/Objets d'art

It's an oblong ring, an odd shape for a vibe. It's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and looks like a beautiful piece of decor, or perhaps a piece of jewelry, like a bracelet or a pendant.

The Alia is part of Lelo's Insignia collection. It's a clitoral vibrator with a three-button interface for six variations, a rechargeable battery, and exceptionally quiet vibration. The vibration level is fairly strong for a toy of its size and it's distributed evenly throughout the ring. While it's slightly pointed at one end, the overall shape is very rounded, so the vibration is diffuse.

But what comes to mind when playing a bit with the Alia is the aesthetics. The physical impact is a bit different, a bit less intense than other vibrators that have come our way, but the aesthetic is interesting, on two levels. There's the look of the thing, which is very cool, abstract, a nice play of matte silicone texture against the shiny detail. But - and this is a little more interesting to us - it compels you to hold it more delicately. The gesture and movement is more elegant. It allows for a fingerhold rather than a full-fist grip.

And that's something we haven't thought about much (because who thinks about how they look when they're about to come?). But maybe that matters. Maybe that makes the moment a little sweeter. It's very subtle, beautiful, and quietly erotic.