Yes, you read that right. You can now get your bling without having to bother to head to the jeweler. Is this streamlining the experience of buying a serious piece of ice or dulling it down?
Say what you will, a jewelry vending machine isn’t something you see every day, at least not in New York. And once you make your purchase, if it gets stuck in the machine you’ll be losing a lot more than a $1 bag of Doritos. However this isn’t stopping consumers from eating up the jewelry-dispensing vending machine at Vale Park, outside of the William Vale hotel in Willamsburg.
Designer Marla Aaron was inspired by the idea after visiting Japan where these types of vending machines exist all over the place. While she has her pieces in over 40 brick and mortar stores around the world, the opportunity to reach a new audience in this way excited her as she explained in an interview. She continued saying, “automated retail is an interesting opportunity and way to sort of present handmade items to the world. We are looking at a variety of different locations both domestically and internationally.”
However, users need to be prepared to pay the big bucks for this opportunity. Prices range from $165 for a silver chain link bracelet up to $1,588 for a lock necklace- and you can only pay with card. Apparently, security isn’t an issue at night as the machine that holds the pricey goods weighs hundreds of pounds and security cameras vigilantly guard the area.
Despite the hefty price of the pieces, sales are apparently steady. The machine will be up at it’s location in Vale Park until October.
Featured image: brooklynpaper.com