Arwen Evenstar necklace display

When we were in Paris, my husband wanted to visit some comic book stores - he always likes to visit those.  We found the Arwen Evenstar necklace in one of them - the one from Noble Collection - and he gifted it to me.

They told us to use it only over clothes, or we would risk it losing its shine. Since I already had a real jewel necklace, I decided to simply put this one on display.  So I perused Amazon, in search of the display glass dome, also by Noble Collection.

Unfortunately, the only one I found in Europe was selling for more than $200, which was a price I was not willing to pay.  Then I looked for it in the Noble Collection website, but even though the actual display cost about $35 there was a charge of almost $50 for shipping to my country.

So I decided to make my own.

I started by searching for an adecuate display dome, and found this one:

 

It measures 9 x 13 cm, so it was perfect!

 

I did not want it to be very big, so when I saw the size I snatched it immediately.  Then I purchased a template for a necklace display, like the ones you can see in jewelry shops, from Etsy.

I reduced it in size, printed it, traced it over 2 mm cardboard, cut it and covered it with black suede paper.  The result was fantastic:

It looks beautiful!  All in all, I did not spend more than 15 euros for everything.  Now the necklace rests next to our The Lord of the Rings books:

A gift for Kassandra

A couple of days ago Kassandra got a parcel in the mail:

I was with her when it arrived and I asked if I was allowed to stay while she opened it.  She said of course, and proceed to cut off the packaging tape.  She was very pleased when she saw it was a gift box:

"Undoubtedly, a gift from my husband", she said.  "How do you know?", I asked.  "The packaging is too gothic-looking to be from anyone else.  He knows I appreciate how gifts were wrapped in the past.  And there is no note, which is very like him.  But of course, I can be mistaken."

And then she proceeded to open the box:

"Oh, is not it delightful?", she exclaimed.  "It is beautiful", I said.  "And it suits you very well.  Your husband has very good taste."

She tried it on, and she looked like royalty.  I left her very happy:

I found out that the necklace comes from Nalladris, and the talented Sun is the maker.  I am sure Kassandra will be getting more pieces from there very soon.

Also, Sun will be coming to Madrid in the upcoming Tom Bishop Show in November.  I will be happy to chat with her again!

Another H2O Just Add Water locket acquired

I had my eye on it for some time.  I was hoping I could save some extra money to buy it, as it cost about $60, but lucky for me, the seller, Beldiamo, had it on sale, and I finally made it mine.  Here are some pics:

Front. The jewel is a red cubic zirconia

Back

Inside

It is quite thinner and a little bit smaller than the one from Sterling Silver Art, so I'm guessing that's one of the reasons for the difference in price.  Also, the jewel on this locket is a man-made cubic zirconia, and the jewel on Blue Crockatt's lockets is a natural stone.  

The final price for this locket from Beldiamo was $35, which is very reasonable for a sterling silver locket, and came inside a red velveteen pouch.  It does not come with a chain.

I wanted a red stone because Rikki is my favorite of the 3 original mermaids: she is determined, does not take crap from anybody and knows how to get the best of life.  

I really like the three waves on the back of this locket.  They look very, very similar to the ones in the show.  It is also a nice alternative if you want a locket of better quality than the official one, but do not want to spend much money on it.

There is a new seller on eBay, GMP Silver and Leather Jewelry, that offers the same lockets as Beldiamo, with different natural stones instead on only cubic zirconias. His lockets are more expensive ($66-$90), but include stones such as garnet, aquamarine, white topaz, amethyst, and also man-made, such as emerald, ruby and sapphire.  Another alternative for H2O lovers out there.

And finally, here is a YouTube video of my two lockets, in a side-by-side comparison.  Enjoy!

New design for The Illusion Lockets!

Remember that fabulous artist, Jim Anderson, who created The Illusion lockets after the one featured in the movie The Illusionist?  Well, Jim has made it again, and created something just beautiful: cremation ash lockets with secret compartiments.  It is the same design as his original lockets, but with a small compartment under the pictures, in which you can store small aids (such as pills or batteries), or the remains of a loved one. - he even designed a small black box for them.

I just found out about them after watching this video:

I think it is a marvellous invention.  I am going to start saving up for one.  As I already have one of Jim's lockets, I know for a fact that they are wonderfully made, and they are just beautiful.

H2O Just Add Water Crystal Necklaces

Following my interest for mermaids, I watched the third season of the Australian show H2O Just add water - I was unable to find seasons 1 and 2 in YouTube.  It was fun, and I can understand why so many young people like it.  I personally root for Bella - I think she is adorable!

I was surprised to see that the famous crystal necklaces were not really important until almost the end of the season.  I liked the design - I find it simple and enchanting for a Summer ensemble, so I hunted down for a crystal necklace of my own.

I found an official one, of course; for sale in the German H2O shop:

Picture from the H2O Shop

Just the same as the locket, it is obvious that it's just a toy for little girls: the "crystal" is plastic and the presentation is not suitable for everyday wear.

I am a big fan of Sterling Silver Art, but I do not think the season 3 necklaces Blue Crockatt sells are similar in any way to the ones featured in the show. UPDATE: Blue Crockatt now has available a crystal necklace made with an Swarovski bead, much more similar to the ones in the show than her previous ones.

I searched more, and I found a lot of sellers that were selling similar necklaces, inspired by those in the show.  You can find them in eBay, Amazon and Etsy.  I am sure that most of us search in those necklaces whataver it is we find attractive about them in relation to the ones in the show: the color, the shape of the bead, the cord from which it hangs... I decided that somebody else's vision was not enough for me, so I decided to create my own version.

I began by searching pictures of the episode in which the crystals came into matter (season 3, episode 21), and I found these (I think the third picture is from the last episode):

Despite what everyone says, I think that the 3 crystals look exactly the same.  No matter which mermaid you like the most, they all seem to have the same shape in their crystal.  That sorted out, I studied the color.  In the first 2 pictures, color seems aquamarine; in the last, color seems dark blue - maybe it just changes as the crystal is hit by the light.

Watching videos in YouTube about how to make these necklaces, I found out this one, in which the artist shares links of the crystals she uses.  Of course, who better maker of crystal beads than Swarovski? Of the 3 pieces recommended, I liked the De Art pendant (Cleo) and the Cosmic pendant (Bella).  When studying the pieces, I find that the Cosmic pendant is too bulky (see alternate views), so I decided to get the De Art pendant - it also seemed to me the most similar to the ones in the show.  After that, I went to eBay to find a seller near me, and I found it.  It is called Crystals and Silver, and they had in stock the De Art pendant in Aquamarine, size 24 mm.  I still was not sure about the color, so I perused for another crystal with a darker blue color, and I found the Wing pendant in Capri Blue (size 23 mm).  Even though the shape was not very similar to the one in the show, I really liked the color, so I ordered one of each, as I could not decide between them.

For a time, I considered a black cord to hang them around my neck, just as the mermaids do.  However, I thought it was a pity to ruin the look of a nice shiny Swarovski crystal with a black leather cord, and I decided to find an sterling silver bail to complete them, and wear them on a sterling silver chain - after all, I figure, the girls would like to wear them on a more adult setting when they grow up, as they will not be teenagers forever.  While looking for the crystals, I had found a seller that was selling these pendants with lovely and out-of-the-ordinary sterling silver bails.  I found the same bails just by chance on Etsy, in the shop Silver Details, owned by Joanna.  I ordered 2 without delay, and here are the finished crystals:

The one in the left is the De Art pendant, and the one in the middle is the Wing pendant.  The one in the right hanging from a cord is a substitute that I made so I could take it to the beach or the swimming pool, and do not fret about damaging or losing the prettier ones.  It is just a twisted blue glass bead with a black cord, and I can always make more like it in case of an accident.  I also made matching earrings with the glass beads, so I have a set!

Looking forward to wearing everything this Summer!

Link sharing

I admit it, I love necklaces.  I get the most excited when I found out that a movie or series I like has developed jewelry accessories for the fans.  I think it is a very subtle way of showing your support for something without being too obvious, which sometimes can be tricky in a place with a dressing code such as school or office environment.

Sometimes these replicas are official merchandise; sometimes they are not, but it is because an official replica was never made or it was sold out.  

I think the first one I ever had was Arwen's  pendant from the Lord of the Rings.  We bought it locally when the movie came out, and it was the sterling silver version - it was the only one available then, and all the crystals had the same length.  The one they made later resembles more the one in the movie, but still, I like it very much.  We also bought the Nenya ring that belonged to Galadriel, and of course, the One Ring in sterling silver.  There are plenty of places you can still buy these, but my favorites are Tolkien Town and Tolkien Shop.

Later it was Lucian's necklace from the Underwold series; we would discover later it belonged to his beloved Sonya, but I think it is fair to say it was his necklace more than hers:

Picture from the Costumebase shop on Ebay

There never was official merchandise for this movie- or if there was, I never found it; so I purchased this necklace from a vendor on Ebay called Costumebase.  They have a great collection of movies and series memorabilia, so they are worth a look. UPDATE: It seems Costumebase is no longer on eBay, but you still can get Lucian's pendant here.

Then came the Vampire Diaries locket - the one Stefan gave to Elena and belonged to Rebekah and her mother:

Pic of the show showing the locket

There are a lot of vendors on Ebay who have replicas of this necklace; I got mine from djingang2009. UPDATE: It seems djingang2009 is no longer on eBay, but I suspect this seller is her.

Just recently, I bought an H2O locket.  The places to buy this piece are limited and more so as days go by.  You have the official Australian replica, which has sold out and is no longer available (unless you find a particular willing to sell you his/hers); you have the Spanish version:

Picture from the Amazon listing

This one is available at Amazon and eBay (1) and (2)  You also have the German version:

Picture from the H2O Shop.

Available at the H2O Shop.  And then, you have my favorite, and the one that I got, from Sterling Silver Art:

Picture from the Amazon listing

These are made of sterling silver, and you can choose which stone you want added, instead of only a plastic moodstone.  They are available at the Sterling Silver Art website, Amazon and her Etsy shop.  You can even get a rolo chain upgrade (the locket comes with a free link chain) and the pretty shell box you can see in the picture (both upgrades cost a bit extra).  I will post a review on this purchase soon. UPDATE: She has a new velvet shell box in blue that you can buy with your purchase or separately.

This one I have not got yet - but I have every intention to save for it so I can buy it in the future.  It is the locket from the movie The Illusionist:

Picture from the Illusion Locket website

This is an amazing piece of work.  Each locket is hand-made, and it works exactly the same as the one in the movie.  You can even store safely two pictures inside.  You can buy it at the Illusionist Lockets website.

Even though I am always interested in buying sterling silver replicas, I understand this is not possible for everyone.  Even so, if you are a big, big fan, I would advice to wait a bit, see if you really want the replica and get the one that will last the most.  Why? Because if you are a big, big fan, chances are you will still love the series or the movie several years later, and you will want a prop that resists the passing of time so you can use it more. 

Some other times we outgrow our interest for TV series or movies, and a metal or cheap replica will become rusted, or maybe broken with use or time.  Then you'll see it and think, "oh, that piece of junk I bought when I used to like the show".  If you get a lasting one, the love you had for the series may be gone, but you will have a real jewel you can use in everyday wear, store to use in the future, or to pass on to your children.  After all, we are talking about sterling silver lockets and rings.  Movie merchandise is more difficult to pass on, but who knows? Maybe your kids will love the same movies you used to love...

Here is another website I have perused for movie merchandise:
The Noble Collection

Now, do you know of any websites you can purchase well-made and amazing replicas?  Share them in the comments!