In November last year, HSN released a collection of ‘bling’ Star Wars jewelry. As HSN does not ship outside the US, or accept international credit cards, I was really frustrated to see such a fantastic collection released that international fans couldn’t purchase. An amazing friend in the US helped me purchase a few of my favourite items from the range, which I was able to pick up while visiting the US for the Run Disney Star Wars event last month (yay, saving on international postage). I am so excited to finally see these items in person, and of course photograph them for review. I was able to buy eight items from the range – today’s review features the ‘bling’ Darth Vader lightsaber stud earrings and matching necklace (sold separately).
All of the items I bought came packaged in blue cardboard gift boxes. The each box has a removable lid, with an outer slip band featuring the text ‘Little Box Of Bling’. Inside the box the jewelry item is carefully packaged between two pieces of foam – the ‘top’ of each foam piece has a black velvet-type finish. Sitting on the top of the upper foam piece is a little black card featuring the Star Wars logo. I was really keen to see if the packaging included any information about the manufacturer of this range, so it was great to see that the back of the insert card notes these are made by SG@NYC, LLC. I have only come across this company once before this collection – they made the ‘long chain’ TIE Fighter necklace that was sold at Hot Topic back in October/November last year (read my review here).
The ‘Star Wars Lightsaber Colored Stone Silvertone Drop Earrings’ feature Darth Vader’s lightsaber with red rhinestone details. The stud earrings are flat backed, so they sit comfortably against your ear when worn. The backings have a wider clear circle of plastic to help keep the earrings from ‘hanging’ when worn, due to their longer shape. I was a little worried these would feel heavy to wear, as they’re a little larger than I was expecting, but they’re actually quite comfortable. I love the longer length, it’s really clear they are lightsabers.
The earrings measure approximately 4.6cm long, 0.8cm wide, and 0.5cm deep (at the widest points). The hilt has black enamel details, while the blade is accented with three red rectangular stones. The description the HSN website is incorrect – these have ‘black enamel detail on squared hilt’ (which is written for the green), not the ‘goldtone detail on rounded, ribbed hilt’ which is clearly Luke’s lightsaber (Star Wars fans who know their lightsaber hilts will easily notice the error in the description). The hilt sculpt is a little stylized, to account for the shortened shape – but it still has all the classic details to make it a recognizable lightsaber. I think the use of rhinestones to add some sparkle to the blade is a wonderful idea – keeping in theme with the ‘bling’ collection, and they almost glow red in sunlight.
These earrings are available in two design choices – red with Darth Vader’s lightsaber, or green with Luke Skywalker’s ROTJ lightsaber. As I already have two jedi-themed lightsaber earring sets (in blue, from Bioworld and Body Vibe), I decided I needed some sith representation in my jewelry collection. The Jedi Order symbol is used quite frequently in modern Star Wars jewelry – Sith symbols aren’t as widely known or used, so the classic Empire symbol is used for most ‘bad guy’ themes (even though for sith, it only applies to Darth Vader and Darth Sidious).Of course I wish I could have bought both sets, as the green stones look lovely (and I’m always a big fan of jedi themed fashion), but my sith themed apparel could do with some fantastic coordinating jewelry. While the hilt is specifically Darth Vader’s, I feel the red colour is strong enough to represent sith lightsabers in general. Both colour choices are still available at HSN – priced at US$29.95 per pair.
Of course, I had to buy the matching lightsaber necklace. The ‘Star Wars Lightsaber Colored Silvertone 22″ Drop Necklace’ features Darth Vader’s lightsaber, with black enamed details and five red rhinestones. The necklace chain is actually two segments, attached to the hanger ring at the end of the lightsaber pendant – this means the pendant is fixed, and can’t move along the chain. Measured as a full length, the chain is approximately 55.5cm long, with a further 8cm of wider link chain for adjustment – the clasp is a standard ‘lobster’ style. There is a small circular pendant at the end of the adjustment chain that features ‘(c) LFL’ stamped on one side, and ‘CN’ on the other (I have no idea what ‘CN’ stands for?).
The lightsaber pendant measures approximately 6cm long, and 0.8cm wide – this sculpt is round, not flat-backed like the earrings. The hilt sculpt goes all the way around, complete with black enamel details – but the red rhinestones are only on the ‘front’ of the pendant, the back of the ‘blade’ is plain. It’s size gives the pendant a bit of weight, but it’s not too heavy (certainly lighter than my Han Cholo stormtrooper pendant). As with the earrings, I love the way the rhinestones give a bit of sparkle to the lightsaber blade, the red colour really stands out.
I was very interested to compare the necklace and earrings together, as some coordinating jewelry sets use the same sculpt – these are almost the same, with two small differences. The sculpt of the hilt is the same size for both, which I was not expecting (I thought the earrings would be smaller). The red rhinestones are also the same size for both, but the pendant has five, compared to three used for each earring. Also, the earrings are flat-backed, while the necklace pendant is completely ’round’ like a lightsaber.
As with the earrings, both colour/hilt versions of this necklace are still available at HSN – priced at US$29.95 each. I just love this matching set – lightsabers are such a popular and important part of the Star Wars universe, it’s great to see a design like this celebrate them. Now I have these fantastic lightsaber earrings and necklace, along with my ring, bracelet, skirt, and even shoes!
