Trollbead Necklaces - Fantasy Necklace (Pearl)

Ironically, just before I bought my Fantasy Necklace (FN) I'd been having a conversation with a troll friend about how I liked the idea of a FN, but there wasn't one currently I wanted, as I'd only ever seen one combination that I've gone "Oh Wow!" about.

So what are Fantasy Necklaces?  Essentially they are a single unbroken chain that you loop over your head in one piece with a dangle permanently attached.

They come in different lengths and also have different dangles, currently you can get pearl (above), onyx or fairy with wings.  There was a limited edition version with an amethyst which is gorgeous, and you can also get the pearl one in gold too.  You add beads by threading the double loop of the chain through the core so they just fall down to sit above the dangle like so...

I loved the idea of this style of necklace but what had held me back was the choice of dangles.  I was worried that this would limit the combos, as you always have the dangle there.  In essence my opinion on this hasn't changed, I would really love to see a FN with a sculptural silver dangle that is more adaptable to different designs.

I've seen some lovely artisan versions of this necklace, indeed one with a silver dangle (shaped like a sideways trollbead, but that wasn't what I meant by sculptural) and one with an amber one in the shape of a slightly closed flower with the silver casing shaped like the receptacle (which was lovely), but still I've not seen the perfect one for me!

So why, at this point, you might be wondering, did I buy one and with a pearl on? The most unlikely dangle if I was ever to purchase a FN?  Guess what... the price was too good to pass up on!  I was also thinking about Trolltree left stranded in my bead box, but mostly I bought this to experiment with and if it worked, I'd keep it, and if it didn't, I'd sell it on to another collector.

My necklace is 120cm and this is the longest you can get them in, it's very long!!  I wanted a long one as I like having the opportunity to do more with it, and in talking to fellow troll friends who have them, those who have gone shorter wish they had gone longer... conversely I can see the appeal of having a short shorter one too so you don't have to use a splitter bead and a lock...

A splitter is essentially a bead with 3 (or more) holes, like the Elderflower bead above, you divide your FN in 2, by placing it sideways either side of your dangle so you have 2 looped strands to the left and right.  You place both loops up the central hole and pull one out the left hand side hole and one out the right hand side hole and you end up with the arrangement shown above.  You can get other splitter beads and some of the normal silvers will allow you to use them as a splitter if you have more than one hole.

Essentially a splitter allows you to shorten or lengthen your necklace to suit your design (and your body as this allows you to choose where you wish the necklace to "sit").  In order to be able to wear your FN with a splitter you attach a double ended lock to each loop, as shown below.

So what did I choose for my necklace design... just 4 beads including of course the very lovely Trolltree!

I have decided to keep my FN with pearl, I often wear black tops and this design showcases really well next to black.  It's a definite statement necklace and Trolltree works so well with it.  I was lucky to find a HUGE lake eye to sit at the bottom of the tree, it's so big it's the same size as the trollbeads faceted gemstones!  The normal sized lake eye sits within the Trolltree branches.

The bead sitting directly above the pearl dangle is called Pure Passion, another sales bargain this is a triangular bead with 2 pearls and a garnet that rotate on their spindles.  Much like the FN it was a bead I hadn't originally considered, but the price was great and I thought I would sell on if I didn't get on with it... guess what else I'm keeping!

For more ideas on different ways to wear a Fantasy Necklace

you can click this link for the official Trollbeads Guide.