Today’s review features the Bioworld x Star Wars The Last Jedi Porg braided bracelet. It comes as no surprise to see the wide range of Star Wars fashion available featuring the cute and popular porgs – so of course I need to add at least a few porg accessories to my wardrobe!
The bracelet is priced at US$10.19 to US$15.90 each, and is available from a range of Amazon sellers (shipping rates/policies vary by seller – overseas customers can use a mail forwarding service if required).
The Last Jedi Porg bracelet – US$10.19 to US$15.90 each (Amazon)
The bracelet came packaged on a black cardboard backing card. The front of the card features the Star Wars and Disney logos printed in white, while the back of the card also includes the manufacturer information. This bracelet is made by Bioworld, as part of their range of The Last Jedi themed jewelry and accessories.
For those with metal allergies – unfortunately the backing card does not note the metals used. The Amazon listing says the metal is ‘Stainless Steel’, but it also lists this bracelet as having ‘lobster-claw-clasps’ which is incorrect – so the metal listed may not be correct.
The Star Wars Porg bracelet features a wrist band made from braided faux leather strips, with a central pendant of Porgs. The main bracelet band is made from four strips of brown faux leather braided together, and tied off with thin brown cord. A central metal pendant features artwork of three porgs, set under a glass dome.
The central pendant is made from gold-tone metal, with a printed image of three porgs. The printed image uses artwork, rather than a photo of porgs from the film. The print is clear, even when viewed up close. The image is protected by a glass dome set on top – though I am a little unsure how well the image/dome is adhered to the setting, as I can move it slightly by pushing.
The pendant setting is attached to the faux leather bracelet with a rivet – it is too hard to tell if the rivet passes directly through a strand, or between strands in the braid. In any case the setting feels very secure – it can’t rotate. As faux leather isn’t as strong as real leather, there is some risk of wear and tear at this point – but unless you deliberately fidget by trying to spin/move the pendant, I feel the risk would be low.
The main bracelet band is made from four strands of warm-toned brown faux leather cord, braided in standard style braid pattern. The cut edges of the faux leather are left raw, not sealed – this gives the bracelet a natural, almost hand-made look. Comparing the bracelet in person to the promotional image on Amazon, the actual bracelet is much warmer in colour, than the dark brown seen in the website listing.
The ends of the faux leather braid are tied off with thin brown braided cord, which forms the adjustment system. The end of each cord is finished with a cute little gold-tone metal sculpted feather pendant. This is a cute little reference to the porg birds of Ahch-To, and adds a little more of a ‘pretty jewelry’ touch to the rustic-style bracelet. The front of each feather pendant has recessed detail, which is accented with a black antiqued finish.
The back of the feather charms are flat – the back of both charms is stamped with the standard ‘©LFL’ Lucasfilm copyright mark. Interestingly, the text is printed correctly on one feather charm, but it is printed backwards on the other, whoops! Each feather pendant measures approximately 1.9cm long (not including hanger ring).
The adjustment cord is looped around the end of the faux leather braid, with a strand passing through the braid above the knot to hold securely in place, rather than just looping around the end. With tied bracelets like these, I try not to put too much stress on the binding, but it does feel pretty secure and tight.
The bracelet adjusts with a a segment of braided cord holding the two ends – you simply pull the bracelet wider to adjust larger, or pull the cord ends to adjust the bracelet smaller. There is one strand of cord threaded through the ring of each feather charm, so pulling solely on the charms can potentially break the cord at that point (as I read in one review). I would grasp the cords a little higher up (at the knots) to avoid putting stress on the cord at that point.
The overlapping cord ends give the bracelet a good range of size adjustment. The braided band portion of the bracelet measures approximately 17cm long – when fully closed, the cord knot adds approximately 0.8cm to the total length. When adjusted to its full length, the bracelet measures approximately 24cm (internal circumeference).
Obviously wear and tear is something to be aware of with this bracelet, due to the materials used – but it wouldn’t be quite as ‘porg’ inspired if this bracelet were made completely of shiny manufactured metal. Using cord and (faux) leather reminds me of the natural environment of Ahch-To where the porgs live. This bracelet is designed like an in-world memento, rather than movie merchandise – which of course it still is, but I like to think of it as something I would make on the island to remember porgs (if I ever had the chance to meet them).
This is cute little bracelet is a fun accessory to add some porgs to your outfit. It’s not overly cutesy, and the rustic-style faux leather and cord design looks like something Rey could have made during her time on Ahch-To. It coordinates well with Rey themed outfits, or as the finishing touch to any ensemble showcasing your love of the adorable porgs!
