Crystal Figurines

The online auction site eBay revolutionized how people shop and sell their old and used merchandise, and especially when it comes to collectables, the website has become a catalyst for a revolution.  Previously collectable figurines, toys, and hobby products were only purchasable from a handful of vendors around the world, but now it’s possible to find most everything at the click of a button.  Because of the increased availability for collectable products, not only has demand climbed, but so has price. 

Figurines like Hummels and those featuring characters from Japanese anime and games can be found at prices over five hundred dollars.  With the advent of the internet, these figurines have become all the more popular with audiences around the world. 

Does your home look the same as all your friends and neighbors?  Are you tired of white paint, boring carpet, and standard landscape pictures adorning the walls?  The best way to individualize your home is through interesting home décor.  It doesn’t need to be a bland collection of glass vases or a cactus garden; you can dress up your home to suit your individual style with figurines, pictures, and art featuring a theme you enjoy.  For example, if you’re a lover of Asian architecture, you might have a floral screen, dragon statuettes, or knockoffs of Ming vases around the home.  If you’re a dog lover, a montage of pictures of your dogs on the walls can be a tasteful addition to the home. 

Whatever you enjoy, create a space inspired by that theme, it will impress guests to your home, or at the least, help you to feel more comfortable—truly, isn’t that all that matters? 

A lapidary is an artisan who works with the craft of stones.  This encompasses minerals, stone, and gemstones, but lapidaries also work with amber, shell, coral, bone, glass, and other materials to compliment their stonework.  As a Lapidary is an artisan, the discipline can be considered an art rather than a craft.  The cutting, polishing, carving, faceting, and shining of stones takes expert skill, and to create a final product which is pleasing to a customer takes years of experience. 

The objects which a Lapidary can craft include sculptures, furniture, wall art, toys, and gemstone figurines.  Larger projects can take years to finish, further emphasizing the importance and amount of effort to be successful with this art form.

When an item is hand carved, you can rest assured that a real person toiled with meticulous effort to make that object perfect.  Unlike most collectables and figurines which are manufactured, a hand carved object, whether from stone, wood, or even soap, has a real spirit to it.  Hand carved figurines made by carpenters and woodworkers have existed for centuries as children’s toys.  Some of the earliest designs originate from Scandinavia, and have been adapted for modern times.

Wooden toys including tops, catapults, cars and automobiles, and figurines are common to toy stores all around the world.  Though you can only find hand crafted wooden toys in smaller stores.

Collectables of all kinds are a favorite pastime of many hobbyists, but perhaps the most coveted amongst all collectables is the limited edition.  The idea of a finite number of an item being produced is appealing to many hobbyists.  Owning limited edition figurines, comic books, or collectable cards add value and unique appeal to any collection.  It’s also not uncommon for limited edition items to be valued in the thousands of dollars (depending on what kind it is).

The best time to buy limited edition items is as soon as they are released, however most of the time an item only becomes popular after it has been around for some time.  The internet has added significant options for collectors to buy, sell, and trade online, and allows anyone with the drive and money to appreciate limited edition collectables, and become a collector themselves.

It takes skill and patience to work with porcelain, and even more to assemble porcelain dolls which can take hours of delicate handling and painting.  You can find kits for porcelain dolls all over, and the kits come as basic or advanced as desired.  Some kits require minimal assembly and just a little paint, while others require hours, even days of work to bring out a gorgeous Elizabethan lady or Southern belle. 

The collection and assembly of porcelain dolls is a flourishing craft scene.  There are volumes of information on the internet about assembling and caring for porcelain dolls, and porcelain dolls are often featured at craft and trade shows.

Dolphins are carnivorous marine mammals and relatives of whales and porpoises.  There are almost 40 dolphin species worldwide.   They usually make their homes in the shallower seas of the continental shelves of the planet, eating mostly fish and squid. Dolphins are considered to be one of the most intelligent animals, and they have become popular in human culture because they look friendly, seem playful, and have appeared in many popular movies and TV shows.  Their streamlined bodies are adapted for rapid swimming, and they are some variation of gray in color.  Dolphins have a large, complex brain structure, acute eyesight, and hearing capabilities that are superior to those of humans.  They are social creatures, living in pods or schools of up to a dozen. Their pods are not rigidly structured, but some dolphins do form strong bonds to one another and will take care of sick or injured members of the pod. Dolphins have also been observed appearing to help other species.  Some dolphin species have even shown apparent cultural behavior, such as teaching their young to use tools. Environmental contamination is one of the biggest threats to dolphin populations, along with fishing methods that may snare them inadvertently.  Dolphin injuries or deaths due to accidents with boats—particularly propellers–are unfortunately very common as well.

I was able to swim with two dolphins in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico last year, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.  I thought their skin would be rubbery, but it was soft.   The dolphins I swam with were well-trained and seemed very contented, performing many tricks, pretending to dance with us or shake our hands, and if you were brave enough, doing a trick where two of them swam in tandem and threw you a few feet across the pool.  (I did this, too—it was fun.)  If swimming with a dolphin is something you have always wanted to do and you have the chance, I really recommend it. Of course, the water park sold crystal dolphin figurines, T-shirts, and everything else you can imagine that might have a dolphin on it.

Maybe you love animals, but don’t feel like taking care of one.  You travel a lot, or you’re allergic to pet dander.

If you don’t want the hassle and expense of a living, breathing pet, unique animal figurines in the shape of every imaginable dog or cat can be found online.  No smells, no walks, no lint rollers, no extra vacuuming and no lint rollers necessary!

You don’t usually think of giving Austrian crystal figurines to the average guy, but there are some really unique pieces at the Crystal Figurine Shoppe that most guys would enjoy.

They are all “guy” things—an airliner, a pistol, a train, a car—that show superior craftsmanship and quality.  Some of them are limited edition runs that have been signed by the artist. 

Collecting doll figurines is an enormously popular hobby.  Antique doll collecting is the second most popular collecting hobby in the United States (after stamp collecting).  If you decide you to become a doll collector, there are guidelines that may simplify your start.

Some collectors prefer to acquire dolls that were all manufactured by a specific company, such as American Girls, Barbie, Bru, Dawn, Chatty Cathy, Chrissy, Ginny or Shirley Temple.  Other doll collectors prefer to collect by genre, such as one-of-a-kind artist dolls, cloth or wooden dolls, ethnic dolls, baby dolls, fashion dolls (Barbie being the most famous), porcelain dolls, or miniature dolls.