Ring bombs — bath bombs that dissolve to reveal hidden jewelry — are popping up all over Facebook and Instagram in promoted posts and video ads. Which ones are worth your money? Find out by following along as I try out and review ring bombs from all over the Internet! Find all Ring Bomb Bonanza posts here.
The Company: Jewelry Candles
Established in 2012, Jewelry Candles doesn’t just offer ring bombs. Their massive and growing product line includes bath bombs with and without jewelry (rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings), cash or other surprises; candles with and without cash and jewelry; sugar scrubs; wax tarts; jewelry slime for kids; and wax-dipped roses (with jewelry surprise, of course). They offer a Bath Bomb of the Month Club at several price levels, along with a Candle of the Month Club. They also have a sales rep program — for the cost of a starter kit (anywhere from $50 to several hundred dollars), you can earn commission on sales made through your personal Jewelry Candles site. Jewelry Candles offers 5 percent cash back through Ebates.
A single Jewelry Candles ring bomb will set you back $17.95. I shopped during a Fourth of July sale and saved 30 percent, but ultimately I decided to order just one cotton candy-scented bomb as I wasn’t sold on the ring photos I saw on the website. If I loved it, I figured, I could always order more. Shipping was extremely quick; I placed my order on a Tuesday and the package arrived on Saturday.
The Bomb
With as much as Jewelry Candles has going on — 100 fragrances, dozens of different products — I wasn’t sure whether to expect much from the bath bomb. Opening the package got my hopes up, though. As soon as I had the box open I caught a strong whiff of cotton candy fragrance. At 7.5 oz., it’s a good-sized bomb, well-packed and shipped in perfect condition.
In the bath, the bomb fizzed beautifully, creating a swirling pink and blue foam in the tub. Ring bombs don’t tend to last as long as solid bath bombs since the middle is taken up by the “surprise,” and this one was middle-of-the-road in terms of duration. Not too short, but not particularly long-lived, either. Before too long, I could see the little plastic ring pod pop up to the surface of the tub.
Although the bomb was delightful while it was fizzing away, once it was gone, I have to admit it was a bit of a disappointment. A good bath bomb doesn’t just put on a show; it leaves behind its fragrance and moisturizing properties after it’s gone. But once the cotton candy Jewelry Candles bomb was gone, it was gone, leaving behind just a periwinkle tint and a few lingering swirls of foam. Usually when I use a bath bomb, I can skip lotion afterward, but my skin didn’t feel particularly moisturized after this bath, and I couldn’t detect a hint of fragrance on my skin.
The Ring
When I first popped open the ring container, I wasn’t terribly impressed. At first glance, the plastic-wrapped ring looked large and cheap, with a black center stone.
Once I got it out of the inner plastic bag, though, it was a different story. The ring is actually very pretty, and the center stone is dark blue, not black (a design at least similar to, if not inspired by, Kate Middleton’s engagement ring). It’s definitely a ring I can put into my accessories rotation.
The Gimmick
Like other companies, Jewelry Candles teases the chance of winning a valuable jewel. The site claims the rings in its products are worth between $10 and $7,500. Instead of using a code to enter a sweepstakes, however, Jewelry Candles offers a manual ring appraisal on its website. You photos of your ring and information about your order with the promise that you’ll receive an appraisal in 24 to 48 hours.
I had a bit of trouble with the “Appraise My Jewel” feature. For starters, it didn’t appear to work on mobile. In fact, Jewelry Candles’ entire website is pretty clunky on mobile, something I’ve found to be true of other ring bomb companies, which is surprising given that one-third of online shopping is done on mobile devices. I couldn’t get the form to submit on my phone and ended up having to fill it out on desktop and hitting the “submit” button several times before it finally worked. Later I checked my email and saw that my form had submitted on mobile after all, even though it never appeared to work, so I ended up submitting my appraisal request twice.
Sure enough, after about a day, I had two emails from Jewelry Candles, each letting me know my ring is valued at $20, which seems about right.
The Bottom Line
At $17.95, Jewelry Candles’ ring bombs are among the more expensive options out there. At that price, I expect a good quality experience on all fronts, and although I love the ring I got, I was disappointed in the quality of the bath bomb. For that reason, I don’t see myself ordering bath bombs from Jewelry Candles again… although I will admit to a lingering curiosity about those wax-dipped roses.
I only used LUSH bath bombs, and my daughter had ones with a little toy inside. I had no idea there is also a version for adults with a ring inside. Nice ring you got!
Thank you! There are SO MANY of these jewelry bomb companies out there, as it turns out. I’m having a blast (and staying very clean) trying them all out.