jewelry
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Heart Spark pendant blinks with your heart, automatically gets you into B.E.D. (video)
Not that we haven't been inundated with circuit-related fashion accessories in the past, but if you've already started thinking about what to get that lovely lad (or lady) in your life come February, look no further. SenseBridge, a research group with loads of passion, has just revealed the Heart Spark ($69, on sale now) -- a wearable pendant with an integrated wireless receiver, a smattering of LEDs and a wow factor that's downright heartwarming. The fortunate wearer must also strap a belt around their chest in order to monitor their heart rate, which is then transmitted wirelessly to the Heart Spark; upon receiving the information, the onboard lights will flash at the same rate as your heart, making it easy for the love of your life to see when your heart is aflutter. Video demonstration is just past the break, and yes, it's about as precious as you'd imagine.
Scientists put color on your bling with micro carvings, gangsters pacified
Remember that time when you sipped some herbal tea and thought, "I really want a pink gold ring?" Yeah, that was some good tea alright, but the brainiacs at the University of Southampton have actually found a way to achieve this potential fashion trendsetter. The idea is simple: rather than coating metals -- especially naturally colored ones like gold and copper -- with paint, these folks alter their color by using an ion beam to carve fine patterns that are smaller than visible light's wavelength. The resultant metamaterial dramatically boosts the metals' light absorption efficiency, thus reflecting a different color depending on the pattern's radius and etch depth. So for instance, gold can reflect colors ranging from orange to red to green to brown with its ring pattern etch depth ranging from 85nm to 205nm, respectively. See? We told you it's simple, but there's also some visual aid after the break to wrap up this science lesson.
World of WarCrafts: The infamous Three Dragon Azeroth shirt
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction and more. Sample the whole spectrum on WoW.com's Arts and Crafts in WoW page. That's right, folks -- you could do better at BlizzCon 2010 than a Three Worgen Moon T-shirt. No, we're not going retro on you and suggesting you turn back to the original Three Wolf Moon tee. What you need is something more au courant, like the Three Dragon Azeroth from MagicalMelonBall at DeviantArt.com. Sadly, this cataclysmically excellent design isn't actually available for purchase on a T-shirt ... Still, we felt the design represents a worthy upgrade from its howlingly lunar predecessor. Ready for more fresh takes on art about Azeroth? Join us after the break for a buffet with a little something for every taste.
Gresso gussies up iPhone 4 with rare wooden veneer
From the front it looks like any other iPhone 4, but flip it around and a glint might catch your eye -- that's the doing of Russian technology tailor Gresso, who's embedded Swarovski crystals and an 18-karat golden Apple logo in a sheet of African Blackwood attached to the device. As usual, one wonders why anyone would bother, but honestly we can't complain -- the design is worlds more tasteful than the solid gold and diamond-encrusted contraptions we're used to seeing. Expect the dainty dillantante to arrive in December at a surprisingly reasonable $3,500, or $3,000 for the male-targeted version at right. Of course, if you've got that kind of money to spend, you want one now, right? Good news: the iPhone 3GS gets the same luxurious treatment -- and price -- in July. [Thanks, Bob]
Capacitors and diodes lovingly tooled together to form a fantastical necklace and earring set
Here's the thing: we never really got into dramatic jewelry. We're just not wired that way. Still, we can appreciate the craftsmanship, the beauty, and the geeky elegance of this necklace and earring set, which is composed of ninety-eight capacitors and diodes woven with wire and jump rings. Check the time lapse video below of its construction.
Vodafone turns recycled phones into geek chic
Perhaps giving up on extracting every last juicy nugget of copper, tin, and awesomeness out of customers' trashed phones after they've been turned in for recycling, Vodafone is turning to a decidedly more low-tech solution: jewelry. As of next month, it looks like some Voda locales will be getting baubles fashioned from old handsets' green innards -- not to say we've ever necessarily wanted a Terminator-esque owl hanging from our keychain, but at just 120 koruny each ($6), we might be convinced to buy anyhow. Who knows, maybe we'd get our old phone back, and you know what they say: if you love it, let it go... yeah, you know the rest.
Complete your pick-up line with Tetris Jewelry
If you've been sitting around wondering how you can manage to wedge video games into your Valentine's Day plans, then 1) Tread very carefully and 2) We think we have your answer. Behold, Tetris jewelry. Sold by TetrisGems -- apparently the official provider of Tetris jewelry -- the pieces feature real gemstones or cubic zirconia set in either gold or silver. This is real jewelry, folks, with the cheapest pieces running $130 and the most expensive capping out at $450. And honestly, what better way to say "I love you" than with the gift of an L block? Why not get multiple pieces and fit them together? Just be sure not to connect too many pieces together or they might disintegrate. Also, never give that special someone a line piece as their first romantic gift. You really need to save that for when the time is right.
Crapgadget CES, round 3: Moneual's $45K HTPC
There are some that might challenge the very idea of anything this expensive being a "crapgadget," but closer inspection of this item leaves little room for doubt. Indeed, it looks like Moneual's still around with its jewel laden "luxury" PCs, and we were fortunate enough to come across this delightful specimen on the floor of CES. The 701 Jewelry HTPC is handcrafted with gold and brass and adorned with 3500 Swarovski elements -- as well as HDMI, Blu ray, and Windows Vista Home Premium. Your cost? A mere $45,000. "The price of gold is going up," the helpful chap at the company's booth pointed out. This isn't a media PC, then -- it's an investment. Before you call your broker, take a closer look at the gallery below. %Gallery-82394%
Final Fantasy XIII sweepstakes offers up merch, still no English demo
There's nothing quite like being placated by material things -- it's what gets us by in this cold, Capitalist world. Knowing that us North Americans are heart-hurtin' over the lack of a localized Final Fantasy XIII demo, Square Enix recently announced plans to give us merchandise based on the upcoming game though a sweepstakes, as teased by Square's Sonia Im on her Twitter account recently. Starting December 23, the contest website will open for entries and 13 "lucky winners" will get their hands on the FFXIII-inspired merchandise seen in the gallery below. More specifically, four people will get their necks adorned with one of the four pendants while nine others will get an "accessory" (keychain or card holder). Sure, you might want to play the game instead, but isn't getting stuff nice? %Gallery-80563%
iPhone 3GS Supreme is diamond encrusted, spectacularly expensive
Seeing as how the iPhone's exclusivity status has been slipping, it was inevitable that the bourgeoisie would invent a new way to distinguish themselves from the lowly masses. Enter a designer by the name of Stuart Hughes, already expertly familiar with slapping precious metals onto slightly less precious mobile phones. He classes up a 3GS handset with a 22 carat solid gold body, which he then sprinkles with no less than 190 diamonds. And just to make sure none of the riff raff can get their hands on it, this creation is priced at £1.92 million ($3.2 million), which places it precisely £1.92 million outside our budget. Completing the, erm, value proposition is a storage chest cut from a single block of granite, which you may peep after the break.
iPhone 'home' button earrings are for serious fangirls (and guys) only
We've seen plenty of phone-inspired earrings -- it's a multitasking age, after all, so it's not really a surprise to see gadgets inspire jewelry. It is kind of surprising to behold these earrings, however, which appear to have been made with iPhone 'home' buttons. What, there are so many disused iPhones lying around that someone just had to make jewelry out of them? Poor reception got you down? If you want to scoop up a pair of these, hit the read link... but be warned: these bad boys will run you $14.95.
The gift of love; the gift of recycled Mac and iPhone jewelry
Are you looking for that perfect holiday gift for a loved one? Is that someone special a Mac geek or geekette? If so, then the clever people at PowerBook Medic have a wonderful gift idea for you! They make a living out of repairing old Mac laptops and iPhones, and it's apparent that over the years they've accumulated more than a handful of buttons from machines that need fixing. PowerBook Medic is now making earrings from iPhone home buttons (see photo at right) and the power buttons from aluminum, black, and white MacBooks and MacBook Pros. These lovely personal accessories can be yours for only US$14.95 per pair, so it's probably a good idea to order a complete set so the recipient doesn't think you're a complete cheapskate. The company is also giving away 15 pairs of the iPhone earrings to lucky winners. Details of their Twitter-fied contest can be found here.
Sony Ericsson bracelet phone concept unearthed in patent app
Yeah, we can probably safely leave this one in the file we found it in: you know, the one marked "never going to happen." Regardless, when we spied this little dude on Unwired View, we thought we'd pass along the weirdness. Unearthed in a Sony Ericsson patent application mysteriously dubbed "Mobile Terminal," what we have here is a bracelet mobile phone concept, sort of reminiscent of LG's infamous GD910 watch phone. This one's got some added fun in the form of keys on the side of the wristband for a fuller typing experience. Like we said, it's never going to happen, but that won't really stop us from hoping.
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]
World of WarCrafts: With this necklace, I thee gank
World of WarCrafts returns to WoW Insider with a broadened focus to spotlight art and creativity by WoW players and fans, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction – and yes, (War)crafts. Share your creativity: tip us off via the tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts).Welcome back to World of WarCrafts, where we highlight the creative side of life as WoW player. Whereas previously this feature has focused on arts and crafts, we'll now be talking about a broader range of creative efforts: fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music, fan fiction – and yes, crafts. Got something worth showing off? Shoot us a note on our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts).This week's artist is a professional jeweler who hails from the United Kingdom. His recent inspiration to combine his profession with his hobby have produced some of the most exquisite World of Warcraft jewelry we've yet seen. Join us behind the scenes for a warm, entertaining conversation with jeweler and WoW fan John Love (aka Amun, Terenas-EU) of World of Warcraft Gifts.
All the World's a Stage: So you want to be a Jewelcrafter
This installment of All the World's a Stage is the thirty-third in a series of roleplaying guides in which we find out all the background information you need to roleplay a particular race or class (or profession!) well, without embarrassing yourself. When I was getting ready for my wedding last month, one of the obvious things we had to do to get ready was to pick out wedding rings. I'm not much of a jewelry wearer myself, but I put a lot of thought into this choice, and in the end, I learned quite a bit more than I knew before about the jewelry profession and how it works. It struck me as a profession for people who really love making beautiful things and who love interacting with people at some of the most significant moments of their lives (such as ... weddings) -- but above all, real life jewelcrafters struck me as people who love details.Of course, a number of professions in Azeroth have to pay attention to details in their various gaming aspects. Deciding which items to make for oneself, which to sell at the auction house, and how to use your chosen profession in itself requires lots of details. But when you think about roleplaying, there's a definite difference between blacksmithing on the one side, with its broad strokes of a hammer on metal, and jewelcrafting on the other, focused on the smallest of cuts and adjustments that the naked eye can't even perceive. Jewelcrafting is the profession on Azeroth that requires the keenest eye, the steadiest hand, and the most attention to detail. In some ways, jewelcrafting in the real world seemed like sub-world of its own, where jewelers knew special secrets no one else knew. They used these secrets to draw forth items that were at once dazzling and magical, artistic and personal for each individual that wore them. Jewelcrafters in the World of Warcraft have no reason to be less devoted to their profession, or any less proud of their ability to craft the most delicate of magical items with the most powerful magical effects, using the secret knowledge only they can understand.
Crapgadget: USB abomination edition (with a pinch of superhero)
Seriously, just listen at this and try to stifle your sighs. "Bling Bling USB optical mouse." "Jewel Necklace USB flash drive." "Turtle-Look USB 2.0 Hub with a tray." "Magic Sensor LCD Alarm Clock." "Insect USB Mini Fan." Yes, friends, this is the type of utter garbage we're dealing with in this episode of Crapgadget. Honestly, we're simultaneously astounded and deeply depressed that anyone would even consider dishing out their hard-earned cheddar for any of this rubbish, but we're doing our darnedest to pretend that these were simply created for us to have a laugh at.The week's strongest contender? Some superhero magnet pixels... and that's saying something.Read - Bling Bling mouseRead - Jewel necklace USB driveRead - Turtle USB hubRead - Sensor alarm clockRead - Insect fanRead - Magnetic pixels %Poll-28983%
Handmade tile necklaces feature WoW sayings
Reader Randy N. sent a link to these tile necklaces along to us, and they look awesome. They're made by a husband/wife team in New Mexico, and they're made from Scrabble tiles (the back apparently still has the letter on it) coated in a glassy glaze, with an assortment of colors and sayings. Very nice -- could be just the thing for someone who's a fan of Warcraft and handmade jewelry in your life.They're $9.99 apiece with free shipping, which is not too bad. And if that's too much and you want to try making them yourself, they've even got a tutorial on how it's done right there on the site. We do have one issue, though -- these pretty pendants and cute crafts are fine for the ladies and all, but what about us dudes? Maybe we can get some "pwned" or "woot" cufflinks?
DIY Screw-Nut rings replace roses, express affection
Quick, guys! It's Valentine's Day! If you spent all week bringing home the cheddar and completely glossed over the need to buy flowers / chocolates / new cars / diamonds / Neil Diamond records, we've found just the thing to save your Saturday (and beyond). These DIY Screw-Nut rings aren't the most elaborate things in the world, but given that they'll be hand crafted by you, they pack an extraordinary amount of "aww" power. They're actually a spinoff of a more classy iteration, which saw the designer use 24-karat gold wedding bands and then add on the screw head and nut. We've heard that titanium and stainless steel will cut it if you're on a tight budget, but regardless of the chemical makeup, "it's the thought that counts."Read - Original projectRead - Cheaper method
The Mushroom Kingdom doesn't have enough coins to buy this Mario pendant
This item, currently being auctioned off by eBay seller jewelryking, is perfect for the discerning customer who is: insane about Nintendo stuck in a Brewster's Millions-type situation, and probably the regular kind of insane, as well. You are looking at a gold Mario pendant covered in 14.5 carats of round-cut diamonds, somehow in the appropriate Mario colors. This is, apparently, a real thing that somebody thought it would be a good idea to make, and then to let other people know that they made. According to the seller, the retail value of this Mario bauble is $11857.00, but you can Buy It Now for just $7,000. This represents a missed opportunity for jewelryking, who we assume to be the creator of the pendant. Charles Hamilton is a rapper and thus a member of the only profession that could actually get away with wearing this monstrosity -- but he's a Sonic fan.Update: commenter Rich points out something that we should probably say explicitly just in case: the chances of this thing being made of real gold and/or diamonds are very, very low. But that shouldn't matter because you were not going to buy this anyway.[Via GameSniped]
