Trollbeads an introduction – 1976
Created by silversmith Søren Nielsen in Denmark in 1976, the first Trollbeads were eccentric silver charms with an opening through the center that could be hung on a bit of calfskin rather than the more traditional eyelet. The beads were initially sold in the adornments store of Søren’s dad, Svend Nielsen in Copenhagen. In 1987, Søren’s sister Lise opened a second store in Lyngby. In the 1980’s Trollbeads presented a chain with a bolt that could be physically removed and afterward reattached, making it workable for customers to explore different blends and bead arrangements.
Read more on Trollbeads story here: https://www.trollbeads.com/en-gb/noname/the-story/
Pandora a breif history – 1982
Pandora was first established in Copenhagen in 1982 by Per Enevoldsen and his wife Winnie. Since it’s meagre beginnings in Denmark it is now being sold worldwide and shares many of the successes that Trollbeads have enjoyed. It wasn’t until 2000 that the well know charm concept was introduced and with growing demand became an established company in Europe and USA. Pandora’s mission is to “is to offer women across the world a universe of high quality, hand-finished, modern and genuine jewellery products at affordable prices, thereby inspiring women to express their individuality”
http://www.pandora.net/en-gb/company/about/the-story
Charms & Beads Comparison
Although Trollbeads did come up with the original concept, their beads have a more traditional, rustic feel to them with a simple hole through the middle allowing you to slide the charms onto the bracelet. Pandora which has a more polished, cleaner look to their beads and charms have a unique thread that runs through the middle of each one so that they are screwed onto the companies bracelets. This not only acts as a nice safety feature, preventing loss, but also cleverly prevents other companies products such as Thomas Sabo, Chamilia and of course Trollbeads being threaded on without causing issues. Interestingly though you can thread Pandora’s Charms onto a Trollbeads bracelet which makes them a little more useful.
Ultimately the choice between Trollbeads and Pandora is personal. It comes down to what is important to the customer, design, quality, style and price for instance. Each bead may only be silver and glass, but also of precious moments, memorable occasions and from people that are dear to us. For many, a gift of a single bead can lead onto countless additions and new purchases as the recipients interest in the brand and products is piqued.
