Trollbeads/Malawi Universal Uniques
Giving their customers the freedom to customise their jewellery as they please, Danish brand Trollbeads is known for its interchangeable beads and charms that come in an array of gemstones, 18ct gold, sterling silver, fresh water pearls and glass in an ever-evolving collection. Trollbeads currently has 600 unique styles, and each bead created has its own look and a story behind it inspired by anything from fairy tales to familiar everyday things. The company was founded in 1976 by Lise Aagaard, when her brother Soren, a silversmith, came up with the first Trollbead having created a bead with six faces that earned it the name Troll and as customers started to request that more beads be added to their bracelets and other jewellery pieces, the name was given to the business. A family run business, up until 2000 beads were designed by the family who made the decision to invite leading jewellery designers to create collections as a way of helping to diversify the collections, and as the collection grew in popularity new locks were added to the designs to allow customers to remove and add the beads themselves. Each individually handmade, glass beads were introduced into the collection in 2002 adding a new look and feel to the brand. 

2010 saw the establishment of the Trollbeads Malawi Workshop which came about when Lise brought together a group of young creative artists and taught them the skill of glass bead making over an open flame, creating the glass beads seen in the Trollbeads Uniques and Universal Uniques collections, which are a range of colourful glass beads using patterns inspired by daily life; from a woman's colourful dress to fruits piled in the market to flora and fauna. Based on a similar project that was set up in India, financial backing was provided to help the business get started, in addition to offering training in running a successful jewellery business that covered areas such as; supply chain, marketing, sales, production and designing. The workshop now employs about 12 people and is moving towards becoming an independent self-sufficient entity. 

The beads made in the Trollbeads Malawi Workshop are designed to fit most leading brands so you can really mix up the beads to create your own look.