Help me appreciate the difference

I don't get the negativity about core sizes. To me they're just different. That doesn't equate in my mind with "bad". I'm sure there's some functional downside I'm not appreciating. And, of course, choice is a very selective and personal thing. I recognize anyone is perfectly well entitled to reject anything for any reason. But if there's a functional problem I should be thinking about before I spend money on UUs I'd surely like to appreciate its significance and save myself some ultimate pain.

I just bought a UU yesterday. It's an a chain with conventional cores, OOAKs and my few LE Chinese silver beads. The size difference is clear when I look at the sides of the various beads but the LE Chinese silvers have the same core size as the UU. Is anyone rejecting the Chinese beads because of this?

So, to be clear, I'm not challenging anyone's conclusions or preferences. I'm challenging my ignorance on this issue.

Thanks for helping.

To me it is a moral idea. I do not want Trollbeads to be Universal I want them to be Trollbeads. I do not have the problem with the China silver or a few of the other silver of similar design with big cores. I have found the big cores bead move about more on a bracelet.

To me, the bigger cores make the beads slide around a lot more. I just don't like them.

I object to paying more and perhaps having a larger bead but not to there being a bigger hole in it.

I just love how my "Authentic Trollbeads" beads fits perfectly in my Trollbeads bracelet. Can I be happy with some beautiful bead CHEAPER irresistibly beautiful but moving more than my "Trollbeads" around my bracelet? Of course I can! But I am NOT willing to pay the price of TB for beads that are "like TB". TB beads do have small core for my TB bracelets, bigger core are not TB to me. I have never bought or will buy a UU. By the way, I love China silvers!

I have many UU's because I cannot find the same designs with Troll size cores here. I do prefer the small cores but beautiful glass is beautiful glass IMHO My only problem is the price but I can justify that a bit becasuse most of my ooaks were purchased from overseas dealers, where the prices are as much if not more than the UU's are here.

with all that has been said. I find the bigger cores make bigger beads and a bigger price, which I don't like. I think the small core made TB's unique from the other bead brands.

You can get a special bead you want from an artisan bead maker with the bigger cores (and some do small cores now). And it is half the price. And lots of them are as nice or nicer than TB beads.

Although I am not a fan of the larger core (and the larger price ), I do own about 8-10 UU's. The core size is the same as the Empowerment, Charity beads, and Haiti beads (which I also have) and the Chinese silvers (which, again, I have). The problem I find with all of these beads with larger cores is that they do not work well on the leather bracelets as the core is too large to make the beads stay in place. Sure there are work arounds, but, all in all, I prefer the smaller cores and, if given a choice, will purchase the smaller core beads first.

I will wear large cored artisans but not large core Troll, I don't like the way they sit on a chain, I am not keen on big glass anyway and the bigger the core, generally the bigger the bead.

I don't even like the Chinese silvers for this reason, though I don't mind others with large irregular holes such as Snails in Love or Viking.

I love my chinese silvers and use them all the time, but I don't like the UUs, don't know how that works, except the UUs look a bit , clumsy to me

retiredk9racer wrote:Although I am not a fan of the larger core (and the larger price ), I do own about 8-10 UU's. The core size is the same as the Empowerment, Charity beads, and Haiti beads (which I also have) and the Chinese silvers (which, again, I have). The problem I find with all of these beads with larger cores is that they do not work well on the leather bracelets as the core is too large to make the beads stay in place. Sure there are work arounds, but, all in all, I prefer the smaller cores and, if given a choice, will purchase the smaller core beads first.

Well, that's a clear issue. I wonder if they could issue a larger gauge leather bracelet. Or maybe some of the other manufacturer's or artisans' braided leather would work better with the large cores.

I have a leather bracelet and it made me nutz that the beads were always moving all over the place on it but I thought that's just the way they were.

I haven't used leather in quite a while. ...altho I do like the look of a few beads on the leather.

speedy wrote:I love my chinese silvers and use them all the time, but I don't like the UUs, don't know how that works, except the UUs look a bit , clumsy to me

I am down to one UU now and I can spot it on the bracelet because it always looks kind of wrong among the other beads - like a cuckoo in the nest. I am not sure why it looks worse than artisans but it does.

A picture is worth a thousand words, they say, so compare the white bubbles small core to the empowerment white bubbles on a combo I made this summer, shown below. The large core bead sticks out like a sore thumb, imho. And yes, I have purchased a few UUs...but will not purchase very many because to my eyes they just don't look as good as the small cores (and yet they cost more!?!) Hope this helps:)

Perfect illustration, to me the UU looks 'cheap' (sorry Trollsister).

I see the compare. I do not think it is cheap it just does look not Trollbead.

No offense taken, Wildthing:) I'm not a fan of the large core beads either...and to pay MORE for them? Not for me...

You know, I can see the difference but I'm not sure it matters to me. For one thing, at my ld, I can look in the trays of production beads and there can be a size difference equivalent to the one you illustrate, Trollsister, between production beads of the same name.

In addition to that, I welcome in the glass a little of the variety that's abundant in the silver beads. There is a tremendous range of colors and design but precious little as to size and shape.

For me the enormous number of choices and the eccentricity of arrangement is where the great appeal of TBs lies. I have things that have symmetry and are all about matchy-matchy. That's all fine. I liked 'em and I bought 'em. But TBs permit so much more expression and, at least for me, sizes and shapes can be part of it. I'd love it if they did some barrel-shaped beads or scalloped the edges on some glass, or shaped some to a bicone profile. I say bring it on! But that's me.

There are some beautiful UU, however I just can justify the extra they cost! I would love to find some of the design on regular sized cores.

Michelle wrote:To me it is a moral idea. I do not want Trollbeads to be Universal I want them to be Trollbeads. I do not have the problem with the China silver or a few of the other silver of similar design with big cores. I have found the big cores bead move about more on a bracelet.

I can see and understand the reasoning behind UU but for me there are so many beautiful production Troll glass so I don't feel the need to buy beads made by Troll for non Troll customer....
Because to me that is what UU are, there's no design reason (like China Silver) to have a large core, except fitting non Troll bracelets....

So far I have not bought any UU, same as I haven't bought Artist glass but I never say never...

So beadiack did we answer the question of the difference? I think it is the way the bead moves on the bracelet only.
If the cost is taken away will you prefer proper cores or UU cores in the same design?

@Michelle, The same design, I would buy the "proper" core Troll, even if more expensive than the UU (my LD charge the same price)

Michelle wrote:So beadiack did we answer the question of the difference? I think it is the way the bead moves on the bracelet only.
If the cost is taken away will you prefer proper cores or UU cores in the same design?

Yes, MIchelle, the real difference that I can appreciate is how they move on a TB chain. Doesn't mean that I don't recognize and accept the other differences of size relative to conventional cores and price that are important to other people. That's all for each of us to evaluate and prioritize.

As for the difference in price, who wants to pay more for anything? That stinks. But when I buy for myself I just look at each bead and go yay/nay about the whole constellation of aesthetic and price on a case by case basis. I recently paid OOAK price for a bead with white stripes on black when there were production beads with black (or really more dark, dark brown) stripes on white. I hated myself for doing it and I could have chosen the less expensive bead but my intention was a B&W bracelet and it seemed to make a difference to me. It never occurred to me to look and see if it was a UU core. Turns out it is. ::shrug::

BTW, on the same bracelet I have a bead with black dots on white with a smaller core and right next to it one with white dots on black with a UU core. Again, I paid the higher price for one because it had the look I wanted. I think they look like ying and yang sitting side by side but that's just me.

I guess the bottom line is I don't see it as a significant issue. But it, clearly, is for others. That's as it should be. Still, I'm grateful to discover that these are the things it comes down to.

I agree with Michelle I don't want Trollbeads to be universal. I don't like the way the UU sit on the bracelet. I have 1 Haiti bead that I rarely use because of the large core, I put up with the large cores on my Chinese silvers only because I think they are so beautiful.

Brightonbelle wrote:I object to paying more and perhaps having a larger bead but not to there being a bigger hole in it.

My thoughts exactly. Some of the UUs are a bit bigger to accommodate the core and the big beads are out of proportion with the regular TBs (exception made for ambers). And the price being a third plus more is stinky. But... if a UU bead is gorgeous and unusual, I will set my morals aside for it (I'm trollmoll, after all). Besides, my bracelets are usually so crammed that I hardly notice the cores. If the larger core and a bigger market share helps TB come out with more new designs then I will swallow any aversion to the larger cores. I have been in stores where the P and C collectors ooh and aah over the TB glass and are disappointed to find they don't fit. Of course, they can buy a TB bracelet but like us TB fans, they are diehard in their loyalty to their primary brands (and like us they have umpteen bracelets and a gazilliion beads from the other brands). Now if they are able get and appreciate a few choice TBs, they may well consider adding a TB bracelet and more TBs down the road.

I think it's easier for me to feel adaptable about this since UUs were probably already in stores when I started buying TBs.

I can see that if there were patterns and expectations of size and price that were established for a decade or more and then were "violated" it could engender an emotional reaction.