Diversion: Betsey Johnson Duck Necklace

I have returned! And with a little something special for today.

I've said it before and I'll say it many times more -- I love rubber duckies. When Nordstrom's holiday catalog appeared in my mailbox I found it stuffed with a whole Snow Bunny line from Betsey Johnson that I was swooning for as soon as I saw it. So when I went to check out the pieces online I found this little guy! Why, oh why Betsey Johnson, are there not more duck pieces??

Look at him. Or her? I'm not sure, but I have a tendency to make all animals male at first sight. Anyway, I have included two different sets of pictures because it's really rainy and overcast today which is my kind of weather, but makes for lousy pictures. The first two were taken with flash and you can really see how vibrant the colors are. The other three are natural light and may wash him out, but bring the details into better focus.

The classic yellow color on this one is perfect. It's bright and cheery and is accentuated quite nicely by the gold and orange detail on the wings. Be sure to click on the second picture to enlarge it so you can really get a sense of how amazing the blue eyes are. Perfectly clear ocean blue crystals really bring the face to life, in addition to the gold and orange beak. Topping off the head is a cute silver crown that is adorned with very small fuchsia crystals and orange hearts. But my favorite detail of all? The pearl necklace. At first glance it really looks like your standard little addition of pearls but when I was going through my photos I noticed small fibers on the back of the duck. At first I figured it was dust or an errant cat hair but then I realized that the pearls are actually on their own string and are tied in the back. That's right. The duck is wearing it's own pearl necklace. That kind of detail isn't something you see very often; usually these things are solidly attached in some way or another. This is both good and bad; good because it's just such a sweet finishing touch (to me) and bad because it increases the potential for the little pearls to pop off, and the string lends itself to fraying (hence the fibers). You can see the knot in the last picture.

I adore this ducky necklace. It's double stranded, all gold colored, and the second strand holds just a single crystal that doesn't overwhelm the charm. In fact I was so enamored with this that I totally forgot about the Snow Bunny line! Another bonus for this necklace is the price -- you really can't beat that these days.

Price: 35.00
Found at: Nordstrom.com (direct link to product page)

Archive: Blue Rubber Duckie

Once again, I am showing off my geeky love for rubber duckies. Those little yellow fellows happen to be magnets that spend a good deal of time guarding my bathroom shelf. I still have my fingers crossed that Juicy will put out a traditional yellow duck charm one of these days.

Like its pink sister, this blue duck isn't truly blue; it's more of a deep turquoise and you can see that there's quite a bit of green influence. Nonetheless it's a beautiful color and seems to have held up better over time than the pink. My feelings on this duckie charm are pretty much the same as the other one, with one startling exception: the details are silver, not gold!

Yes, his eyes, beak, hair, and logo detail are all done up in silver. Does this go better with blue? Maybe. But it still looks a little strange to have the silver accents mixed in with the gold clasp. Apart from that I have no complaints. I love rubber duckies and I think Juicy did a nice job with the two (so far) that they have produced.

Price: $40.00
Box: Black/Blue
Code: YJRU0854

Archive: Pink Rubber Duckie

It should be pretty clear why I love this charm so much. I've always hoped that Juicy would make more of these, perhaps in the traditional yellow color or maybe something cute and patterned like the heart spotted one in the third photo.

I know the duck appears to be more red than pink, and the pictures are pretty true to life. It's not your typical Juicy pink - it's more of a coppery pink. I got this charm when it first came out and have never worn it around, mostly because it's so heavy. Still, you can see a few spots where the pink color is gone (or maybe never was - I didn't photograph it when I first got it or even take note of how it looked exactly), especially around the logo on the front. Does the coloring fade over time or was it just not well done to begin with? I'm not sure.

I also wish the eyes and beak had a little more detail and contrast to them - they're both just gold colored and don't stand out so much. But I love rubber duckies, so my complaints for this charm are few and far between. If you're adding this to your list of wishes, prepare yourself to absolutely pay through the nose for this one and the blue one. They are both heavily hunted and come at a very premium price.

Price: $40.00
Box: Black/Blue
Code: YJRU0899