I soon found out more about them. The Danish company was the
first to make the now very popular bracelets where you put together your own
unique collection to match your own style and the story you want to tell. Even
now when there are so many variants on the theme, Trollbeads still hold a
special charm for me.
The Beauty of Trollbeads
First of all - the name. Troll means troll in Danish too,
but it also means magic; a bit like the word fairy in English. And they do so
much to provide a story for each bead, often based on legends and fairytale,
which is just right up my alley. This is where I draw my own inspiration from,
whether I draw, write or design. I just love the troll faces, the dragons, the
phoenix, the Midgard serpent.
I started collecting my favourites, and put them on leather
rather than the silver chains. I love precious metals mixed with leather and
cord. I think it takes gold down from a lofty status symbol to a personal
little treasure, glowing warmly. This started my love of odd combinations and
surprising mixes.
Trollbeads have a huge loyal following as seen in the
Trollbeads Universe. Here they regularly add competitions and the one that
caught my interest was The People’s Beads. They were asking the fans to design
their own beads. Here was a chance to make that bracelet even more unique. One
of my own beads! I was hooked and entered several times. I didn’t win first
place, but I did come in the first 100 and got a bracelet with the winning bead
:o)
Since then I have veered more and more towards unique
jewellery, made by hand. I think handmade tells better stories. Imperfections
and irregularities caused by the human hand give the pieces individuality even
when the designer makes 20 of the same design.
The start of Nanfan Jewellery
I haven’t looked back since. I create mostly from base
metals. Yes, it is cheaper to buy materials, but brass, bronze and copper have
beautiful shades that you just don’t get with silver and gold. The colour and
character of the material becomes the important bit, not the value or rarity.
And the kick I got from winning the bracelet is nothing to
the one I get when people buying my jewellery and wear and care for it.
Thank you Trollbeads :o)
