Archive: Owl

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

Sorry. I couldn't resist. Meet the Owl. Loved by those who have him, highly sought after and hunted by those who want him. It's not hard to see why.

Juicy's interpretation is just perfect. Look at the framed eyes.. they're exceptional, with the little fringe "feather" rings and the bezel set pave eyes. I included the third photo so that you can see that, depending on the light, the eyes can either look true to color (a clear lemony yellow), or like a little chunk of onyx. When you're searching on eBay the eyes can be a key detail; ask for more pictures with and without flash of the face area for more clarification.

Blink and you'll miss it - his tiny gold beak is right between the bottom of his eyes. It points down to his puffy crystal chest, bordered by smooth, regal brown wings. You can see that on his back there is quite a bit of detail to suggest that he's properly covered in feathers. It looks almost like the texture of an acorn top or something, but the entire backside, top of the head, and wings you can see from the front are all smooth. I completely forgot until I started writing this -- the front opens! I included one picture and it's not the best, but there is no logo or anything inside of the opening that is important. I'm not even sure why it was necessary, but it's there.

Prepare yourself to pay a lot of money for this if you're buying it second hand. :( Unfortunately, as is the case with many of Juicy's past animal charms, an authentic one is hard to come by so the price is driven up. There are replicas of this charm floating around out there, so really do your research before committing to buying one.

Price: 48.00
Box: Brown/Pink
Code: YJRU1368

Stash: Chain Purse

At last, I present to you the chain purse charm! You might remember that this is one of the very few purse purse/handbag charms that I was really into when it first popped up for pre-order on Juicy's website. I had some slight reservations about what exactly lurked beneath the fringe and now it's no longer a mystery.

This is a very simple charm; chain "fringe" all over with just a basic brown enamel shape beneath. I think the best details, however, are in the handles and the iconic "J" tag hanging on one side. If you like Juicy handbags at all, you'll recognize the J tag.. it is typically on every single Daydreamer (their most popular style) they ever produce. Sometimes it makes it onto other styles of bags, and now a charm!

I have a lot of brown leather bags, so I like the chocolaty color for this purse. It may be a summer release, but it definitely has that fall feeling about it. The handles are sweet and true to form.. what else could we ask for? Not much, I think. I'm really surprised by how much I like this charm, considering it doesn't have a whole lot going on. Probably not worth the suggested retail price, but you can nab it for 30% off if you hurry in to Juicy and mention their Friends & Family sale (it ends tomorrow!).

Price: 52.00
Box: Brown/Pink
Code: YJRU3073

Limited Edition: Spider

I have a terrible fear of bugs. I'm told it started when I was 4 or 5. Try as I might to find piece with the creepy crawlies that we share this earth with, I can't. I still shriek when one unexpectedly whizzes past me, and it's practically an instinct to jump up onto something should one scurry across the floor. I have, however, made a lot of progress with my resolve not to just outright kill them when I see them.

Especially spiders. Spiders are supposed to be good luck (so I've heard), and the wonderful Jes has some of the most adorable spider pictures I have ever seen -- she keeps them as pets! I'm not sure I could ever bring myself to do that, but I admire her for caring so deeply for something that seems so unconventional to me. So, I haven't killed one in ages - when I see them I let them continue on their merry way.

While I'm still not ready to keep one around as a pet, I am fully excited to (finally!) have the spider charm. I'm a little disappointed with the color scheme they chose (a black spider would have made for such an adorable "Juicy Widow" charm) since, presumably, this is a Halloween charm. It seems awfully light and chipper for something we usually associate with darkness and spooky things. I also think the design of the body is odd - spiders only have two body parts, not three. And why no facial detail, apart from the weird buggy gold eyes?

With all of these complaints, you'd think I wouldn't like this charm. Wrong! The concept is great and the web alone makes up for anything else that isn't so great. Look at the detail - like very tiny, delicate pieces of rope woven around and around. This is absolutely a fantastic Halloween charm. There aren't very many in existence and once they're gone they can be hard to track down again. So if you're going back and forth on this one, I say go for it!

LE Tag Year: 2009
Price: 52.00
Box: Gold/Pink
Code: YJRU3180

Stash: Pink Crown

Look in any corner in my room and it's almost a given that you'll find something with Princess written on it. I think this is true for a lot of girls; most of us played fairy princess or watched Disney's princess movies relentlessly when we were children. Crowns, wands, and high heels that are four sizes too big are commonplace.

Having said all that, you'd think I would have been more into Juicy's line of crown charms than I actually am. The garnet and pearl ones just didn't interest me; they're quite beautiful in their own right but just weren't something I needed to have. This one, however, is a different story.

Perhaps it's the explosive use of color! First, there's the pink fuzzy lining. Possibly the same material they used to make the tennis ball charms; it's stiff and solid but you can feel that baby-chick kind of texture it has going on. Then we have all of the little "gems" that line the bottom of the crown. Starting from the large clear rhinestone in the middle it alternates blue and green all the way around. You probably can't tell from my pictures, but there's a blue gem at the top that's capped off with a little gold heart. Very cute. I thought that pictures on Neiman's website way back at the start of the summer showed some red stones on the crown, but I guess that was either a mistake or they decided not to add any red at the last minute. Still, this crown charm is unapologetically feminine and is bound to take us back to our days of playing dress up and make believe.

I wish there had been more light out when I took these pictures; the sun was just starting to set and I couldn't capture any of the sparkle from the large quantity of rhinestones used on this charm. I tried using flash, but that really washed out the gold and pink.

This charm charm perfectly encompasses what it means to be a girl, and probably conveys a lot of what Juicy stands for. Pink, intricate, sparkly, royal. The price is hefty but isn't as bad as it probably could have been, especially since so many of the new charms are coming out at the same price point.

Price: $52.00
Box: Brown/Pink
Code: YJRU3178

Stash: Mouse & Cheese

A smattering of nursery rhymes and children's stories come to mind when I look at this charm. Some, not so pleasant (Three Blind Mice, anyone?), and others quite endearing (The Mouse & the Motorcycle). So that, in combination with my love for all things animal, made this skyrocket to the top of my list when it first came out.

I wish I could say I was as wild for it in person as I was when I saw it online. For one thing, I'm not crazy about the clasp being attached to the mouse's head. The ring the clasp is attached to really overpowers the small mouse head and its intricate detail. I love love love the tiny mouse paws, though. Another thing I'm not all that pleased with is the cheese itself. Nicely portrayed, sure. But this charm is so light that you know the only real metal pieces on here are probably the clasp and the gold plating along the bottom. The mouse is also probably a metal of some sort, but not a very good one. The rhinestones in the holes are a nice touch, even if the lone one on the left side is a little too big for my taste.

This charm probably isn't worth the going retail price. I took advantage of the VIP 20% off coupon Juicy sent out a few weeks ago when I picked this and the mousetrap up. If Juicy ran these kinds of promotions more often I'd definitely be more inclined to purchase directly from them, even with having to pay sales tax. I don't think this one will disappear immediately; you're probably safe waiting it out for a bit in hopes of scoring a good deal.

Price: $48.00
Box: Brown/Pink
Code: YJRU3175