Over the polar circle, Northern light plays in the night sky. Pale silvery greens and violets dancing over the satin blue Milky Way. Magical and unforgettable, symbolizing the enchanting power of nature.

Northern Lights Magic Bead is the People’s Bead winner for 2018 and is designed by Linda Kucina of Latvia. I think a lot of people were excited to see it win. Who among us is not fascinated by the Northern Lights? I’ve been fortunate to have seen them many times, when I was living in Northern Ontario many years ago. I was there for my first job after university, playing in the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Sometimes after an evening rehearsal a bunch of us would go play ice hockey on one of the outdoor rinks and we’d see the Northern Lights dancing in the sky. It almost looked like aliens were arriving from another universe!

I received my sample from Trollbeads on Friday and enjoyed playing around with it over the weekend. The thing is, in certain light the vibrant greens and blues are easily seen, but in other light, like indoor light, it is harder to see the colours. When I look at it inside it makes me think of winter and being wrapped up in a cozy blanket with a cup of tea in hand. Here’s a macro shot from outside with a decent amount of light.

Here is the bead on my car on an overcast day.

My blog and Instagram have always been about playing with beads and trying to show people what I see, so it’s easier to order online and not be disappointed when something arrives in the mail. So I have some combos using photos that were taken on cloudy days and when we finally see the sun again I’d like to add one showing the bead in the full sun.

I tried to pull out the rich jewel tones by using purple, blue and green. I’ve seen some fabulous bracelets with multiples on Instagram. 😍

For some reason Northern Lights Magic made me think of tartan shirts and I went looking through my husband’s closet, but couldn’t find an exact match.

I thought I’d try it on gold, with Star of Hope, Shimmer Royal, Malachite Bead and Star of Calmness. I think this is my favourite look.

Lastly, I made up a light and airy kind of bracelet, adding in a couple of Azure Bubbles beads. This requires a LOT of spacers so I know not everyone can make it, but it’s a fun way to use them if you have extras.

Definitely look on Instagram by searching #trollbeads for more inspiration. I love seeing how other people use their beads and that’s a great place to get some ideas. I’d love to hear if you’ve already bought this bead and what you think of it!

Disclosure: For this blog I may receive some items as promotional samples.