Cleopatra’s Jewelry Chest (Orrin’s 3-in-1 Ring on Rod) by Limited Edition Magic

Along with U.F. Grant and Ed Massey, J.F. Orrin is one of my favorite magic thinkers of old. His effects were always offbeat and the methods mechanically clever. Items like his Matchbox Transposition, Spider Web Card, Tennipen, Clickety Click (ping pong ball and paddle), Trick With A Brick, and others are all now very difficult to find and prized by collectors of unique apparatus. The “3 In 1 Cabinet” was the Orrin piece that eluded me for the past 15 years. Intrigued by the effect ever since reading about it in an old Davenport catalog, since I collected unusual “ring on rod” apparatus, I was thrilled to finally purchase one late last year. It was worth the wait, as the effect is typically Orrin clever. I knew it would be one to offer as a limited edition, and this is the result.

Effect: The performer displays a small cabinet on a thin raised pedestal platform. It’s beautifully decorated in an Egyptian theme. There is a large door on the front which is opened to show four different colored wooden rings (bracelets) hanging on a polished brass rod. The rod is removed from the cabinet and the bracelets given to a spectator to examine before each one is placed on top of the cabinet and the rod placed back into the cabinet. Keep in mind, the front door of the cabinet remains open and the interior is seen empty. One color bracelet is freely chosen. There is no force or equivoque. In fact, a small white sticker could be signed by the spectator and placed on the chosen bracelet.

A small black velvet drawstring bag is now displayed, and the performer removes the bracelets one at a time from the top of the cabinet and places them into the bag. The drawstring is closed, and the bag handed to the spectator to hold. Only now, the front door is closed and the cabinet is freely shown both front and back. There is nothing concealed in the performer’s hands. The brass rod is slid out and used as a magic wand to tap the bag and the cabinet before being replaced. The spectator is told to open the bag and remove the four bracelets. When they do so, they’re puzzled to find that the chosen color bracelet is now missing from the bag!

The front door of the cabinet is opened, and amazingly the chosen bracelet is found once again hanging on the rod inside the cabinet! It’s a great routine. And the working would puzzle many magicians. There are a few masterful Orrin touches which add greatly to what could otherwise be a standard ring on rod effect.

• no duplicate rings are used
• the interior of the cabinet is visible as the rings are placed into the bag
• easy to perform as the clever design of the cabinet does most of the work

The Egyptian decor lends itself to an obvious presentation theme, as the cabinet could represent Cleopatra’s jewelry chest which holds her bracelets. During the night, a thief steals the bracelets yet her favorite mysteriously returns to the chest. If you’re wondering what the “3 In 1″ title refers to, Orrin suggested that the effect could be performed three different ways…as described, in which a selected ring vanishes from the bag and reappears back on the rod; or with the selected ring remaining in the bag and the other three reappearing on the rod; or finally, having all four rings vanish from the bag and reappear.

The apparatus is made by the same craftsman who replicated many Okito pieces for Dr. Albo’s classic magic series of books/videos. The improvements include making the bracelets each a different color. Orrin’s original used rings of the same color and a signed sticker to distinguish the chosen one from the others. With this model, a sticker could still be used, but now isn’t necessary.

The cabinet is app. 8″ x 8″ x 3”. It’s finished with Egyptian themed decals and trim. The earth tone colors of the bracelets were chosen to complement the finish. Included with the cleverly designed cabinet, brass rod, colored bracelets, and drawstring bag, are photocopies of the original Orrin instructions and catalog ad.

(Description supplied with permission by Joe Long)

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