The item I have chosen to describe is a decorative iridescent rose, also known as a “galaxy rose” that my best friend gifted me for my 18th birthday in September.

This item’s height is just 0.5” short of being 10”  tall. When holding the object, the bottom of what appears to be the stem is angled downwards and 0.5” from this, “24K” is inscribed vertically measuring 0.5” as well. 

At around 4.5” from the bottom of what looks to be the stem (seeming to be made from thick plastic dipped in gold paint) is a protruding piece of the thin gold plastic. It measures almost an inch long and is angled upwards on the left side of the stem (based on the photograph) with 5 indentations equal spaces apart close to the tip. Attached to this extension is what appears to be one of the leaves of the stem, which seems to be made out of a very reflective and iridescent thin plastic. It is flimsy to the touch but bounces back to its original designed shape making it a firmer material than say a plastic bag. Measuring at around 1.75” long, this leaf-like plastic has many indentations with a curvy border, making it bumpy to the touch and mimicking the look of veins on leaves. Around 1.5” from this point there is another protruding piece with the iridescent plastic “leaf” attached to it, however now it is attached to the back of the stick where in between these two leaves is a small bend in the stem leaning towards the right. Moving up 0.75” is the third and final protruding piece of gold-dipped plastic with the leaf structure. The look and texture is identical to the other two however this one is attached to the front of the stick slightly tilted to the left. 

As we move about 4” up the “stem”, we reach the top end of the item where the stem extends outward forming a zig-zag type base or holder for what appears to be the rose. The material used to create this rose-like structure seems to be the same as the one the “leaves” were made out of based on the texture and iridescent look to them. The first pieces attached to the base are 4 rounded triangular shapes to mimic the sepal of the rose. Then, like a rose, these petal shaped pieces are slightly bent outward and have a slight wrinkle to them and are layered on top of each other, getting closer and closer as they reach the center. 

While this rose has a cheap feel to it, the iridescence of it is what truly makes this a very beautiful object that is nice to look at. Being propped up next to a window with the sunlight hitting it makes it look as if it is glowing or sparkling. This object holds a lot of significance as it not only represents one of my closest friend’s thoughtfulness but also holds a lot of beauty.