The Arkenstone of Thrain was created and treasured by the Dwarven Longbeards clan of the Lonely Mountain.  The Arkenstone was described by Thorin Oakenshield as “a globe with a thousand facets; it shone like silver in the firelight, like water in the sun, like snow under the stars, like rain upon the Moon!”   When Bilbo Baggins discovered the Arkenstone on the top of Smaug’s treasure horde, “it was tinged with a flickering sparkle of many colours at the surface.”  The stone filled his tiny Hobbit hand, yet he was able to secret the Arkenstone away in his deepest pockets.

The Arkenstone replica is made from fine K9 Crystal which has been treated with an Aurora Borealis plating, giving the the orb a magical glow. The stone exhibits a variety of color depending on what type light its under. The Arkenstone replica comes nestled on a black velvet pillow inside a Dwarven crafted wooden treasure chest. The runes stamped on the name plate on top of the chest read Arkenstone, written in the same Dwarvish runes found on Thorin’s Map. The Arkenstone measures approximately 59 mm (2 5/16″) in diameter — big enough to fill a Hobbit hand, but small enough to hide in a deep pocket. The chest measures approximately 4 1/8″ long, 4 1/8″ wide by 4″ tall (104.3 mm x 106 mm x 100 mm). The Arkenstone replica and Dwarven treasure chest weigh approximately 3/4 pounds (12 oz.).

This item is kept in stock for immediate shipment.

Here’s the link to the description and purchase area:
http://www.badalijewelry.com/smaug.htm#arkenstone

And here’s the link to the slideshow of images of the box and stone:
http://www.badalijewelry.com/animated/ARK-01.gif

Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!

Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – December 11, 2011”

When it comes to literature, can there be too much of a good thing? Hollywood film studios are putting the old adage to the test. An increasing number of book-to-film adaptations are being broken into multiple parts, a recent trend in blockbuster filmmaking.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was one novel, but it was released as two separate films, the second half of which was released on Blu-ray and DVD in November. Following the trend, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” hit the big screen on Nov. 18 and the second half is slated for a November 2012 release. More..

Otaku-sempai writes: It seems that Bain, the son of Bard, will be included in the films. Actor Michael Fowler has allegedly been cast as the Tall Scale Double for the character. Michael Fowler on starnow.co.uk

Son and heir of Bard the Bowman who.. Spoilers!!! highlight to read! killed the dragon Smaug, and a king of Dale. He was succeeded by his son Brand.

As we excitedly reported last week, HarperCollins Publishers have released an Enhanced eBook version of ‘The Hobbit.’ Today, for your viewing pleasure, we have the full press release about this new digital release. You can read it below. As before, if you’d like to download your own copy it is available from their Facebook Tolkien eBook Store, Apple’s iBookstore, Kindle and Nook. Enjoy!

HarperCollins Publishers Releases Enhanced eBook of The Hobbit

David Brawn, Publisher of Estates at HarperCollins, said: “It is customary for publishers to release new editions of books to commemorate milestone anniversaries, and as we entered The Hobbit’s 75th year, we felt we should acknowledge its success not only in print but also in the eBook world. Many thousands of readers have embraced The Hobbit in the two years since it was first released as an eBook, and with the growing availability of color-enabled devices, we felt it was time to offer an alternative edition, complete with Tolkien’s color pictures from our popular Deluxe edition. Together with J.R.R. Tolkien’s now famous half-hour recording of Bilbo’s encounter with Gollum, the recent discovery of three further unreleased extracts – one long and two short – meant we have been able to enhance the eBook even further. At a time when there is so much speculation about how others are visualizing The Hobbit, it is rather special to be able to read the novel with Tolkien’s own pictures and with parts of it read in his own voice, for a truly authentic experience.”
Continue reading “Official Release: HarperCollins Publishers Releases Enhanced eBook of The Hobbit”

QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND — Queenstown is the kind of place where people come and never leave. In fact, talk to a few dozen folks in town and chances are good a few of them wandered into the place and never found their way out.

If it isn’t already, get it on your bucket list.

The mark of the Lord of the Rings films are still indelibly written here and to a degree that might surprise. Nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu with majestic mountains on either side, this busy adventure town looks a good bit like cinematic Middle-earth because many times this regions served as such in Peter Jackson’s films. In fact, the list is too long to include comprehensively here.

With a town big enough to have good food, amenities and lodging suitable for stars, it is also on the frontier and a gateway to much of the South Island. But, cultural and financial residue from the LOTR films is still readily apparent and especially to a writer who wears a “One Ring” jersey around town. Continue reading “LOTR still found in the fabric of Queenstown, Hobbit next”