'Space Invaders' jewelry mixes Parisian elegance and retro gaming chic

(All rights reserved - Taito / Christofle)

For those that seek retro chic in only its finest forms, luxury French silverware designers Christofle have lent their touch to one of video gaming's most iconic images: the Space Invader.

The first Space Invaders game appeared in 1978, with endless rows of pixelized grimacing aliens marching like an army of robot crabs towards earth's one brave remaining defender.

A Parisian street artist known only as 'Invader' helped to inspire a pop culture comeback for the diminutive creatures 20 years later when, in 1998, he started a public installation of mosaic-tiled Space Invaders on buildings and facades in some of the world's most bustling cities.

Christofle's joint announcement with Taito, creators of the original Space Invaders arcade game, has revealed another French fancy, except this time the €100 charm will be accentuating slender necks and wrists rather than peeking out from walls and alleyways.

The piece is to be sold through Christofle jewelers, through selected high-end department stores in France, Japan, and the USA, and on the web.

Independent designers using the web-based tradecraft retailer Etsy.com have been riffing on video game themes for years, with characters from Pac Man to Resident Evil 5 available in various forms such as bracelets, cufflinks, and pendants, but this would be one of the precious few occasions that a prestigious and traditional family firm have picked up on the theme.

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