I am so excited to show you the Kimberly Doyle Jewelry Gemagotchi today, my darlings. This clever little charm has taken social media by storm and for good reason – it’s absolutely irresistible.
If you’re close to me in age, you do not need this reference explained – but the Kimberly Doyle Jewelry Gemagotchi charm is an homage to the 1990’s Tamagotchi craze.
Released in the US on May 1, 1997, a Tamagotchi is a small, egg-shaped digital pet that required constant attention to keep it from dying. If you had the pleasure of going to school with young me in the 1990’s, you’ll know that I had three of these little cuties (one was a knockoff called a Giga Pet) and I wore them all on a necklace so that I could attend to their every digital need in a timely manner.
I did also have human friends back then, I swear.
Now the 1990’s are the hottest retro vintage decade and this treasure from my childhood has been immortalized in solid gold by Kimberly Doyle Jewelry. What a world we live in!
I knew I needed a Gemagotchi from the moment I saw one. However – much like their namesake – the Gemagotchi is such a hot commodity that one cannot simply buy one.
Gemagotchi hunters must instead sign up for Kimberly Doyle Jewelry’s emails and wait for a Gemagotchi drop to be announced.
I was so overwhelmed by choice during the first Gemagotchi drop I attended that I spent 10 minutes dithering and missed my chance to order one at all. But don’t worry, I was ready next time!! I finally scored my Gemagotchi of choice – an emerald baby – and I’m so happy to be wearing it right now as I type this.
The Gemagotchi drop where I scored my little emerald beauty sold out in about 8 minutes, so I highly recommend knowing which size and stone you want to buy in advance.
These little charms are so adorable in person and their delightful packaging sets the mood as soon as you open the box! Brightly colored 90’s-inspired magic at its finest.
My only concern about buying a Gemagotchi was how I would possibly face the pain of tearing up this packaging to get to my new treasure…but no tearing was necessary!! The plastic bubble is actually hinged, and folds down to release the Gemagotchi with no damage to the packaging. (A thousand gold stars to Kim Doyle for thinking of this feature, it’s brilliant.)
See it in action in the unboxing video I just posted on my Instagram.
These cuties are good from a distance, but utterly irresistible in person. They come in two sizes, “baby” and “mama.” I had trouble choosing which I wanted, but ultimately decided that the baby would fit better with my daily charms. (See the two sizes side-by-side here.)
My emerald baby on my hand should give you a sense of scale! It’s itty bitty, but that just makes the details even more adorable. I swoon for those tiny bezeled diamond buttons and that teeeeny loop of gold ball chain that looks just like the OG Tamagotchi chain.*
*Please note: the Gemagotchi packaging cautions against using the decorative ball chain to hang your charm, because it’s too delicate to offer structural support.
I saw a quote once that said “Adulthood means that the Tamagotchi you’re keeping alive is you.” It really does feel like that some days, doesn’t it? Drink water, take your pills, decide what you’re going to eat for dinner again and again and again and again…it’s a perfect metaphor.
My daily grind is much improved by having this lil bb cutie to keep me company. Did anyone else have a Tamagotchi (or Giga Pet) back in the old days? Do you love this new tribute to the OG toy as much as I do??
See more from Kimberly Doyle Jewelry on her website or follow her Instagram to stay up to date on the latest Gemagotchi drops – or to check out the fantastic Gemagotchi contest she’s running right now!
Christina Miller says
Great read! Kimberly Doyle’s Gemagotchi collection brings back 90s nostalgia with a modern twist. Each piece is fun and beautifully made. Thanks for sharing this cool collection!
Becky says
Aren’t they just so fun? I’m delighted that you love them as much as I do.
xoxo,
Becky
Lydia Lepic says
Oh my goodness, these are awesome! I had a purple Tamagotchi that I got for Christmas in 1998 or 99. My older sister was soooo jealous! I think she eventually got a Giga Pet, which I thought was way cooler than my pet alien. But I was terrible at keeping my Tamagotchi alive. If it managed to survive to fly away in its space ship, it was only because I let Shaina take care of it! I don’t recall her Giga Pet puppy ever dying. I was just no good at technology. (Some things just never change.)
Becky says
Yessssss!!! I had one of each and I was so stressed out about them both – I felt so guilty when they died!! I always wanted my mom to take care of them when I was at school and would get mad at her when she wouldn’t. So funny to think about that now.
That’s the best part about the Gemagotchi: it never dies!!
xoxo,
Becky