Victoria Neely asked:




If you’re thinking about getting yourself a Harry Potter costume, you’ll definitely need convincing Hogwarts robes, or perhaps a fashionable pointy hat. But there’s just one more very important thing you need: A good wand. How and where do you find one?

You could always pick out a decent stick and pretend that’s your wand. It’s cheap– can’t get much better than free. You could even stain and varnish it. It’ll get the idea across either way. Even so, you would still be waving around a stick. Wouldn’t it be cool to wield a beautiful wand that looks like it was truly made by Ollivander himself?

If you don’t mind shopping online, and you’re willing to shell out some money for a decent wand, you have plenty of options. Amazon, for example, has a fair number of wands for sale. But if you want a quality wand, be careful: Most of the Harry Potter wands available on Amazon are cheap toys.

Now, if you want an accurate reproduction of a Harry Potter wand and can afford to spend at least $35, look into what Noble Collection has to offer. Noble Collection is known for recreating jewelry, swords, props, and other items you see in fantasy movies. The company sells wands modeled after the ones wielded by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and even Dolores Umbridge.

Unfortunately, the wands by Noble Collection aren’t the most durable. Since each wand is made either partly or entirely from resin, they are quite fragile; they’re for display only. If you want a beautiful wand that you wouldn’t be afraid to take with you to a Halloween party, consider the wooden ones made by Whirlwood or Alivan’s.

The Whirlwood wands are all handcrafted by Gary Hall, who’s been creating fine art for over 30 years. Almost all his wands are made from solid maple wood. They are elegant and very strong– even if you WANTED to break one, you’d have a hard time of it. You don’t want to scuff them up, of course, but you don’t have to be afraid to use one of these wands to complete your Harry Potter costume. They tend to start at $50, but they are high quality and worth the price.

Your other option is to buy a wooden wand from Alivan’s. Although they don’t look quite as nice as the Whirlwood wands, they are definitely worth looking into. They’re cheaper, and Alivan’s offers a wide variety.

Doubtless there are more options, but Noble Collection, Whirlwood, and Alivan’s appear to offer the best.