Black Raven Beads Viking Collection Review |

Today Beadsaholic brings a review of Black Raven Beads Viking Collection.

March sees the release of Black Raven Beads Viking Collection and I must say that this was a much anticipated release. Though we have seen Viking releases before, I think Black Raven’s twist on this Viking inspired release is refreshing and unique.

“Viking- Exploring new horizons. The raven is perhaps the animal most associated with the Vikings. That naturally aroused our curiosity, being Black Raven Beads.We have incorporated the rich symbolism of the Vikings, their myths, traditions and customs in our collection. Let us take you on a journey to discover new horizons. There are many positive things to say about the Vikings. They were tough and powerful seafaring Norsemen and women and excelled at trading. With their large ships, they could also navigate shallow waters to go relatively far inland. The religion of the Vikings has its roots in the Germanic religion. It was a religion with dozens of different gods. The most important god was Odin. He ruled the afterlife for warriors, Valhalla. The world where the gods lived is called Asgard. In addition to their sagas, the Vikings also left their mark on various European languages, such as English and Dutch. For example, Thursday and Friday are named after the Viking gods Thor and Frigg. Women played an important role in Viking society. They were guardians of the keys to property and wealth, especially when their men were abroad. Symbols themselves were thought to have power. Vikings were at the mercy of the mighty seas. They were well aware of the dangers of battle. They lived in the wind, rain, heat and cold. Through it all, they felt the hand of fate ruling all things. Divine symbols on amulets, shields or carved into their longboats could give the Vikings that slight advantage they needed to face the uncertainties and dangers of life. Our charms are full of meaning. Examine each piece to explore! Skoll!” ~ From the Black Raven Team

In this release are three new silver beads, a stopper, dangle, a lock and two glass bead. You have the option to purchase these pieces individually or as a set. If you decide to purchase as a set, it does come in a collectors box and you get the whole set a special price of €339 / $332. With the collection you will receive one free Viking Wolf Stopper.

Here is a video unboxing on the new collection and a little play. Sorry, I wasn’t able to do a voice over as I’m sick and coughing, but I hope you enjoy this video and review none the less.

“Knowledge is strength, wisdom is power, and love is freedom.”

Black Raven Beads Odin, Thor & Freya is such a cool design featuring Odin God and Ruler of Asgard, his son Thor God of thunder and Freya Goddess of passion and love. I love that this bead shows all three in their entirety. The details are beautiful and this bead measures approximately 18x10x9 and retails for €48 / $46

“Odin – Wisdom, battle, art and magic. Of all the Norse gods, Odin was undoubtedly the most important. As the supreme god or all-father, he ruled Asgard, the realm of the gods. Odin was wise and had an enormous thirst for knowledge. He is the god of war and is seen as the most gifted god. According to myth, many other gods owe their lives to this supreme god. Attributes of Odin that you see a lot in symbolism are the spear and horns and his two ravens, Huginn and Muninn.”

“Thor- Strength, courage and sincerity. Thor is the son of Odin and Fyorgyn (Earth Goddess). Thor is the god of thunder and the destroyer of evil. Among Vikings, Thor was most honoured for his strength, courage, fortitude and sincerity. A well-known attribute of Thor is his hammer.”

“Freya- Love, passion and beauty. Freya stands for fertility. Her name means woman. She was also the goddess of passion and love. Not for nothing was Freya known as the most beautiful of all the Nordic goddesses. In the sagas, however, Freya was a desirable woman and a hostess of the dead. She ruled Folkvangr, an idyllic meadow where half of all fallen warriors fell to their deaths. The other half went to Odin in Valhalla.” ~ Black Raven Beads

Black Raven Beads Heart Shield is a beautiful intertwined knotted heart made of sterling silver. It reminds me of a beautiful Celtic knot design. I could really see this design working in many different bracelet compositions and it makes a nice focal on a bangle. This charm is a nice size measuring at 14x13x8 and retails for €43 / $41.

“The strongest hearts have the most scars.”

“Protection. Vikings had different shields that were full of symbols. Symbols gave power. They were used to protect against the enemy. Vikings also made entire shield walls to protect the group in battle. Wear this charm as your amulet to protect against heartache.” ~ Black Raven Beads

Black Raven Beads Huginn & Muninn are two beautiful raven birds wrapped around with a raven head at the top and bottoms circling around what looks to be a medallion with a Triquetra symbol. Along the back side of this bead you will find beautiful feathered wrings that wrap around. This bead is of course made of sterling silver and retails for €43 / $41.

“Today’s moments are tomorrow’s memories.”

“Thoughts and memories. Odin always has two ravens, Huginn (thoughts) and Muninn (memories). Legend says the ravens flew across the world each day to gather news of what was happening. They told Odin the information from the nine worlds over dinner. Along with using his birds, Odin also had a view of everything that happened in the world from his throne in Asgard. Huginn and Muninn ensured that his knowledge did not rely entirely on his perception.” ~ Black Raven Beads

Black Raven Beads Viking Wolf Stopper may be my favorite from this release. I love that these stoppers look like beads and are ornate wolf heads with orings inside to keep these snug on a bangle or bracelet. This design gives so many styling opportunities to create a truly unique look. You will find that these stoppers fit nice and tight on a bangle, which will keep your beads secure. Each stopper measures approximately 12x14x11 and retails for €38 / $36.

“The direction of life is from duality to unity.”

“Courage and duality. The wolf has both a positive and a negative meaning. The wolf can represent the destructive forces of time and nature, which even the gods are no match for. Also, the wolf can represent the most valued characteristics of courage, teamwork and shamanic power. In other words, the wolf can bring out the worst or the best in people.” ~ Black Raven Beads

Black Raven Beads Longboat Lock is a long ship with an ornate dragon at the front, wind sails above and what looks to be Viking shields down the side of the boat. The design is rather striking and lays flat on the wrist which makes this design comfortable to wear and style. It has the lobster style ends that allow you to easily connect this lock to your bracelet. It’s easy to open and put on. This lock measures approximately 14x25x5 and retails for €55 / $52.

“ How you see yourself is how others will see you too.”

“Confident. The prow of the Viking ships was often decorated with a brightly coloured snakehead or dragon and had many wood carvings on the sides. This mainly served to intimidate. The most famous ship type with such decoration was the longship. A longship is a warship for navigating the ocean. It had a sail and oars and was manned by 70 to 80 men. These were the ships that caused panic in Western Europe.” ~Black Raven Beads

Black Raven Beads Asgard is a stunning oil slicked glass bead that has a matte finish and at each turn you can see an array of colors that resemble an oil slick. This is truly a beautiful bead and I highly recommend buying a pair as I think you will love this bead, too and I can’t help but wish I had a pair and may have to add a second later on! This bead measures approximately 12-14×9, being hand-made these can have some variations in size and color. Asgard retails for €45 / $43.

“Know the true importance of human connection.”

“Connect and create. After the gods created humans, they made their realm called Asgard, a celestial city high above Midgard (the human world). They built the fiery rainbow bridge Bifröst to connect the two domains so they could pass between them. Asgard has several realms, Valhalla being one of them.” ~ Black Raven Beads

Black Raven Beads Valhalla is a beautiful teal design with almost a mirrored effect, which makes this bead reflective and hard to photograph in order to really show how beautiful this bead actually is. Both glass beads in this release are exceptionally beautiful that will look fantastic in whatever you compose them with. This is a hand-made design which can slightly vary in size and color. Valhalla retails for €45 / $43.

“Bravery is half the victory.”

“Courage. A Viking could die in two ways. The most beautiful was death on the battlefield, after which the god Odin chose the deceased to go to the paradise of Valhalla. This was called the “honourable death.” A Viking could also die the straw death of old age or illness on the mattress. Thus, the Vikings believed that one could only reach Valhalla by dying in battle. This was another reason to show courage on the battlefield.” ~Black Raven Beads

Black Raven Beads Odin’s Ravens is a sterling silver dangle design that features an ornate raven on both sides. Though this is a Viking or Norse design, it does remind me of the Art you would find painted with berries on rawhide by the native Americans, so I could really see this design being used in different themed compositions. Odin’s Ravens retails for €22 / $21.

“The best vision is insight.”

“Intelligence, insight and wisdom. Ravens were seen as the relatives/messengers of Odin and, therefore, perhaps one of the most important animal symbols among the Vikings. Odin was a god of war, and ravens feasting on the slain were a common sight on the battlefields of the Viking Age. However, the connection is deeper than that. Ravens are very intelligent birds. Watch the movements of a raven’s eyes and head and see that it is trying to perceive everything around you – even in your mind. Meaning of the raven: insight, wisdom, intellect, courage, struggle and victory, and the flourishing between life and the afterlife.” ~ Black Raven Beads

From March 2 though March 9, 2023 Black Raven and participating retailers will be offering a gift with purchase.

Here you can see why I love the Viking Wolf Stoppers so much! The bangle enters the back of the head and comes out the mouth for a unique look. I have styled these Black Raven Beads on a Phya Bangle.

This has been my go to style I’ve been wearing since these beads arrived. I have styled the Black Raven Viking Collection with Knot designs from Trollbeads, gemstones from PHYA Jewelry, all are on the beaded bracelet from the Palace of Amber.

How cute is this bangle? Pair it with your favorite sweater for a cozy and fun look.

Two of my favorite animals! Raven and Wolves!

I love how the Viking Wolf Stoppers look at the end of the bracelet. I have mixed the entire Black Raven Beads Viking Collection with Black Raven Glass and Jade, and I added in two Jade stones from PHYA and of course styled them on my favorite Palace of Amber bracelet.

Here is another look at the bracelet from above.

Wrist Shot!

Overall, this is a fabulous release that is different and unique. Though these beads can be considered more masculine, I think you will find that they mix well with other beads and can be composed in a softer more feminine design if you prefer. Or create a more edgy style. The possibilities are endless.

The Black Raven Viking Collection is available now at all featured retailers and on the Black Raven Site. Visit those links below.