Originally designed by Danish
silversmith Søren Nielsen in Denmark in 1976, Trollbeads are quirky,
interchangeable charms that can be strung together on a chain. Since
their creation they have grown into a global brand with a reputation
for creativity, innovation and beauty. This article explores the
history of these fascinating pieces and their popularity today.
Originally the beads were only sold in
Søren’s father’s jewellery shop in Copenhagen. Søren’s sister
Lise later opened a second store in Lyngby in 1987. It was in the 80s
that Trollbeads first released a chain with a removable lock,
allowing customers to play around with different bead combinations
for the first time. Lise Aagaard introduced glass beads to the
collection in the 90s. Typical pieces can include silver, 18ct gold,
pearl, precious and semi-precious stones and glass. The most popular
beads are made from Italian glass, using a technique called
lampworking, flameworking or torchworking, where glass is melted with
a torch or lamp. Once molten, the glass is formed by blowing and
shaping.
Until the 1990s Trollbeads could only
be found in the family jewellery shops in Copenhagen and Lyngby, but
then Lise Aagaard starting distributing the jewellery all over the
world. By the year 2000 the first competitive imitators started
surfacing, so customers began paying more attention to
Trollbeads-approved distributors, to ensure that they received the
real thing.
Every Trollbead is designed in Denmark
and hand finished, supervised by Lise. It means that every piece of
Trollbead jewellery is unique even before it has been customised by
customers who enjoy mixing and matching beads from different pieces.
The designs are inspired by mythology,
nature, astrology and history. You can find all sorts of bead
designs, including snakes, snails, feathers and abstract designs,
offering the opportunity to build a piece of jewellery which is
perfectly tailored to someone’s personality or interests. In
Denmark a troll isn’t a small plastic doll with long pink hair. No,
in Danish folklore trolls are cute forest dwellers who play tricks on
humans, stealing and hiding items, so some of the most popular
Trollbeads will feature beads which are designed to represent these
mythical creatures.
The secret to the success of
Trollbeads?
It’s hard to say, but innovation, experimentation, creativity,
warmth and intimacy all help to make the brand what it is today. They
have consistently set jewellery trends instead of aping them, and
this may be due to the fact that they allow their designers time to
come up with fresh, innovative designs that capture the imaginations
of jewellery buyers around the world.
AlanCairns writes on several subjects including
jewellery design and metalwork.
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