jewels
Latest
Pixel jewels not made of real jewels, still likely unaffordable
It's not every day you see fine jewelry that looks this... blurry. Stolen Jewels are the creation of Mike and Maaike, who did a Google for low-resolution images of various famous, priceless pieces of jewelry -- such as a ruby and diamond necklace made by Van Cleef and Arpels for Imelda Marcos -- and then made them even lower-res before transferring them to leather. The result is what you see above: stunning, and arguably much, much preferable to their original, heavy counterparts. There's one more photo after the break -- hit the read link for the whole, beautiful line.[Via Neu Black]
Ask a Beta Tester: Spectral gryphons, prospecting, and portals
Only six-ish days of Ask a Beta Tester left! Whatever will we do!? Well, we'll go on with our lives probably. I mean, we'll have Wrath of the Lich King. Who cares? ahmed ahmed asked...Have you heard anything about ghosts being able to go through mountains in WotLK, so they can reach their destinations faster? My friend told me that is what is going to happen, and I hope that it will go live!Nope, that's not the case, sorry. However, in some zones (Icecrown, Storm Peaks) you get to ride a ghostly gryphon when you're dead, so you can fly to your corpse. Both of those zones have a huge emphasis on mountainside base camps and tall cliffs and places you can only get by flying, so the gryphon is very nice. No running through mountains though.
Softbank 823SH Tiffany: 537 diamonds for $131k
Make no mistake, this whole "economic crisis" deal isn't affecting everyone, and we've all ideas the limited run of this here handset will be claimed in no time flat. Via a partnership between Japan's Softbank Mobile and New York's Tiffany & Co, just ten of the Softbank 823SH Tiffany mobiles will be made available for those with the requisite cash. Aside from making / receiving calls, this obscenely luxurious device will boast 537 diamonds representing a total weight of 18.34 carats. The pain? Just ¥13 million, or slightly north of $131,000. Say, wonder if they'll throw in a car charger if you buy two?[Thanks, Marko]
Sonoro's saucy Swarovski-covered elements stardust radio demands $2,500
"Sonoro" and "absurdly expensive" have always gone hand-in-hand, but even we're a bit taken aback by the sticker on this one. The company's latest example of extravagance is the elements stardust, an "exclusive" AM / FM / MP3 clock radio that's smothered from one end to the other in Swarovski crystals. This thing's not all looks, though -- it's got a LED-illuminated metal ring for quick-touch control of tuning and volume, a full-range speaker, and an integrated bass reflex tube. Too bad you'll have to sashay down to Saks Fifth Avenue with $2,500 and an evil grin in order to take one home.[Via Blast]
Go get your free gems for September
It's that time of the month again ladies and gentlemen. It's September 1st, so the Consortium are offering up free gems once more. Most of us probably know how this works by now, but if you don't, we're here to help. If you have any reputation above Neutral with the Consortium and aren't Level Worthless (a joke, I promise), Gezhe at Aeris Landing in southwest Nagrand has free gems for you. You can find him just north of that freaky diamond mountain Oshu'gun. Your freebies depend on how high your reputation is with the Consortium. Friendly gives you a Gem-Stuffed Envelope. The fact that the gems are tucked in an envelope says, "You are worth so little to us that we threw your gems into the nearest, cheapest container without concern for whether or not your gems would come back out intact." Honored gives you an Unmarked Bag of Gems. This says, "We like you enough to give your gems a little more protection, but not enough to let others see that we speak to urchins such as you." Revered gives you a Bulging Sack of Gems. The Consortium knows quite well that most denizens of Azeroth and beyond subscribe to the bigger is better mantra. This enormous, bulging sack is most likely full of the worst possible gems you could ever dream of, but at least there's a lot of them! Exalted will net you a Bag of Premium Gems. Unfortunately, the Ethereals have only just started learning Common, so occasionally they get their word order confused. It should actually be a 'Premium Bag of Gems.' It's a very nice bag. The gems? Not always so great. Hey, at least green quality gems are worth something nowadays! Back in my day, we farmed all of that Consortium reputation simply for the privilege of vendoring those gems! You crazy kids and your useful green jewels. Wait, it's still my day, isn't it? Well then, off to Aeris Landing!
New Jewelcrafting recipes in Wrath beta build 8820
Tonight's Wrath of the Lich King beta patch brought us a small batch of new Jewelcrafting recipes. This push included a few trinkets, a new gem cut, and some jewelry that is quite incomplete. Incomplete as in they have no stats, even after crafting them. Oh, and some funky laser pointer things. They don't do anything of substance, but they're laser pointers!I've heard from more than a few people that the new trinkets are quite a bit underpowered for the level they're supposed to be, and I'm inclined to agree. 100 spell power for 20 seconds every 5 minutes from a trinket at level 80 doesn't impress me much, especially considering its level 70 equivalent, the Living Ruby Serpent. The new trinkets will be greatly improved sooner or later, I'm sure. Personally, I found the new gemcut pretty cool. The Enchanted Tear is flat +6 to all stats in the form of a unique-equipped, any-color gem. Not too bad. I'm willing to bet almost everyone will take advantage of that and use the one they're allowed.We've stuck pictures of the new recipes (the one with stats at least) in our Wrath of the Lich King Jewelcrafting gallery for your perusal.Edited an item description for clarity.%Gallery-29313%
Gems in Wrath
The crafting professions may not yet be implemented in the Wrath of the Lich King beta, but we do get to see their mats. I'm not sure how much we can figure out from them. I do, however, really like some of the names, especially for the gems. It looks like we'll have the same gem system as in BC, with six colors (three primary and three secondary) and one uncommon and one rare gem for each Epic gems have, understandably, not been unveiled yet, and common gems have made no appearance. Here are the names we have:
Remember your gems
Once again, it's the first of the month, and that means it's your gem payday from the Consortium! Get your butt out to Aeris Landing and click on Gezhe for your Membership Benefits, which means a package of free gems to help you pimp your new season 3 gear or Zul'Aman epics. Depending on your Consortium reputation level, you get one of the following: Friendly: Gem Stuffed Envelope Honored: Unmarked Bag of Gems Revered: Bulging Sack of Gems Exalted: Bag of Premium Gems I meant to get my rogue up at least to Revered since last month, but alas, real life stepped in, so it's another Unmarked Bag for me. What's your haul for December?
Insider Trader: A diamond is forever -- a consumer's guide to gems
Insider Trader is your weekly inside line on making, selling, buying and using player-made products. Got empty slots sitting wide open on your gear, simply because researching gem possibilities is so infuriatingly time-consuming and confusing? Get ready to get socketing! Our handy consumer's guide to gems will steer you to savvy selections in no time. While jewelcrafting can sound confusing as all get-out, we've rounded up some convenient tools and handy reference lists that simplify the process of figuring how to slot your gear with gems that work for you.In The Burning Crusade, Blizzard introduced jewelcrafting and the ability to augment items with gems. Many higher-end items feature sockets designed to be slotted with player-cut gems. A jewelcrafter can cut these gems, which grant your gear additional stat and effect bonuses. What color? What cut? What stats? What about meta gems? You need to figure out what's available, what works best for your gear and how to get your hands on what you need. Let's get to work ...
Disney Princesses to bring Magical Jewels to the DS
Disney announced plans to release a DS game as part of their new Disney Princess line of video games. Called Disney Princess: Magical Jewels, the game asks players to "recover magical jewels and replenish the power of a kingdom." We don't know what kind of game it will be, but a Bejeweled clone seems like a distinct possibility. The DS game, like the PC/PS2/Wii game Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey, is designed to be simple enough to be a suitable first game. Never mind that the DS, with its fragile touch screen and general droppability, isn't really the safest choice for a first system. Some kids seem to get by okay, so maybe we're worrying too much!
Two online tools for jewelcrafting
If you're a jewelcrafter (or just want to find some good gems to stick in your armor-- and who doesn't?), you'll probably find these two little online jewelcrafting applications invaluable.First off, Xornot's Gem Finder by Xornot of Gorefiend is an awesome little application that lets you browse through all the gems in the game (so far-- I'm not a jewelcrafter, so I don't know if it's completely up-to-date) according to socket color, stat bonuses, crafting or vendoring, and even by name. All of the gems are color coded, and because Xornot is apparently a l33t web coder, everything is Ajaxy smooth. Very cool tool for finding just the right gem for that shiny new epic you just picked up.Jesta has also created a jewelcrafting tool that may not look quite as shiny as the first one, but in fact goes a little farther-- not only can you browse all the gems in the game (by base gem, color, or class appropriateness), but it looks like eventually, jewelcrafters will be able to log in, list the gems they can make, and even list prices for prospective buyers on the server. It's kind of like a custom online auction house listing for jewelcrafting. Unfortunately, there's no date listed for functionality, and it seems like Jesta is a little too busy working on all kinds of other things to get it up and running, but we'll throw a hug his way and thank him for the great online app.The 2.1 changes will bring a little more order to the auction house in terms of gems, but until then (and even afterwards), these tools look really useful for both prospectors and their customers.[ via WoW LJ ]
Latest Pokemon titles morph DS into kid-friendly VoIP phone
While we recently showed the adults in the crowd how to craft your own VoIP phone (and potentially burn the house down) with a somewhat antiquated landline device, the kids in the bunch can stop whining about the blatant discrimination. In case you haven't lost count, Nintendo is actually unveiling two new Pokemon titles for the DS on April 22nd, and aside from the ability to collect, train, and pwn up to 380 new pixelated creatures, the games also enable online communication thanks to the built-in microphone and the handheld's VoIP capabilities. Reportedly, you can talk smack to other immature pals on the proverbial line "before, during, and after battles," giving your kiddos yet another venue to chat with their pals, evade chores, and become even more addicted to the game that never ends. Darn you, Nintendo.[Via Joystiq]
Russia's ISSE makes Nokia 8800s even pricier
Sure, the details vary a little bit from jeweler to jeweler, but the result is always the same: a standard-issue phone that's been taken to excessively opulent extremes thanks to an excess of gems and rare earth elements. This time around, the phone is Nokia's already expensive 8800, and the culprit is ISSE of Russia. The handset is naturally covered in gold or silver, while optional heated enamel can add a shade of color to the phone that takes away any resemblance of precious metal. Tack on a few carats of diamonds, rubies, garnets, or whatever, slap it in a box made of "rare timber," and call it good. In our opinion, any self-respecting individual with too much cash for their own good would seek out the newer Sirocco Edition of the 8800, but that's just us.[Via Unwired View]
Vacaloco's complete jewel guide
One of the new puzzles I've had in the Outlands is figuring out just how good that socketed item is. For instance, Chemise of Rebirth without any gems in it is obviously worse than Goldweave Tunic. But what gems are available, and how much might they bump up the Chemise? Enter Vacaloco's complete jewel guide. It purports to be a list of every gem currently in the game, showing in easy-to-read format their color and what stats they give, as well as whether they're crafted, bought, dropped, or PvP rewards. I've had this list open in a browser window constantly for the past few days.Personally, what I'd like to see is an AddOn or web tool that would do the thinking for me. I want to be able to mouse over an item, or input the number and color of sockets on a web page somewhere, and get back the maximum stat boost, for my chosen type of stats, that I could get out of the item with gems socketed. That would make a lot of comparisons much easier. Unfortunately, I don't know any Lua, nor am I very familiar with WoW's API, so writing that AddOn is probably beyond me.In any case, Vacaloco's page is a great resource. Have you found any ridiculously useful references for this brave new world?
Rumored jewelcrafting abilities
I'm not sure whether I can classify this one as a rumor, since it doesn't come with the requisite blurry screenshot. And while there's no verification to any of these gem abilities, they're certainly interesting if true -- providing a wide range of small buffs that will be interesting to see in different combinations on items. Blizzard's own jewelcrafting information suggests that items will have a a varying number of sockets and that some sockets will be specific to certain types of gems (you'll get a bonus ability for socketing them with the appropriate type of gem). Read on for the specific gem abilities.
Jon Bon Jovi bejewels D807s for a good cause
We're for charity auctions just as much as the next guy, but Jon Bon Jovi and Cingular have made it hard to throw our support behind this one -- the duo are offering a limited run of ten SGH-D807s afflicted with the proverbial double-whammy of unfortunate modifications: jewels and American Idol propaganda. The eBay auction stands to benefit Jon Bon's own 2nd Floor Youth Helpline, a hotline kiddies can call to talk to a "trained listener about day-to-day issues of concern." Besides the defaced D807, a winning bid will net you a "special-edition collectors' box" signed by Ryan Seacrest and Jon himself. Whether Chris Daughtry's departure from the show counts as an "issue of concern" for the hotline, we're not sure.[Via Slashphone]
