Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I have been searching for a screen accurate Ring of Barahir for a few years now. Overall I have owned about (12) different versions of this ring, but have always wanted one exactly like the screen used one (see the last pic). I have found a couple that are close, but most are just knock-offs of the Noble Collection version (some of which are not very good). Here are some pics and descriptions of some of the more unique versions that I've owned:
Here is probably the most common R.O.B. from The Noble Collection. This one is pretty good overall and has a pretty good likeness to the screen used prop although it is more cleaned up and has more detail. The main problem that I have with it is that the stone is only glued in and will fall out over time. I owned two and the stone in the first one lasted for just over two years of daily wear and the second one lasted for about four years (which isn't too bad, but for $140.00 I would think that The NC would have found a better method to mount the stone).
This version comes from Singapore and can still be found on E-bay for around $140.00 It's actually pretty cool and comes in a very nice wooden box with a pewter Lord of the Rings logo. The ring itself is very good and has a lot of detail. Some of the issues: (1) It is sterling silver but has some type of antique finish which gets kind of dark over time. (2) The snake's tongue sticking out is cool but catches on everything. (3) They took the part about the golden flowers forming crowns a bit too literal and actually gave the snakes 3-pronged crowns. (4) again the stone appears to just be glued in.
Here is one that I have never seen again since I sold it a few years ago. It is a Japanese version that I picked up on E-bay about six years ago. It is sort of close to the Screen used version except that seems more simplified and smoother. One plus for this one is that the stone was mounted from the inside and there was no fear ever loosing it. The downside was that the gold flowers were seperate pieces and would actually rattle around. That really bothered me and I eventually sold it. If this ring was one solid piece I would have definitely kept it.
I have a few more versions that I can post pics of if there is any interest.
In the meantime I was wondering if anyone can identify this pic. For the life of me I can't remember where I found the pic but it might be the Holy Grail of Ring of Barahir replicas. It looks similar to the Japanese version but seems to be a bit more detailed like the pic of the screen used one.
