THE LORD OF THE RINGS : THE ONE RING - GOLD PLATED TUNGSTEN CARBIDE (WITH ELVISH RUNES) by WETA & Jens Hansen
So I was looking for a gift for my girlfriend for her 22nd birthday December 31st and because of the release of the hobbit the week prior in Australia we were in a total Tolkien mood for weeks. After a lot of sorting through gift ideas (and buying some of them) i thought my main big gift will be the one ring by weta and jens hansen.
I previously had bought my gf a cheaper ebay silver one ring knock off because she has the tendency to lose rings and small things that can be easily misplaced but let me say that Weta's ring and those cheap ebay ones are nothing alike. Weta's are far more heavier, thicker, a much nicer feel around the finger and the elvish runes are far more superior than it's cheaper generic replicas.
First of all the wooden box it comes with is amazing and it's one of the many things that drew me in to buy this replica. The elvish runes are engraved around the side and 'THE LORD OF THE RINGS" title is engraved on the lid which is tied on by some elastic and a small magnet. That might sound cheap but it all comes together nicely so well done weta!
The ring itself is stunning. As mentioned it is far superior to the cheaper version and i can only see it being topped by the more expensive xK gold Hansen replicas. I found it hard to take photos of the ring without catching my reflection in the shot which i know can be annoying when uploading and looking over your own reviews. The weight of the ring ties in with the movie. Is it heavy because the ring is heavy or is it because my soul is heavy?:lol The weight also makes it feel more like a prop than just a fashion accessory and heavy also means it feels more expensive. no one likes a light weight prop. The elvish runes look awesome and don't stand out too much but unfortunately they don't glow :cry
Weta have also stamped the inside of the ring with their logo which is fine i guess, i expected that however it would of been nice if it was plain but then again how would we know its actually a weta item if we bought it from a reseller?
I was a bit disappointed, like others, I also expected some sort of certificate of authenticity with a back story for the ring and the prop history. It was all sort of thrown into a box and put in a padded bag.
I couldn't buy this ring without the accurate frodo silver chain. I don't know if it was worth it but i thought, 'why not? why not make the prop complete with frodo's chain'. Its a nice whitish clean sterling silver chain that really shines in the sunlight. I'm not sure if it is worth the $100 price tag but it's the route one must take to complete this mini collection by Weta. If you're big into accurate props like I am no other replacement chain will do, you will need Weta's designed sterling silver frodo chain.
In the end I'm really happy i bought this for my girlfriend. I'll be handing it to her tonight and I know she will love it especially after i tell her the history of Weta and their involvment with the Tolkien film franchise because until then i think she will just assume it's just another ebay replica :unsure
I hope you enjoyed my short mini review of Weta's ONE RING. I recommend it for any LOTR fan. If you are to buy one LOTR prop, this is it. They are available on many online stores such as thinkgeek.com or weta's website. I bought mine directly from wetaNZ as it's not too far from Australia and it arrived in 5 working days over the christmas New years period. I hope you all had a great new year and I hope 2013 bring us many new releases from our favourite prop companies and local prop builders and runs
