Butt jewelry—what’s the deal? Rosebuds are such pretty plugs, made of stainless steel. I figured, why not start with the best jeweled butt plug if I was going to try this out??? I’d see for myself why to wear a jewel butt plug.
The butt plug jewel in each Rosebuds is authentic Swarovski crystal, and it’s freakin’ gorgeous. The “Aurora Borealis” gem shines and glimmers, turning different colors as light refracts through it. Earlier this year I got a Pure Romance toy that claimed to be Swarovski-covered, and you better believe I called that BS out. Rosebuds, in contrast, are legit: actual luxury.
Rosebuds are made in France, and the stainless steel is high-quality: not a cheap, “zamak” steel that contains zinc. Nor is it finished with a metal overlay, like a cheaper chrome, or other metal that might flake off. Like the wonderful Njoy Pure Plugs, Rosebuds are top-notch stainless that’s hand-polished to a mirror finish. Rosebuds by Julian Snelling1 were the first true anal plug jewelry. So let me dive in and see what they’re all about…
Contents
I didn’t see myself writing on jewel butt plugs when I started reviewing sex toys. Because I was into toys for the orgasms, pure and simple. Whereas wearing “booty bling” is for something else: the display, and the erotic effect. It brings us to the question:
Why do women wear butt plugs?
I was recently watching an interview with SquarePegToys’ founder Scott, master of soft platinum-silicone toys for stretching and DEEP anal play. (I’m loving the realistic SquarePegToys dildos lately, myself; so fleshy-feeling.) Anywho, Scott made the point that *motivation* for using a toy is a hugely important factor to consider.2
Why are you getting a butt plug—what do you hope to accomplish? Possible answers to “Why wear a butt plug?” include:
- Wanting to please / show off your stuff for a partner
- Wanting to feel “sexy” / “naughty” during plug wear
- Increased vaginal / prostate stimulation
- Desire to feel your hole stretched
In cases #1 and #2, smaller jewel plugs are perfect for filling that “hot” psychological effect. You put one in before you go out. Then you feel sexy the whole evening, knowing you have a jewel peeking out your butt. Ready to be seen by a partner when you get back home, perhaps. Thinking about the plug, as you feel it just barely opening your hole, is a turn-on as you pretend to act like everything is normal in public. (Nothing going on here, no sirree! Nobody knows anything about this Swarovski + stainless in my asshole!)
And as for reason #3 above, Rosebuds (and other plugs, especially Njoy Pure Plugs and b-Vibe Snug Plugs, in my experience) do also create more feeling: both in the anal canal and farther forward. The entire pelvic floor is connected, and anal stimulation makes many people want to have their clit or penis played with too. (I would highly recommend a Womanizer-style toy along with a butt plug!)
What Does a Jewel Plug Feel Like?
With my Rosebuds jewel plug being stainless steel, it is of course hard. Firm! And weightier than a silicone plug too. But Rosebuds are fairly small too, so the “medium” size I have could even be a good beginner butt plug—with a little bit of warmup. (And always use lube!)
The Rosebuds Stainless Steel Plug, Aurora Borealis, has a tapered shape that eases right into my butthole—if it’s lubed up well! The fact that the stainless doesn’t bend makes it simpler to push in. I recommend it with a hybrid lube, Sliquid Silk, which gives more anal “padding” than a water-based lube. The Rosebuds size medium is just under 1.2 inches diameter at the bulb, the widest insertable part. (1.5 inches wide is “average” toy diameter, with 1.2 inches and below being “slim.”)
That means that the Rosebuds medium plug is simple to get in, even if I haven’t played anally for months. (As sometimes happens.) And once the steel plug is in?
Then, this jewel butt plug’s slender neck is just barely spreading my bootyhole open. The bulb above it is pressing a little downward. It’s a light, tingly feeling. The anal canal is lined with nerve endings, after all! And the Rosebuds’ petite size still stimulates all those nerves near the anus.
And the jewel outside? Its round circle fits right outside my hole, makes me feel like it’s blooming open. Like the flower this toy is named for.
Plus I’m thinking about how attractive my butthole is now looking. Taking ass-selfies is irresistible when you first insert a Rosebuds. It simply has to happen.
Because of the round base, Rosebuds will be much easier to wear during vaginal intercourse too: Which leads to me which is better, the original round-base jewel plug, or Rosebuds’ new T-bar base!
T-Bar Base vs. Round Base
I now strongly recommend the new T-Bar jewel plug from Rosebuds — its weighty base feels phenomenal in my butt crack! It’s a lotta extra feeling, from just walking around or sitting on it doing normal activities. The canoe-shaped “T” base adds even more weight, and it fits better between the butt cheeks.
Here are the pros / cons for round base, vs. T-bar base:
- T-Bar base is more ergonomic in the ass crack; doesn’t potentially rub the butt checks on right and left sides. Feels cooler to sit on, with how the extra steel = extra weight. May interfere with penis-in-vagina sex: Plugs with anchor / T-bar shaped bases can block the back of the vagina, and may irritate the penis penetrating the plug-wearer. T-Bars are also more secure if you’re into stretching, and your anus is used to being expanded to accept bigger insertion.
- A round base is lighter, and will not interfere with sex if the person wearing the plug is engaged in vaginal intercourse: it won’t rub their partner’s penis. Happily, Rosebuds’ bases never have a point on one side, like heart-shaped butt plugs, which are even less ergonomic to wear over time & more awkward to sit on.
Jewel Plug Safety
One important thing about butt plugs is that they need to have a flared base, because the rectum is a vacuum. Your butt can pull objects up into itself, that’ll then require emergency medical treatment to extract. So a good plug’s base needs to be at least as wide as the widest part higher up on the toy.
“Princess plugs” are frequent targets of criticism for not being safely flared. Cheap jewel plugs, in particular, can have small bases and are lighter.
The Rosebuds medium plugs’ bases are roughly a tenth of an inch wider than the bulb above. And mostly, the classic bulb shape and thin neck lock the Rosebuds in place outside my anus.
This thing isn’t moving anywhere. I decided to make myself into a test subject for Rosebuds safety: I went bike-riding, fast as usual, for an hour with a Rosebuds in. Just to see if it could get pushed farther in. And for me, there’s no way. Another time, I also actually tried pushing the flared base side to side and upward—again, to feel if it would start to go up into my butt. (Legal disclaimer, folks, do this at your own risk, I am not liable.) Again, this plug feels 100% safe to me. I’m more likely to get run over by a cookie truck next week than to have a Rosebuds plug require special removal.
I would not use a Rosebuds right after I’d pounded myself with a 2-inch-thick dildo, or any big toy for anal penetration. People who do habitually use large butt toys, or who play with gaping, are not the target audience for this plug.
I Mentioned the Jewel, Right??
Whoa, the Swarovski! The product pic below, taken on a white background, makes it look a little dull. But it’s not—not at all. It turns all kinds of colors as light passes through: see light transforming its look here. The first time I saw Rosebuds plugs were in a display case at a sex toy expo, and all my sex-blogging colleagues were marveling over how pretty the plug crystals were. They come in many shades: like Heliotrope, which is even more colorful than Aurora Borealis (star of this review). The Heliotrope Swarovski crystal glimmers blue, with hints of indigo & purple.
My Rosebuds review pack also included an aluminum plug, which is lighter than the stainless steel one! To match its shiny black body, the aluminum Rosebuds’ crystal is “Volcano,” a glowing orange.
This is what Rosebuds plugs look like out of packaging. They include a storage pouch (super convenient) and a little display tube:
Since Rosebuds are stainless steel, it’s very easy to wipe them down and clean them. They’re fully nonporous and won’t absorb any odors. After wiping down and washing with soap and water, use a lint-free cloth to focus on the crystal, make it shine like brand-new.
Rosebuds Jewel Plug Summary / Rating
You want the finest-looking jewel plug, do check out Rosebuds. They’re high-quality stainless steel, manufactured and hand-polished in France, using Austrian-produced Swarovski crystal. They don’t have a cheap plated finish that’ll flake off, and you won’t see glue emerging like in budget jewel plugs. I mean, I think my butthole deserves the best, right?
Rosebuds are truly a show piece, which means that I do feel pretty damn hot while wearing one. The weight of the stainless is sitting inside, making my anal canal feel just a tiny bit spread; and thinking about the plug is a turn-on. When I move around—like walking quickly, or climbing up stairs; dancing too—the feeling of the Rosebuds’ jewel base outside, and rounded bulb inside, is most present. I always notice the weight of the stainless, but especially in those moments. It’s tantalizing, it’s erotic. It’s beautiful, basically. If you do want the sexy effect of booty jewelry, Rosebuds are a 5/5 for quality.
* * *
NOTES
- a French-British jeweller & erotic artist; who founded Rosebuds in the mid-1990s, and the plugs have been imitated ever since. Haka Pretty Plugs are the best-known Rosebuds competitor.
- Women / people with clits & vaginas are of course not the only folks who can enjoy anal plugs, it’s 100% awesome for anyone to love butt-plug wear.
It would be interesting to see a comparison between these and crystal delights glass plugs in terms of quality/design/prices! I’m debating between these 2 companies for a princess plug
Right, that does sound cool! Especially since Crystal has an Aurora Borealis plug too, roughly the same size as the “large” Rosebuds. The bulbs on the Crystal Delights look a little more mushroom-y, which would make them really lock in but may be harder to remove. Stainless will have a little more weight than glass, I think would be the other deciding factor.
Thanks so much for reading my review 🌟
Oh! Tantus has a new line of toys called: ‘Planet Dildos’! They were advertised, I think as mostly plugs. I wonder how they would compare to other metal plugs.