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Gift-giving can be challenging, especially for someone with “everything.” Of course, if your recipient is fond of sentimental presents, you can’t go wrong with a photo. But if you’re trying to be a bit more original and creative and surprise them with something beyond the standard framed portrait, a 3D crystal photo might be just the thing.
ArtPix 3D Crystal Photos are custom, laser-engraved designs made from your pictures. Made in the U.S. from K9 crystal, a type of optical borosilicate crown glass, these personalized gifts offer astonishing detail.
The three-dimensional laser engraving provides depth and lifelike qualities to the crystal. For example, if you peer through the back of a 3D crystal photo and move the crystal, the image will appear to move too. You can experience this in the following YouTube video posted by the company.
After you send the company a photo (which it will screen to make sure it will translate into a gorgeous 3D crystal photo), designers remove the background and touch up minor imperfections. Then, ArtPix uploads the image into its 3D conversion program and creates a digital model.
Finally, designers plot light points in the image using state-of-the-art technology and map out the engraving. The non-invasive laser engraving machine uses this map to etch the design into the crystal at varying depths to make a truly three-dimensional image.
This 3D crystal photo has an impressive 4.8 stars out of 5 stars on Amazon with more than 6,600 ratings. Customers who gave the item five stars say that it makes an excellent gift for virtually anyone.
“This piece of art is phenomenal,” wrote a reviewer named Deborah, who shared a picture of the 3D crystal photo she purchased. “The craftsmanship is superb!! I bought this for a gift for my daughter-in-law who just lost her father.”
Many reviewers were surprised at the quality of the gift, even with less-than-optimal original images.
“I wanted to get my brother something special for Christmas,” wrote another reviewer named Laura. “I saw this and thought it was perfect. I didn’t have a great reference picture to give them — it was literally a picture of a Polaroid. A PICTURE OF A POLAROID. I didn’t have high hopes but wanted this picture specifically as it was the only one of my dad, brother and nephew. A little generation picture. I can’t stress enough: I won’t recommend giving them a picture of a picture but what the heck. It came out perfect and beautiful.”
The ArtPix 3D Crystal Photo comes in many sizes and starts at $99.99, and there is currently a 10% off coupon on the product page for that size (1.96 by 3.14 by 1.96 inches). All sizes currently have coupons attached, but discounts change for bigger, higher-priced versions. You can get 25% off the “Max” size (3.14 by 7.87 by 5.9 inches), which regularly costs $400.
In addition, the crystals come ready to give to someone special in a sleek gift box. You may wish to purchase a separate LED base to display your 3D crystal photo creation; these start out at $22 on ArtPix’s website, but you can buy off-brand versions for less on Amazon.
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