ring

Ring covered in human skin gives design the finger

People sometimes joke about pouring blood, sweat, and tears into their work. Iceland-based designer Sruli Recht put some actual skin into his.

The Forget Me Knot ring is mainly made of 24-carat gold, but instead of sporting a diamond or an emerald, it has a bit of human skin for embellishment. That skin came from a willing donor, the designer himself.

Recht had a 4 inch by 0.4 inch piece removed from his abdomen. The skin was tanned, complete with hair intact, and mounted to the ring. I think even Sauron would think twice about wearing it.… Read more

'Lord of the Rings' dwarven beard, helm forged from yarn

With "The Hobbit" going nuts at the box office, it's time to turn our eyes toward "Lord of the Rings" cosplay. The dwarf costumes are perhaps some of the most challenging. Not only are there a ton of dwarves to choose from, but you have both armor and excessive facial hair to deal with.

One clever crafter figured out how to handle the dwarf dilemma by harnessing the ancient and terrible power of crochet. Deviantartist SadDaysCrochet fashioned a dwarven helm and beard out of yarn.… Read more

How much would you cough up for a Hobbit home?

Tired of the city and need some more greenery in your life? Real estate blog Movoto calculated the cost of buying a home similar to Bag End featured in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" movie sagas.

Movoto considered Worcestershire County, England, as a reasonable locale for estimating the value of a Hobbiton home since "Hobbit" author J.R.R. Tolkien supposedly favored the lush countryside area.… Read more

'The Hobbit' cast poses with Lego mini-fig lookalikes

We're going to need a cleanup on aisle 3. There's been a geek collision between the cast of the "The Hobbit" and their Lego mini-fig counterparts. Fans are losing it all over the place.

The cast of "The Hobbit" got their hands on their Lego versions. Even better, the cast members were all in costume when they opened up the little boxes and met themselves. You can swoon over the whole gallery over at the Facebook page for the "The Hobbit."… Read more

Hobbiton tour a hot ticket before 'Hobbit' movie premiere

With the world premiere of "The Hobbit" movie just a few weeks off, I've been thinking a lot about travel and Middle-earth, from here at the actual middle of the actual earth.

Turns out I'm not alone. These days, the New Zealand Tourism Board actively promotes tours of the 12-acre family farm that was spotted amid obscurity and lots of sheep in 1998 and transformed into The Shire of Tolkien lore.

In fact, the tourist board says at least 6 percent of visitors to the country cite "The Lord of the Rings" and upcoming "Hobbit" trilogies as the reason they came to New Zealand.… Read more

Lord of the Rings slots land Warner Bros. in legal adventure

The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien has embarked on a new quest -- this one in the courtroom.

The Tolkien estate and LOTR book publisher HarperCollins have sued Warner Bros. and other parties, claiming they've breached their contracted agreement to sell merchandise based on the famous book series.

Filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the $80 million lawsuit asserts that a prior agreement allows Warner Bros. to sell only "tangible" merchandise and not digital items, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Also tagged in the suit were Warner's New Line subsidiary and … Read more

R2-D2 engagement ring charms geeky girl's heart

When New Jersey tattoo artist Joe Pagani decided to propose to his girlfriend, Emily, the fellow hit hyperspace past the jewelry store and instead chose to design an engagement ring inspired by R2-D2 from "Star Wars."

Pagani tapped CustomMade -- a Web site that matches dreamers with people who can turn those ideas into real, tangible things -- to find the artist who could create the sci-fi stunner.… Read more

The Hobbit's Bag End imagined with balloons

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."

Thus begins J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic "The Hobbit," first published 75 years ago and slated to be released as three movies despite the fact that it's only 300 pages long.

Indeed, the power of a franchise can be stronger than Smaug's fiery breath. That could have been what prompted Jeremy Telford to turn his room into a persuasively good rendition of Bilbo Baggins' home -- using balloons. … Read more

'The Hobbit': No longer stunted, the films grow into a trilogy

Middle-earth buffs now have something to rejoice about -- Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson announced today that his movie adaptation of "The Hobbit" will be a trilogy rather than the previously announced two-part sequel.

He made the announcement on Facebook, saying that while he was editing the first and second movies in the series, he realized how much of the story was being left out.

"We were really pleased with the way the story was coming together, in particular, the strength of the characters and the cast who have brought them to life," he wrote. "All … Read more

Lego 'Lord of the Rings' sets astound in hands-on video

One ring to rule them all, and in the darkness build them! Yes, here's a sight for Sauron's eyes -- we've gone hands-on with the yet-to-be-released "Lord of the Rings" Lego sets ahead of their U.K. release. Hit play in the video below to see what manner of Uruk-hai-jinks Lego has in store for Tolkien fans. … Read more