Jewel - traditional vibrator discontinued by Shaki Toys - review by Petite Valentine

The jewel is much plainer than what I'm normally interested (i.e. it lacks texture), but in a moment of diamonds-are-a-girl's-best-friend weakness I decided to order it. I told myself it would be nice to have something a little more traditional, and the jewels were an elegant touch.

Alas, classy is not the adjective that came to mind when the box arrived. Add another mark to the "cheesy porn" column, because this very attractive vibrator came housed in a cardboard box featuring a naked woman in a tasteless pose, misspelled English in a horrid font, and was strangely labeled The Black King of Jewel which sounded like a serial pulp novel, not an adult toy. Presentation was clearly not Shaki Toys' strong suit, and I disposed of the box with great haste (and relish).

The Jewel itself was much nicer than its packaging. Out the box the 6 1/2-incher had a "new-toy" smell which was gone after a quick swish with soap and water. The crystal accents - clear, rose and violet - around the base were firmly set and had a nice sparkle. The shaft was a smooth matte plastic. There was one tiny seam along the length of the toy, but I found it only because I was looking for it (i.e. it had been well sanded). Twisting off the base to insert two AA batteries (not included) positive(+) end facing the inside of the shaft was easy.

After the base was reattached, a quick twist to the dial at the very bottom started the motor running. Two things were immediately apparent - this was not a quiet toy, and finding the perfect vibration speed would be a matter of trial, error and luck since the dial was relatively loose. I covered the toy with a condom (because it's plastic and I'm OCD about toys having a smell) and started to experiment.

Turned all the way up, the Jewel is capable of giving a nice massage to any body part (not just the genitals), though if you share a room it's not keeping any secrets. The blunted tip provided delightfully comfortable clitoral stimulation, though there was a lot of fiddling to get to the right frequency because twisting the dial did not produce a steady increase/decrease in power. It takes a big twist to get it started but then much smaller nudges to adjust the vibration.

The blunt head also made for easy vaginal penetration, and inside the 1 1/4 diameter felt great- though significantly harder than silicone or cyberskin vibrators. The jewels on the bottom made a convenient handle, though avoid clutching them too tightly unless you want skin imprints. My one complaint was - as expected - the vibration control. One unintentional nudge and I was either zapped or left hanging. A slight annoyance, but not enough of an issue to make me give up, and in the end the Jewel did its job.

Clean-up was especially quick and easy since I used a condom. I gave it a quick rinse, dried it off, placed it in my drawer... and was immediately reminded I had left the batteries in when it started vibrating on its own. Batteries should be removed from toys when not in use, but especially so with the Jewel since it will likely drain them while you're away.

The design of the toy allows for anal usage but for safety reasons it's not recommended since there is no flare to the base. The Jewel is also marked "waterproof" but looking at the construction, I don't think it could withstand being submerged. I'd limit this to shower use though I haven't tried that yet.

I've had this toy for quite some time and it's my go-to when I want a simple and quick release. It's all around easy to get the batteries in, get-off, clean-up, and store in the drawer for another day. I especially like that it's not a lint magnet (I can dry it with a towel), and the bling on the bottom is as pretty as ever.

It keeps going and going... I've had this for almost two years and it still works perfectly. Considering what I paid and the material I thought it would have been sent off to the toy graveyard some time ago. Surprisingly, it works as well as the day it arrived and looks just as pretty.

Always using a condom with it and not submerging it has contributed to it's longevity, otherwise I'm sure the plastic would have taken on a smell by this point or the motor would have burned out. Instead, it's approaching its second birthday will all jewels intact, and shiny and sparkly even though they've been exposed to lubricant, soap and other liquids.

This turned out to be a better investment than I expected.