LOS ANGELES — In the Marvel universe, the Infinity Stones — six gems whose unique properties give the owner control over time, space, reality, the mind, power and the soul — are priceless.
In our universe, though, it turns out you can measure the Stones' value: over $25 million.
Unveiled on Friday at Comic-Con by "Shark Tank" investor, FUBU founder and Emmy nominee Daymond John, Marvel Entertainment and East Continental Gems' collection of one-of-a-kind gems totals more than 150 carats.
Paul Gitter, senior vice president of Marvel Consumer Products, explained the rationale behind the cush collab in a statement. "Fans and collectors are a very important consumer for Marvel, since they truly live the Marvel lifestyle every day and are always seeking to connect with the brand in new and unique ways."
Los Angeles-based Darren Romanelli, a.k.a. DRx, is the creative director behind the look of the gems, while Gentle Giant Ltd. had a hand in creating the Infinity Gauntlet that the gems are displayed in.
In the comics, the stones (previously called gems) were first introduced with the Soul Gem's appearance in "Marvel Premiere" No. 1 (April 1972). After the others followed, all of the gems first appeared together in "Avengers Annual" No. 7 (1977).
Each stone from the East Continental Gems collection not only corresponds to one of the fictional Infinity Stones but also comes from a different family of earthly precious gems:
•The Time Stone, which has the ability to manipulate time — even in places beyond time — is a Colombian emerald of nearly 23 carats.
•The Space Stone, which allows its user to exist in any location, move through multiple realities, warp space and teleport across planes, is a sapphire from the island of Madagascar and is over 30 carats.
•The Reality Stone, which has the power to will anything in or out of existence and can retroactively create alternate realities around those changes, is an oval-shaped, natural ruby from Mozambique and is over 15 carats.
•The Power Stone allows its users to manipulate all forms of energy and enhance their own physical strength and durability, in addition to boosting the effects of the five other Stones. This jewel is an oval-shaped, natural amethyst of more than 35 carats.
•The Soul Stone, which can manipulate the soul and essence of a person, control life and death and contains a pocket dimension called the Soul World, is a cushion-shaped spessartite, or spessartite garnet, that exceeds 35 carats.
•The Mind Stone allows its user to enhance their mind, awaken or heighten abilities like telepathy and telekinesis, and — when combined with the Power Stone — access all minds in existence concurrently. This gem is a yellow diamond close to 35 carats.
"As a fourth-generation jeweler and fan, I am honored that Marvel entrusted us with the monumental task of curating the Infinity Gem Collection for our universe," Adam Mirzoeff, vice president of East Continental Gems, said in a statement. The company will also be issuing a limited-edition Reality Stone in September as part of a future collection.
John, an avowed Marvel fan, wrote in an email that "it was an honor to be a part of the Infinity Gem Collection reveal. This collection and the partnership between Marvel and East Continental Gems is the perfect example of how strategic partnerships can lead to the types of unique and innovative ideas that make waves in an industry. I know Marvel fans are going to go crazy over this collection."
No word yet on the potential MCU/Comic-Con/heist movie crossover event.
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