Trollbeads Inspiration: A Blush of Gold

Rose & Gold is deeply feminine luxury…

Our second composition using Trollbeads’ golden Fantasy Necklace features a palette of delicate rose pink and rich gold.  It’s a honey sweet and decadent combination that feels like we are stepping into a Venetian fantasy…

Pink Venetian palazzos… tea roses… sunset prosecco… the gilded wing of a crumbling chapel ornament… the crisp rustle of metallic gold thread in raspberry silk… a honey scented mystery behind a gilded venetian mask… this is the fantasy.

A glimpse of gold between apricot tinted “Pink Prism” and the silver bubbles and gold ribbon of “Silver Trace, Gold”… it’s unexpected for those us us accustomed to seeing antiqued silver.  The golden light transforms the chemistry of the familiar colours.

The gold draws the element out of the bead designs – “Pink Desert”, “Golden Quartz”, “Golden Cave”, “Pink Prism” and “Pink Gold” all add their warm notes to the composition.

Here “Summer Dot” reflects the warm shimmer of its neighbours, and “Golden Cave” explodes in a fiery burst of molten rose gold.

Top to bottom:  “Pink Prism”, “Silver Trace, Gold”, “Large Berry”, “Pink Gold”, “Golden Cave”, “Summer Dot”, “Sun Circle”, “Golden Quartz”, “Pink Desert”, “Rose Quartz”.

Sigh…

and just like that, with the flutter of a gilded fan… exeunt.

C.

Trollbeads Inspiration: From Holland with Love (Goldflower)

This bracelet is truly fit for a queen!  It’s rich colour palette makes me think of the upcoming Koninginnedag celebrations in the Netherlands… this National Holiday is the official birthday celebration of Queen Beatrix, the reigning monarch of the Netherlands, but it also acts as a day to honour all things orange – a nod to the Royal family’s traditional title as heads of the house of Orange-Nassau.

The distinctly Dutch feel comes, of course from the deep orange bead that sings in this composition, but more than that, the brilliant blue, crisp white and unbelievable 18k gold give the overall design a royal mood.

Here, understated “Chai Bud” (retired) and a simple “Turquoise Ribbon” act as subtle foils for the warm gleam of an 18k gold “Lucky Knot”.  The smaller size of the glass “Turquoise Ribbon” is a good match for the knot, and the turquoise and ivory are wonderful together.

This glorious orange bead is not an everyday sight: it’s a retired “Striped Bud”, from 2005.  The orange and coral layers glow, and brilliantly complement the royal blue of “Blue Stripe”.  Golden “Hydrangea” is an effective and highly detailed contrast to the visually much simpler glass that frame it…

… not that the “Diamond Bead White” is really so simple!  Has it ever looked more spectacular than in this photo, surrounded by 18k gold “Forget-me-not” and 18k gold “Hydrangea”?  “Forget-me-not” is one of our perennial favorites, (pun fully intended!), but in gold it takes on a spectacular new appearance.

Clockwise from clasp:  “Large Flower Clasp”, “Silver Stopper”, “Blue Stripe”, “Striped Bud (retired)”, “18k gold Hydrangea”, “The Diamond Bead, White”, “18k gold Forget-me-not”, “Turquoise Stripe”, “18k gold Lucky Knot”, “Chai Bud (retired)”, “Universal Unique”, “Silver Stopper”.

Thank you to AV for her generous sharing of inspiration…

C.

Trollbeads Inspiration: Rose Gold

Of the group of spectacular gold bracelets we designed, this one must be my very favorite… The blush pink and the gold make such a harmonious combination… and there are so many beads in the Trollbeads collection that are simply perfect for this type of design.  Beads such as “Pink Desert”, “Pink Gold”, “Golden Cave” and “Rosa Pearl” are already among my favorite designs, and they sing when placed on a spectacular 18k gold chain.

18k gold “Hydrangea” is a delicate note on this design, quietly glowing from between “Pink Desert and “Golden Cave”.  Isn’t “Pink Desert” amazing when viewed from the side like this?  It’s an unexpected angle, but it’s always fun to see how the beads look from different directions – sometimes a new jewel is found for my Fantasy necklace!

An interesting note about “Golden Cave”… recently I have noticed a number of online retailers listing these lovelies for far more than recommended retail, saying that they are retired.  For the record, these beads were not among those listed as retired in January, they are still available through our Canadian Distributor, and I’ve heard nothing about them being retired.  Caveat emptor!

The Rosa Pearl is a bead that I have always liked, but that recently I have come to appreciate even more.  We have a few ladies working on soft pink designs, so we’ve had the pleasure of seeing more of these than usual over the past few months.  We’ve enjoyed seeing the variety of shapes and colours… wouldn’t it be fun to see an entire bracelet composed of different shades of pearls interspersed with silver?

Clockwise from clasp:  “Golden Heart Clasp”, “Pink Desert”, “18k gold Hydrangea”, “Golden Cave”, “Paradise Birds”, “Rose Quartz”, “Dewdrops”, “Rose Quartz, round”, “Silver Whorl”, “Golden Cave”, “Rosa Pearl”.

C.