BY: VANESSA ROBERTS
Amidst the ever-quickening fashion landscape and the preponderance of must-have “IT”-trends, the ability to customise and create something completely unique to you – whether that’s a pair of shoes, a t-shirt or a treasured item of jewellery comes as a very refreshing change. Whilst there is always a place for the latest and greatest in our wardrobes and jewellery boxes, a cherished item that is built by you with your own story, is well-deserving of a place in our hearts!
Identifying the appeal of “wearing your story” a long way back (1976 to be exact) Danish jewellery brand Trollbeads were forerunners in the customisation movement. They created a universe of shapes, symbols, colours and creativity that allowed the individual to weave together their own narrative through a personalised item of jewellery – whether that be a bracelet, a necklace, a bangle or a even a ring.
Incorporating materials such as sterling silver, 18k gold, gemstones and Italian glass, Trollbeads provides the means to mark life’s moments and occasions such as birthdays, marriages, anniversaries and achievements in a high-quality way that will last a lifetime. Each piece in the Trollbeads collection is unique, and each component has it’s own little history taking inspiration from mythology, astrology, fairy tales, fauna, flora, cultural diversity or things of every day living.
Recently, the brand contacted me to see if I would be interested in creating my own custom bracelet which would reflect my own story or day to day life. As I’d never done anything quite like this before, I was intrigued to see what I could come up with!
With hundreds of charms, and dozens of ways to build my bracelet, I discovered that the options are literally endless… Presented with the complete collection, I started by choosing the bracelet type I wanted. I loved the clean simplicity of the Sterling Silver ‘Wishful Silver Bangle’, though other options included the more traditional flexible chain, and leather.
The next step – choosing the most appropriate beads and charms for me, really got me thinking. With thousands of items to select from you are forced to stop and be mindful of the things you want to include. (This is a lovely bonus of the experience, though if you had children or major anniversaries I can imagine the task of whittling it all down to only a few beads would be even more challenging!)
After much contemplation the charms I opted for were: ‘The Rose Of June‘ to symbolise my birth month (I loved this one irrespective of whether it related to my birth month or not), the ‘Curious Kitten‘ (because, #catlady), the ‘Triple Pearl‘ because I love the natural softness and timelessness of pearls, and a ‘Bumble Bee Spacer‘ (because I’m never-not-working).
2 beautiful Malachite gemstone beads were also added in because, excluding black, green is my favourite colour (and malachite reminds me of my favourite era – the 70’s!), and one ‘Honey Dawn‘ Italian glass bead for a glimmer of gold tones that’ll make it easier to co-ordinate this piece with other items of jewellery (#practical).
It was exciting to receive the package and see all of my chosen pieces put together. There really is something special about having a unique item that relates to me personally, and one that isn’t mass-produced. In terms of aesthetics, I love the darker tones within the sterling silver, offset with the softness of the pearls and the richness of the malachite. I feel my bracelet is both stylish and timeless and glancing down at the little mischievous kitten brings a smile.
I have really enjoyed the experience of building my own Trollbeads bracelet, and it’s a beautiful way to tell your own story.
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