Jewelers don mantle as Lords of the Ring Makers

LAYTON — Every time the television cameras focused on Peter Jackson and his crew at the Academy Awards — in other words: most of last Sunday night — some Utahns couldn't help but feel as giddy as Gimli does while slaying evil orcs.

The happy-as-hobbits-in-the-Shire staff from Badali Jewelry Specialties Inc. proved you didn't have to be a Hollywood filmmaker or haute-couture slinky gown designer to have your artwork displayed to the world. The Utah company designed a Middle-earth style good-luck pin that adorned the award-winning director and other "Lord of the Rings" Oscar nominees.

Perhaps you didn't notice their lapels, but the Badali jewelers sure did.

"You have no idea what it feels like to see that on those guys up there," said Paul Badali, a master jeweler and the company owner. "It's quite a rush. Peter Jackson was wearing our pin, and he won Best Picture and Best Director."

And Best Screenplay Adaptation and . . . and . . .

Commissioned by Internet fan site TheOneRing.net, this was the third year Badali Jewelry made well-wishing bling-bling for "Lord of the Rings" nominees. The 2002 pin was a green leaf for "Fellowship of the Ring." Last year, they made a red clasp shaped like "The Two Towers." This time around, they designed a flashy deep blue round clip decorated with the white tree of Gondor and seven stars. They are collectors items since only 100 of each pin were made.

But that's not all of their carefully crafted Tolkien tokens.

Badali jewelers are continuing what Sauron started — with hopes, of course, that their ending will be happier than his. The staff creates all sorts of mystical and magical rings — and a whole lot of what Badali called "the ring that makes Bilbo go invisible." Their version of the One Ring doesn't have quite the same effect on humans — perhaps because they refine the replicas in a Layton warehouse instead of forging it in the fires of Mount Doom. Or maybe it's because they've sold 15,000 and counting.

Just call 'em Lords of the Ring Makers.

Badali's "Lord of the Rings"-related jewelry collection includes the One Ring of Power with the Mordor language inscription proclaiming it to be "one ring to rule them all" in various precious metals (some diehards have even turned these into wedding bands); three Elven rings (Gandalf's Narya, Elrond's Vilya and Galadriel's Nenya); seven Dwarven rings (Gimli'd be proud); and a ring that is actually Gollum's body contorted in a circle (apparently for those who want Smeagol wrapped around their finger).

By the way, Sauron got his hands on the One Ring again. No need to alarm King Aragorn: It was a replica (or so they hope) and the recipient was only the actor (Sala Baker) who portrayed the Evil Lord.

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