Well I could hardly let T pass without choosing Trollbeads; after all I am The Trollbead Troll @TrollbeadBlog on Twitter.
The inspiration for the "on my travels" part happened quite by chance; thanks to a random Tweet on Twitter and finding myself with a spare 90 minutes in another country (Wales).
So what can one do with a spare 90 minutes? Check Twitter & notice that Paul Gentile Jewellers in Cwmbran are holding a Trollbeads Event to launch the new collection. Interesting things were being hinted at and somebody mentioned a goodie bag with purchase... always the curious one I set off in search of Trollbeads!
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| Trollbeads Counter Display at Paul Gentile Jewellers in Cwmbran, South Wales |
In another twist of fate I almost met one of my lovely readers who happened to be heading the same way at the same time; but alas slow facebook notifications meant it just wasn't meant to be (this time)!
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| Fantasy Necklace |
Greeted with a glass of Bucks Fizz and a Chocolate Cake there was plenty of time to have a look at some of the new arrivals...
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| New Limited Edition Emerald Fantasy Necklace with Cherry Blossom Splitter Bead |
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| Trollbeads on display |
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| Paul Gentile staff recreating the People's Bead 2014 postcard - fun things to do in a Trollbeads Shop! |
So my 90 mins was time well spent, and if you are ever passing Cwmbran the shop is well worth a visit. It was only my second visit here but there always seems to be a warm welcome - although I'm not sure you can have chocolate cakes and bucks fizz every time!
The big question, given all my talk of budgets earlier on in the challenge, was did anything catch my eye? Actually this time I was pretty strict with myself; I bought a small silver bead that was next on my list of beads to buy from the Spring Collection and as I was being good I put back another Glass Bead and a Moss Agate Stone and really did buy 1 bead ONLY.
I was also tempted by the Thomas Sabo Karma Beads as Abi had spotted my stack of the day...
...and thought they might appeal to me - she was right, but I am not going to start any new bracelet lines just yet as I attempt to reign in my spending a little bit. *Puts them on the "list" for later*
And my Goodie Bag? Was filled with red wine, chocolates, new product info, a bookmark and a polishing cloth - great use of 90 minutes!
I love when great timing allows you to participate in something you weren't expecting... any tales of co-incidence you have to share?
I've never heard the term trollbead before. What makes something a trollbead?
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew, thanks for stopping by!
DeleteTrollbeads are a Danish jewellery brand, family owned, they are the original charm bracelets where the technique was developed to put the bead ON the chain rather than permanently attached dangling from it from 1976. Now nearly all modern modular/charm jewellery employs this method.
"The Story
The story about the original and unique Trollbeads all started in Denmark in 1976. The first bead, which later gave name to the Trollbeads collection, was a small bead decorated with no less than 6 faces. It was designed by Søren Silversmith and sold from his father Svend's jewellery shop in central Copenhagen. The beads were created at a time where it was fashionable to have a silver bead hanging on a leather thong around the neck. But instead of letting the bead hang in an eyelet, Søren wanted to let the leather cord go through the bead. Later on, Søren's sister, Lise, began to put the beads on silver bracelets, one on each bracelet.
Lise opened another jewellery store and one day a customer asked to have an extra bead put on her bracelet. The storekeeper was surprised but followed the customer's wish. From then on, the adventure and Trollbeads movement started. In cooperation with the customers and according to their wishes, the collection grew. This was the invention and the beginning of an original jewellery concept that today is enjoyed worldwide."
I enjoy writing about lots of different jewellery but Trollbeads are a main passion of mine :) When doing the challenge I decided to keep my theme as just the normal blog fare of Curling Stones for Lego People!
Mars xx
I love the troll beads. There are lots of pretty colours and patterns...
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog.
Thanks Michelle, I'm a bit of a fan as you can probably tell, this was a great use of a spare(ish) 90 mins on a holiday :)
DeleteMars xx
Sounds like great fun. I can't think of anything better than chocolate cake and beads!
ReplyDeleteLiz at Bead Contagion
Yep and technically for breakfast too! Great weekend, ended up eating cake twice a day for the whole time so had to stop for cake on way back and then buy one so I could wean myself off gradually!
DeleteMars xx
Sounds like a great use of 90 mins, and what a goodie bag!
ReplyDeleteIt was genuinely a lovely 90 mins, I really enjoy chatting with people who like what they're doing, the staff have the right mix of leave you alone to look but be on hand to help when you're ready or if you need anything, that's a rare talent!
DeleteMars xx