a terribly cute double decker bus, representing the iconic London tourist transport. It’s roof proudly displays a Union Jack in enamel detail. The second silver is a dangle style charm with a Union Jack inscribed. The design is somewhat reminiscent of an Olympic medal. Finally the murano is in red, white and blue for the Union Jack. The pattern is a familiar Pandora swirl style.

Image Courtesy of Pandora

Image Courtesy of Pandora

Image Courtesy of Pandora

Of the three, the Union Jack dangle is limited edition. Pandora haven’t yet elaborated on what constitutes limited in this case. I suspect it will only be available for a specific period of time, particularly as this seems so commemorative of the London Olympics.

Pandora confirmed that the charms wouldn’t be exclusive to the UK, however they also expanded on this stating that their availability in different markets would vary. It was very welcome news that they’d not be limited to the UK market as retailers there aren’t allowed to ship outside of the UK.

We haven’t been given a specific release date for these charms but most retailers are expecting their stock to arrive in July – presumably to correspond with the start of the Olympics.

On Tuesday, Danish store Perlen announced that they’d received stocks of the red, white and blue swirl murano. I couldn’t help but grab two of these. As an ex-pat, I sporadically experience bouts of home sickness and UK themed charms were an absolute must for me. I must admit that from the moment I saw the stock photographs, I had begun wondering what I’d do with the charms. While I loved the murano instantly, the colours aren’t the easiest to wear. Most of my Pandora collection consists quite soft, pastel shades. I have one pale pink and silver bracelet, one pale blue winter themed bracelet and one silver contrast bracelet (a mix of rhodium plated bracelet and charms and high polished silver.) This concern is what led me to buy two of the muranos. (Admittedly the price helped considering I got both and posting for less than I would have paid for a Trollbead’s limited edition Christmas light Easter pendant.)

The charms arrived on Wednesday (living just twenty minutes away from Perlen has distinct advantages.)

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I actually blogged about the charms when Perlen first received stock, hoping to alert any readers to the fact that they’d arrived. Unfortunately, before I could even hit the publish button, they’d sold out. Perlen have since confirmed that the delivery was a complete surprise to them and they aren’t expecting more until June. (This potentially puts June at an expensive shopping month for me with more of these arriving and the new animal print muranos hopefully hitting the shelves.)

The first thing to note about these charms is their size. They’re really quite large. Obviously muranos always differ a little due to being hand made but mine are both on the large size.

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The first picture above shows the charms with a Trollbead’s universal unique armadillo. The second picture shows the charms with two older Pandora muranos to give an idea of the size. They really are quite large.

The cores are clearly stamped and with Pandora these are always easy to distinguish due to their larger core.

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A burning question for me from their announcement was regarding the colours. Red is a seemingly mythical colour in the glass charm world. I’m not a glass worker so I have absolutely no idea why it’s so difficult to make glass charms or beads in a true red colour. I have heard the reason the original Trollbeads Red Armadillo was retired was due to a difficulty in producing the colour. Since then, you don’t see true reds in the Troll collection. They’re either orange or pinks. Unfortunately, this problem plagued the Trollbead’s UK World Tour collection. As with all world tour stops, one of the beads was glass and coloured to represent the Union Jack. While the idea is great the reality was a little off. The red in the bead was more of a dark orange and it really negatively effects the look of the bead.

Due to the patterning of this charm, relatively small “chunks” of red are used. I suspect this means it’s slightly more forgiving in regards to the shade. That said, the red is close to a true red. I unsuccessfully looked for a red piece of paper or book cover; something to allow me to photograph the bead against to give an accurate idea of the shading. Alas I couldn’t really find anything.

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If you compared it to a letter box (or indeed a double decker London bus), then you’d see the hint of orange in the colour but it’s very subtle. It’s by far the best red colouring I’ve seen on a glass charm in a long time.

A while ago I did a red, white and blue themed bracelet to celebrate the release of Trollbead’s limited edition RAF charity bead. The result was a very bold bracelet that left me feeling like I’d tied a Union Jack around my wrist.

When putting together a bracelet for this article however, there was really only one way to go. These charms are in celebration of my home country during a fantastic year for it.

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The above bracelet utilises a real mix of glass from Trollbeads, *Redbalifrog* and Pandora. The two matte white beads are *Redbalifrog’s* White Coral from the Easter release. As I said in their review, they’re so useful! In addition to the two red, white and blue Pandora Swirls is the Trollbead’s RAF charity bead. Since ordering this bead, it’s had next to no wear but the colours were so appropriate for this bracelet and it was produced to support a fabulous UK charity. The smiley’s inclusion is simply because it does always make me smile. They’re fun beads and this is most definitely more of a fun bracelet that a fashionable one!

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The whole combination is, predictably, very eye catching. It’s not a bracelet you’d ever want to wear to a formal event but for casual weekend wear (and jeans), it can work. I’ll admit that I consider my fair skin tone an advantage when it comes to actually wearing reds (those with a lot of pink colouring in their skin tone may find these more difficult.)

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In regards to a more muted creation, I’m really liking “mini bracelets” at the moment. Just a few charms on a bracelet can look lovely and more casual, particularly if bright colours are involved. I’ll admit I far prefer this type of bracelet with Pandora because their threaded system allows you to gather the charms together in the centre. For this bracelet I used the *Redbalifrog* White Coral beads, Pandoras new UK themed muranos and three of their silvers that remind me of home; a Teapot, a Four Leaf Clover and the duo-toned I Love You cube.

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Admittedly, I’d be inclined to buy two matching clips if this bracelet was to become a permanent feature.

Conclusion

I really love these charms. Their colour is close enough to a true red for me to be happy. They’re incredibly vibrant and a fabulous first representation of the UK. I do think the smaller amounts of red used in this charm compared to the Trollbead’s UK glass make for the slight orange colouring to be less noticeable. In honesty I would have liked to compare the two side by side but I never indulged in the Trollbead’s UK world tour glass. Perhaps over summer I’ll try and grab one to give a more fair evaluation of the two (or just to further indulge my own patriotic spirit.)

They aren’t the easiest charms to use in combinations. This isn’t a criticism of the actual murano, more a word of warning regarding the colour combination. I mentioned earlier that those with a lot of pink in their skin tone will find the reds harder to wear and I stand by this. I must admit I’d actually like to acquire another two of these charms. That would allow me to create an entire bracelet out of Pandora silvers and these glass charms. Unfortunately, it appears that I’m going to have to wait until June or July to lay my hands on any more.

The price of these glass charms were incredibly reasonable and in regards to value for money, I absolutely can’t criticise.

As with Floral Nostalgia, I have only one real criticism and that’s regarding the release. I’m a huge fan of worldwide release dates. Floral Nostalgia has seen a very staggered release. A couple of concept stores received their stock back in February. European stores started to receive stock during early March but only of about fifty percent of the entire collection. In this regard I far prefer how Trollbeads and *Redbalifrog* handle their new launches. We have one date, the retailers should have their stock and they launch worldwide.

Pandora themselves announced these charms would be available during the summer. Perlen received a surprise delivery and while this was great for me, it’s months before their launch

For Trollbeads collectors it is worth noting that the larger Pandora core does mean they fit the Troll chains (as my pictures testify.) In regards to ordering information, the UK retailer Steffan’s were originally taking preorders on all three charms with estimated shipping of July. They’ve since removed these listings and I’ve been unable to find anywhere else offering preorders. As soon as the stores begin to receive stock, I’ll of course publish the details.

I absolutely can’t wait for the remaining two charms from this set to be released. The bus is very cute and while it won’t appeal to all tastes, others will adore it. The Union Jack dangle is one I foresee being incredibly sought after in years to come for it’s commemorative value..

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It’s a little before midnight in Denmark and that marks the official launch day of Trollbead’s latest limited edition collection. In celebration of Easter, they bring us nine new themed pendants just in time for the holidays.

Image Courtesy of Trollbeads

Regular readers will already have seen a stock photograph and a number of individual images that have been published by two Danish retailers. For the benefit of those who haven’t, here are the details on this latest release.

These beads are described as pendants but should work perfectly fine on bracelets. Their fastening or hoop is of universal size allowing them to fit other bracelet brands – including Pandora. This isn’t any great surprise as Trollbeads have continued to slowly release existing glass beads with a universal core.

They’re sold either individually or in sets of three and are priced at 63 EUR (470 DKK / £53.00) and 189 EUR (1,405 DKK / £158.00) respectively. The decision to split kits is at the discretion of the individual retailer so it might be worth shopping around if you want a specific pendant. It’s also worth noting that according to Baden Baden, the pendant colours in the sets are random.

It’s worth noting that they are limited edition but as is often the case with Trollbeads, there is no elaboration on how they’re “limited”. I’m quite sure you’ll see these around for a while so I highly doubt there’s any need to rush for them.

I’ll admit that I’m still not entirely sure how many of these there are. Diamonds4ever have ten different pendants listed. Four are green (lime green, green with blue spots, green with green spots and green with pale green / cream spots). Three are pink (one very pale, two a deeper rose colour). Two are purple (one with blue spots, one with cream spots). The final pendant is a very pale blue.

Pendant Photographs Courtesy of Diamonds4ever - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Photographs Courtesy of Diamonds4ever - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Photographs Courtesy of Diamonds4ever - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Image Courtesy of Diamonds4ever

By contrast Perlen have eight different pendants listed. Three of their listings are green (one lime, two grass green – with blue spots and one with green spots). Two are pinks (one very pale and one rose). Two are purple (one with cream spots and one with blue) and the final bead is the beautiful pale blue again.

Baden Baden have listed theirs this evening and they have five different colours available; one purple, one lime, one pink, one blue and one green. They don’t appear to have differentiated between the different coloured spots on the surface.

I’ll update tomorrow as soon as Trollbead’s themselves publish the launch information for these pendants. I suspect that Diamonds4ever and Perlen have differentiated between the colours more to ensure they don’t get unhappy customers who assumed they were getting a certain colour combination. It’s worth keeping the colour combinations in mind if you’re ordering online. If you’re wanting a specific combination, be sure to inform the retailer.

Ordering Information

Two Danish stores began selling these pendants at the weekend; Diamonds4ever and Perlen Odense.

It’s worth noting that Diamonds4ever have extended their usual glass offer to these pendants; if you buy six, you only pay for five.

Online UK retailer Steffan’s are also launching these at midnight UK time.

Baden-baden have now listed their pendants and in addition to being available individually, they’re also selling the sets of three.

My Thoughts

I’ve been torn on these from the very beginning. I’ll admit that I was relieved to see they didn’t bear any floral patterning but I still find them very feminine and perhaps too much so for my personal taste. When I began considering whether to buy one (or a few) I was musing whether I’d only wear them during the Easter period. I came to the conclusion that I was concerned they’d see limited use. By comparison, the *Redbalifrog* Easter beads are never off my wrist. I actually like “dangle” style beads and charms though. They add an interest to a bracelet for me and I actually can’t wait to see pictures of these utilised on bracelets.

The second point I’d like to make is that these aren’t cheap. The silver used in the hoop fastening is very minimum and I do think they’re a tad on the expensive side if you want to indulge in a full set of three. I also believe that they would look better on a bracelet where more than one is used and this did bias my decision to initially skip this collection.

A lovely lady on Facebook mentioned that a retailer had described them as looking like Christmas lights. I can actually see this. I think it’s because while they’re egg shaped, they effectively hang upside down. (Imagine them strung together on a black leather necklace and the point is very valid!)

I think these pendants will have fans very much split on opinion. They’re not terribly “Troll-esque” I don’t feel and perhaps this will leave some of the more traditionalists less inclined to buy them.

I’ve always said however that I don’t believe Trollbead’s stock photographs do them any favours. There have been many occasions where I’ve dismissed a bead online only to see physically see it and “need” it later. I’m not going to say never on these and perhaps when pictures begin to emerge of them dangling from bracelets my opinion will swiftly change. Alternatively I’ll wander into a local store at the weekend and fall in love with them. Ironically, I’m most attracted to them for a Pandora bracelet rather than a Troll bracelet.

With this collection now having launched, I’m going to try and squeeze out an Easter inspired article before next weekend. As a side note, if any readers do purchase these pendants and would be willing to show me the photographs (either privately or for publishing here), I’d love to see them. My email is endangeredtrolls(at)gmail.com.

Back in January, Pandora launched two limited edition charms in celebration of the Chinese New Year. In regards to their “limited” status, they were only available in Asian markets with no online stores offering shipping outside of the area. In order to obtain these collector’s either needed to turn to resellers or locate a facilitator willing to go and physically collect the charms for them. These charms proved hugely popular and sold out very quickly.

Image Courtesy of Pandora

I loved these charms from the moment I saw them but I also viewed them from the perspective that I’d not be adding them to my collection. Last month, the lovely ladies over at Charms Addict asked if I was searching for a set, stating that they might be able to secure them for me. I jumped at the opportunity naturally. On first glance, I was more attracted to the Dragon dangle but the prices were very reasonable and I suspected that I’d regret a wasted chance if I only snagged one of the two charms. The wait was painful. I had a sinking feeling that they’d still be sold out but the worry was for nothing as these charms finally dropped through the mailbox last week. They’re very well traveled, having been purchased in Hong Kong, flown back to America and then forwarded to a chilly Denmark.

In hindsight I’m so happy that I did order both charms as I love the Hong Bao charm far more than I expected.

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The Hong Bao charm is identical in design to the existing collection’s Money Bag charm (pictured below.) Rather than engraved with the dollar sign, it’s replaced by “福” or fu; meaning good fortune in Chinese.

Image Courtesy of Pandora

The Dragon dangle is symbolic of this, the year of the dragon. It’s obviously a more Chinese styled dragon than we’re often used to in Europe but this merely adds more to the distinctly Asian feel of these adorable charms.

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Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

The above pictures show the top of the Hong Bao charm, as I mentioned it’s identical to the existing Money Bag charm in this respect also. The hallmark for this charm is found close to the base, as seen below.

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The Dragon dangle is quite delicate feeling and subtle in it’s design. Never the less, it’s easy to ascertain the dragon design and as many readers will already know, I love dangle charms.

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I put both of the charms on my newest bracelet; an oxidised silver chain. I’m really appreciating the monochromatic look created by excluding murano glass from my bracelets at the moment. When using very heavily textured beads or those boasting metallic contrasts, I like their simplicity and think the result is raw and edgy. At the moment this bracelet is housing a couple of textured and contemporary charms from Nostalgic Rock in addition to the Danish charity feather charm. (For reference, the length of the Dragon dangle is near identical to the length of the Danish charity feather so these two compliment each other perfectly when draped down a wrist.)

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About a month ago I stumbled across the entire range of retired Pandora Chinese Zodiac charms at a very low sale price. At the time I walked away, mentally citing that I needed to budget for Floral Nostalgia’s launch. Since receiving the limited edition Chinese New Year charms, I’m more tempted to return and grab a few and perhaps create an Asian inspired bracelet. I may in the future add a couple of black glass muranos to this combination, but my primary aim is to keep it monochrome and heavily textured. (There’s still several Nostalgic Rock charms I want that will look perfect on this bracelet.)

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In summary, I coveted these charms when I first saw their stock photographs and they haven’t disappointed at all. Yes, some could argue that the Hong Bao is a recycled design merely boasting different engraving and a “limited” status but still it feels appropriate for the Chinese New Year celebration. The Dragon dangle might not be appreciated by those who prefer a more fantastical representation rather than a more Asian serpent-esque dragon but once again, when examined in context it’s appropriate for the celebration. The purchase price for the charms came to a little over 700 DKK ($124) putting them at a very reasonable price point in my opinion.

All that’s left is to extend my thanks to Lise and Leann over at Charm’s Addict for helping me with these two adorable charms!

Pandora have been working on their main website (Pandora.net) for the last few days. Images of Floral Nostalgia have been popping up on the UK’s site despite the fact it hasn’t officially launched. Earlier today I was grabbing a stock photograph for another article and noticed quite a few retired pictures showing. As I began exploring it became apparent that a lot of retired, limited edition and unknown charms were showing on the UK page.

I wasn’t the only one to notice this as Pandora’s Facebook page promptly erupted with questions regarding these charms.

The main focus of these discussions were centred around a set of animal print murano glass charms.

Once fans began discussing the charms on Pandora’s Facebook page, the moderators quickly began deleting the posts. They also rectified the issue on Pandora.net very quickly and the charms all vanished.

First were two giraffe print muranos – one in a conventional brown and cream and the second in a black and grey combination.

Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

The next were two leopard print muranos ranging from quite earthy neutral colours to purple and blue tones.

Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Next up were two python print muranos, one in blue and purple tones, the second in yellow and cream.

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Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Two tiger prints came in a traditional black and yellow and a more overt orange and white.

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Image Courtesy of Pandora - Please Do Not Reproduce Without Crediting

Completing the collection came a black and white zebra print murano.

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These glass beads were featured at the very top of the UK charms page, right before the new Floral Nostalgia charms. I can’t imagine that they’re part of the spring collection as they would have been leaked by now. There’s no information yet available as to when these charms will launch or which markets will receive them.

One thing is for sure; these are hot! I’m delighted to see some animal print glass launch from Pandora. Many collector’s have been begging for these for years and it seems their pleas have been heard.