Jelly Bean Puzzle 
by Guest Writer Roberta Shore

We invite you to read Roberta Shore's review on the following jigsaw puzzle. Since she has discovered the advantages of jigsaw puzzling, she has reviewed/journaled several that will be available on this website.  

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Jelly Bean Soonness Ribbon Cut 1000 pieces. Finished Dimensions: 27.5” x 19.75”

Jelly Bean Puzzle - Roberta's Review

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Jelly Bean jigsaw puzzle Soonness Ribbon Cut 1000 pieces. Finished Dimensions: 27.5” x 19.75”

Jelly Bean Jigsaw Puzzle

Soonness
Ribbon Cut
1000 pieces.
Finished Dimensions: 27.5” x 19.75”

My Confident Newbie Difficulty Rating: Medium

Color me relaxed and joyful. This type of gradient puzzle is all about color. Good color vision and precise sorting allows a puzzler to complete this jigsaw puzzle practically stress free. Okay, admittedly I’m biased - I truly love this kind of gradient. I am blessed with excellent color recognition. I don’t think they are easy, I don’t finish them in short order, but fun and seeing progress seems to override any frustration an individual puzzle’s intent or quality might present . . .

Quality: Well, the square, sturdy box is beautiful. An enlarged area of the puzzle covers the entire top and sides. Signage on the top is limited to two words - Gradient Therapy*. Inside the pieces come in a zip lock, reusable plastic bag. There is no poster, just a mailable postcard showing the full image. The bottom of the box shows a larger full version. Color match pic to pieces was excellent. There was virtually no puzzle dust. Piece fit was acceptably tight. The solid pieces are 100% matte. Just one had a splitting tab, easy repair with a bit of glue. No pieces were together uncut, and none were missing. But, big BUT, false fits! That’s my only reason for saying practically stress free. This puzzle is built color by color; with 1000 pieces, color variation can be very subtle. It happened at least 6 times. The background was the worst offender. Pulling sections apart is a bother. Yes, it momentarily lowered the fun quotient.

Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Guilty again - call me super sorter. I sorted yellow, yellow green, green, green blue, blue, blue purple, purple, yellow orange, orange, orange red, red, red pink, pink, pink purple. And, each pale color of the background. I even sorted the edge pieces! I did not build the frame first . . .

Construction: Tip - while sorting, you will find pieces that obviously have background color. Piecing those together gives you an almost solid frame for the jelly bean. I found the few pieces that made it complete. Super! I laid out each color sort by piece shape, but for me, mostly depended on color to build the jelly bean. There was a short area on each side where I could then add frame pieces, but I filled the background out from the bean’s edge and left much of the frame until the end. Most pure gradient puzzle images do not have a background. False fits aside, that was the trickiest part of this puzzle.

Final thoughts: No kidding, I remained relaxed and joyful through the entire build. My favorite puzzle style is an attractive illustration with large areas of similar color / design. Pure gradients, especially full spectrum ones, run a close second. (Probably because I’m good at them, she said modestly.) Don’t be fooled by puzzles labeled gradient that have a design overlay, or only a couple colors, or are broken up somehow. Construction does not flow in the same way.

My grades: Quality A- / B+ (False fits are not a good thing). Fun Factor A+

*Jelly Bean was the closest to a pure gradient of the three that came as a set in the Gradient Therapy collection. Magic Box was more complicated, but doable. I reviewed it here: (add Puzzle Hobby link or edit out “I reviewed it here:”) I went back and read my review. With 45 puzzles under my belt, I was calling myself an Advancing Newbie. Now I’ve completed 50 more. I’ve graduated to Confident Newbie and today’s review reflects that, I guess. The third, Sky Love, is definitely the most complicated. When I started working it, I realized there were impossible manufacturing issues with the cut, and contacted Soonness directly. Customer service was personal and excellent. Soon confirmed the issues I described; I received a replacement, checked it for issues as

Soon requested, and boxed it up for later. Later is on hold. Let’s just say I don’t think I will stay relaxed and joyful doing it.

*Jelly Bean was the closest to a pure gradient of the three that came as a set in the Gradient Therapy collection. Magic Box was more complicated, but doable. I reviewed it. CLICK HERE  I went back and read my review. With 45 puzzles under my belt, I was calling myself an Advancing Newbie. Now I’ve completed 50 more. I’ve graduated to Confident Newbie and today’s review reflects that, I guess. The third, Sky Love, is definitely the most complicated. When I started working it, I realized there were impossible manufacturing issues with the cut, and contacted Soonness directly. Customer service was personal and excellent. Soon confirmed the issues I described; I received a replacement, checked it for issues as
Magic Box Jigsaw Puzzle Sooness (Gradient Therapy Series) Ribbon Cut 1000 pieces Finished Dimensions: 19.625 “ x 27.625”

Soon requested, and boxed it up for later. Later is on hold. Let’s just say I don’t think I will stay relaxed and joyful doing it.

There's More To Jigsaw Puzzles Than Pieces Book by Linda Richard. A compilation of 50+ jigsaw puzzle related topics, tips and tricks written in conversational format for easy, light reading.There's More To Jigsaw Puzzles Than Pieces Book by Linda Richard. A compilation of 50+ jigsaw puzzle related topics, tips and tricks written in conversational format for easy, light reading. Click Here
Puzzle-Hobby

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - With her self-published book and  over 300 jigsaw puzzle reviews,  Linda has established herself as a prominent social media marketing influencer and jigsaw puzzle-preneur.  If you want to send Linda a quick message, visit her contact page here.

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