Bling My Thing Swarovski Slim Cases for iPhone review

The Bling My Thing cases for iPhone are slim style cases encrusted with Swarovski crystals and, as you can imagine, that makes for a stunning combination. While the cases are manufactured, the crystals are individually placed by hand. Swarovski crystals aren't cheap, and they make for an absolutely beautiful finish. But how do they hold up as cases?

The Swarovski crystals in the Bling My Thing cases are set into slightly receded areas, which reduces the chance they'll pop off due to wear and tear from regular use. I used one of the review units for about a month and despite the brutal way I treat my phone, I didn't lose a single crystal.

Speaking of which, the Bling My Thing is not meant to be an ultra-protective armor case, but it did survive a few accidental drops and bumps, and not only kept my iPhone is fine working order, it kept itself in one piece as well.

While some slim cases have been challenging to put on or take off, the Bling My Thing case was easy. When it's on, you have full access to all the usual ports, including the Dock and 3.5mm headset jack. Volume, mute, and On/Off buttons are likewise easy to hit. The front of the case does rise slightly above the iPhone screen, so you can put it down on really smooth, flat tables without worrying about scratches or scrapes, but keep it away from extra round, bumpy surfaces.

There's a good range of colors and designs available. The major styles include Simple is Beautiful, SPLASH!, Elegance, GOD SAVE THE BLING!, and Prélude. Each style has a variety of color options, and Simple is Beautiful contains numerous sub-styles including Milky Way, Diffusion, Stripe, Flower, Butterflies and dot.matrix.

I'm not wild about all the styles. Some of the cheaper ones don't have anywhere near the amount of crystals needed to make an impression, and when you're buying a case for Swarovski crystals, you need on that has a good amount of Swarovski.

They all follow the Japanese practice of Deko-Den, which is essentially decorating phones, and Bling My Thing has been working with Swarovski since 2005, with craftspeople trained by Ayano Kimura.

The idea of Deko-Den is to transform something common and utilitarians, like a phone, into something unique and glorious, like a fine piece of jewelry.

Unlike some other Swarovski encrusted cases on the market, Bling My Thing isn't focusing on artistic works printed onto the cases, or a range of artistic patterns. They're making a few designs, in a few variations, and doing them very, very well.

The good

• Beautiful crystals
• Excellent fit and finish

The bad

• More decorative than protective

The bottom line

The Bling My Thing cases for iPhone are definitely for those with style and flare -- and by that I mean a desire to draw attention and show off. While you can get some inexpensive models, the more crystals, the more beautiful, so I definitely recommend going big... er... bling.

Just pick a style you like -- or better yet, a style you think that someone special in your life would like -- and go for it.

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