Renee Pena
Surprisingly nice! I bought this piece to wear it as part of my Halloween costume, but this necklace is so well-made that I now wear it as regular jewelry (albeit slightly quirky jewelry, since I'm pretty minimalist.)This piece is made of 925 silver, and it did not trigger my nickel sensitivity (I wore this piece directly on the skin above my chest for 8 hours on Halloween, but my skin didn't turn red! Even at the very end of the day, no signs of redness or irritation. This is rare for me!)There are no visible seam lines or glue lines, and the back of the piece looks as good as the front. The stone is a matte black color that could pass for a small onyx or quartz (if it's made of plastic, glass or resin, it doesn't look like it! At this price point, I'm guessing it might be jewelry-grade polymer resin, which is also used in cheaper "jade" bracelets.) The stone is also well-set (not crooked, no visible glue lines.)The clasp is a small regular lobster clasp that looks good but takes patience (and a mirror) to open/close. If you hate that, a reusable magnetic necklace clasp can be swapped in (that doesn't come with this chain or most pieces, but are good to have handy. I didn't need to use one for this necklace, but this necklace is compatible with magnetic clasps.) The chain itself is small and looks hard to replace, but seems well-made (the links are well aligned but not soldered. No signs of rust or tarnish, since it's a new piece.) The silver is highly polished and very shiny, which helps if you're pastier than uncooked chicken and don't want the necklace to disappear into your skin (e.g., story of my life.)The necklace arrived in a very well-made, cushioned "coffin-like" box with care directions. The box is ridiculously cute, and so sturdy that I decided to keep it... it's not your regular glittery plastic container or flimsy cardboard. I think the packaging and jewelry together make this a cute gift that looks more expensive than it is... but, I'm not regifting this piece because I've already fallen in love with it.I've quietly incorporated my bat necklace into my daily wardrobe. It is quirkier than my usual minimalist pieces, but I think it's small and cute enough for dates, movie nights (Batman!!), "nerdy" meetups, hanging out with friends and weekend trips. I probably couldn't get away with wearing this in my current work environment (office attire/business casual), but I think It's dainty enough for me to wear to class without looking like obvious costume jewelry. It's a quirky and unique piece, but, to my delight, it's not costume-y or cheap-looking (and doesn't look like mall-goth jewelry! Yay!)Overall, I'm happy with this surprisingly-high-quality necklace, which I won't just wear for Halloween!
