JEWEL AF1 MAKE'S RETURN IN 2012!!!!!

[mr coordinate]

Simple mid colorways please. I'll take em all twice

 

[marcelwuzhere]

love these

 

[rawairmia]

The countdown is on,I seriously shed a tear,thank u nike.

 

[illphillip]

Cool retro.

But these were not well received when they dropped the first time by most of the AF1 heads. True story.

They've become more popular over time based on their perceived "scarcity". Because everyone wanted to go back for the older releases as the newer ones went to !#+@.

Didn't like them the first time around. Don't like them now. Especially if they're making the Jewel Swoosh the same color as the sneaker. That +++* is weak.

OG Swoosh is nicer because it provides more of a color POP when it contrasts with the rest of the sneaker just because it covers more surface area.

 

[illphillip]

Originally Posted by BIP Roberts

1. You know they aren't going to use leather remotely resembling that used on the OGs, so I'm not going to delude myself into high expectations.

2. The love for these is a bit of an example of revisionist history. The jewels were a gimmick and in their time they received mixed reviews at best. There were a handful of sweet pairs, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't hunt some down myself, but as I remember, most of us preferred the classic design.

...Wanna hear my cynical "conspiracy theory?" Wannabe OGs manufacture a lust for them because their unique design and lack of re-release timestamps jewels to a certain era, whereas the factors that identify the classic design pairs as older are more subtle (shape, leather, etc.). So, the pseudo OG in need of others' validation can point to these to claim OG stripes. This doesn't mean there's no genuine jewel love among AF1 heads, but there are also a lot of folks who profess their love for jewels primarily to "signal" the others. 

Nice 1st post yo. Agreed on all points.

 

[ruxxx]

Originally Posted by Weatherman

Originally Posted by BronLe

Ew.

Y'all be wild over the most funky looking stuff. If y'all like these, do you...

Gotta be a youngin.

Same thing I thought.

and

@ these joints dropping again though.

 

[rick2345]

Next up is Taiwans please NIKE!

 

[bip roberts]

Originally Posted by illphillip

Nice 1st post yo. Agreed on all points.

Thanks. I lurk, so I know how knowledgeable you are too. Glad to be in agreement with you.

To take it to the next level, some of the pairs that are common in circulation were just left for the taking because they sold so poorly in the first place. That's the thing about AF1s, cats always beat them. So, a lot of the best pairs are hard to find because they weren't preserved. When cats decided to go raid the mom and pops and try to buy out their dead stock from years ago, there weren't any pairs of white and grey highs with the royal accents sitting unsold since the Dinkins administration, but there were surely mildly effeminate super jewel mids. So, a lot of the B-team got back into circulation, while most of the A-team were already endangered species bordering on extinction. Nowadays, even the second-tier colorways still bring nostalgia to me, and they stay winning because of the quality of materials, but we can't pretend we didn't pass on them even at $34.99 in the 90s.

Hell, I won't lie, I used to look at cats rocking some of these colorways and think, dude wanted a pair of AF1s but was broke, so just copped whatever was on clearance... usually rocking 'em with the Tommy Hil buttondown where the design was basically four different quadrants - three colors that didn't match each other and the other being some random plaid.

   

 

[vood99]

Originally Posted by BIP Roberts

Originally Posted by illphillip

Nice 1st post yo. Agreed on all points.

Thanks. I lurk, so I know how knowledgeable you are too. Glad to be in agreement with you.

To take it to the next level, some of the pairs that are common in circulation were just left for the taking because they sold so poorly in the first place. That's the thing about AF1s, cats always beat them. So, a lot of the best pairs are hard to find because they weren't preserved. When cats decided to go raid the mom and pops and try to buy out their dead stock from years ago, there weren't any pairs of white and grey highs with the royal accents sitting unsold since the Dinkins administration, but there were surely mildly effeminate super jewel mids. So, a lot of the B-team got back into circulation, while most of the A-team were already endangered species bordering on extinction. Nowadays, even the second-tier colorways still bring nostalgia to me, and they stay winning because of the quality of materials, but we can't pretend we didn't pass on them even at $34.99 in the 90s.

Hell, I won't lie, I used to look at cats rocking some of these colorways and think, dude wanted a pair of AF1s but was broke, so just copped whatever was on clearance... usually rocking 'em with the Tommy Hil buttondown where the design was basically four different quadrants - three colors that didn't match each other and the other being some random plaid.

   

You must be in your early 30s - both your posts in this thread are spot on. It's refreshing to see some signs of intelligence on NT every once in a while. And I agree with you - these retro 'Jewels' are bound to be crud.

 

[thunderchunk69]

but when I say the same thing about gumbottom/white/white AF1s sitting on shelves no one agrees

hrmmm

 

[finessesupreme86]

Originally Posted by BIP Roberts

Originally Posted by illphillip

we can't pretend we didn't pass on them even at $34.99 in the 90s.

x

That line especially hits home with the golden rod dunks. I remember being in junior high 1998 seeing those shoes and jewels ROTTING on clearance shelves. Hell i only got a pair of red mid jewels solely because they were on sale. To be frank the poorest of kids in my school wore the goldenrods...some in shame due the colorway..my how times have changed

 

[dric]

Wanted these so bad as a kid. A girl in my church had a pair. Thought about stickin' her for her sneakers every time she wore em. lol

 

[Animal Thug]

I'm ready for these.
Honestly, these shouldve dropped 4-5 years ago - it's been wayy overdue. Nut they were for waiting for that 30 -so I understand.

Gonna cop a couple, especially these if they drop again:

The apple green joints, with the clear sole were so clean.

 

[sloane kettering]

They may not have been well received or that popular back then, but I sure as hell had my wht/caro blue mids, wht/grey lows, and wht/yellow mids in constant rotation....but that same tone jewel def isn't a good look....

 

[160jordansdeep]

too little too late

 

[Original Playa Records]

Originally Posted by finessesupreme86

Originally Posted by BIP Roberts

Originally Posted by illphillip

we can't pretend we didn't pass on them even at $34.99 in the 90s.

x

That line especially hits home with the golden rod dunks. I remember being in junior high 1998 seeing those shoes and jewels ROTTING on clearance shelves. Hell i only got a pair of red mid jewels solely because they were on sale. To be frank the poorest of kids in my school wore the goldenrods...some in shame due the colorway..my how times have changed

I remember coming up, FootAction couldn't get rid of Forces and Dunks or the longest.

I miss those days, crushed leather.

I used to hate Forces being young and dumb.

At the age of 24, one of those first world regrets.

  

 

[d dot 23]

Originally Posted by Animal Thug1539

I'm ready for these.
Honestly, these shouldve dropped 4-5 years ago - it's been wayy overdue. Nut they were for waiting for that 30 -so I understand.

Gonna cop a couple, especially these if they drop again:

The apple green joints, with the clear sole were so clean.

Word, always wanted these. I went hard back in the day to get the Forth of July joints for me and my girl.

 But to no avail. Wanted the black/red and the black/carolina NYC's too but every time I saved money my size was sold out.

 I was tight, I went everywhere I could think of. The jewels are really what started my sneaker collecting as I couldn't afford Jordans yet. I had the navy/orange NYC's and the white/orange one's pictured previously. I was crushin' the NYC's with the matching navy Parasuco shorts with the orange stripe and orange and blue Pelle Pelle tee with orange goggles with the blue lenses.

 Ahh, the good ol' days.

 Needless to say I go hard with the matching.

 

[punzit0]

jewel af1s are 4 girls, and theyre FUGLY! we used to call em Fake Forces.

 

[cicero avenue dopeman]

well they fresh now

lows was strictly for hoodrats

 

[ScroogeMcBuckz]

So what about the past, i bought concord xi's on sale back in 2000 but as you can see everybody wants a pair now. Same with grape v's, og's rotted on shelves now look.

 

[mr coordinate]

I know I'm only 24 now. But back in the HS years everyone where I lived wore NBs and Nike shox. No one wore colors and dang sure didn't coordinate their kicks. I loved forces back then. Never had any till my senior year and found a pair of white/white forces. I beat the snot out of them! I know the difference in old forces and new. Old is MUCH nicer. I will cop some of these jewels if the leather is on point

 

[bip roberts]

vood99 wrote:
You must be in your early 30s - both your posts in this thread are spot on. It's refreshing to see some signs of intelligence on NT every once in a while. And I agree with you - these retro 'Jewels' are bound to be crud.


Yup. Being 30-plus and still loving shoes is kind of a trip. We're are the point now where half of the people involved in the hobby are younger than several of the models they are chasing. There's nothing wrong with being young and interested in kicks, don't get me wrong, it's just a strange feeling sometimes for us older guys.

Thanks for the kind words. That's one of the reasons I joined after years of lurking. It seems like there are fewer and fewer people around here who lived through the heyday, and the older head perspective and the knowledge that some of us bring to the table seems to be a bit lacking. So, I wanted to add my voice to the conversation to help represent that perspective.

 

[sthebest]

What Id wish they retro is the yellow low jewels. Those things were beautiful. I was bidding on a par last year but they were too worn for me to shell out $150 for them. Also id like to see the navy/reds make a return.

Funny story: these things were ALWAYS on sale in Eastbay in 98-01. If im not mistaken, they were a few dollars less in retail than the regular AF1s. these were pretty much the first reinvention of the AF1s..from the tumbled leather to the swoosh air instead of nike air in the back to the oval laces, they were definitely in a different class than your standard air force ones. The leather on these was so incredible back then..it was basically thw same quality leather that was on the 1988 Jordan III...butter soft. But hell, all GR forces from back then had great leather.

 

[bip roberts]

Yeah, some of those colors like the yellow or red jewels with the white swoosh didn't survive because they were ugly. They were, and still are, quite nice, but it was way less common for kids to have a ton of different kicks so choosing a yellow pair of kicks wasn't really practical.

 

[nycposite]

Hopefully they throw the jewel option on Nike Id