Hello Puzzlers,

I have a very different puzzle for you today, based on the pentacle. A pentacle is an amulet representing the pentagram, which is a symbol of faith for Wiccans, much like the cross for Christians, or the Star of David for Jews.

In this case, the pentacle was a natural for making into a puzzle, since it is often shown with different colors at the five points of the star. These colors represent the elements that make up the world in the Wiccan tradition. They are spirit (white), water (blue), fire (red), earth (green), and air (yellow). The circle around the star represents wholeness and unity, and binds the elements together to create life. For the puzzle, one side has the elements intertwined in a clockwise fashion, and on the other side they are counterclockwise. This makes the puzzle a little bit trickier to solve than it might first seem, although it is still a very simple puzzle.

You can buy the Pentacle puzzle at my Shapeways shop. Note that you will also need to buy this model for the colored pieces that are inset into the frame.

Here is the video of the Pentacle puzzle.

Finally, here are a few pictures of the Pentacle puzzle:
Enjoy!
Dave

It's funny how you didn't mention "pentagonal floppy cube" once in your topic Nice puzzle !!

I think I know what my next puzzle purchase is going to be.

I have two questions:
1. What is the diameter?
2. Would you be willing to add a small loop to one of the points so the puzzle could be worn as a pendant?

Anyways, an awesome and beautiful puzzle.

Whoops, I actually do have that in the description in my Shapeways shop.
The Pentacle puzzle is two inches in diameter, and a bit less than an inch thick in the center.
This could certainly be done. Let me know if you would want this based on the size of the puzzle.

Thanks for the compliments, they're always nice to read!

This is such a beautiful puzzle. I also feel like this is a puzzle which needs a two layered version of it. But it is really good looking. I have a feeling that this puzzle will be wanted by a lot of members on this forum, myself included.

I love it! I really like that each piece is meaningful.

I wish it could be slightly bigger than it is although it's already very nice and I'm seriously considering having one.

Very nice! This is probably the second-simplest puzzle you've ever made, right?

(I wish the center piece had all five colors on it though. )

I too was sort of curious why it didn't.

I also like the creative use of Full Color Sandstone to remove the need for stickers. I've never used this material so I'm also curious how well it holds up. Will it discolor or wear down with use?

Carl

I looked at a few different options for doing this, but everything I came up with seemed a bit "forced" to me. Plus, most pentacles that I looked at actually left the center pentagon open, so I decided that the simplicity of a white center was best.
The sandstone material does scratch relatively easily. I have a sample that I sprayed with a clear coating, and that works very well to protect it. If the puzzle is going to be used very often, or worn or carried in a pocket, it should probably be given a protective spray coating. Any clear coat (such as Rustoleum or Krylon) will do.

Very nice puzzle! I also like the way you used full colour sandstone. I wonder if you could print tiles for a puzzle in the same way. I designed a puzzle similar to this a little while ago, except it was pentagonal. I hope to print it soon.

Callum

Really nice puzzle, I also vote for a two-layer version.

Very nice!
What kind of materials did you used? It seems a bit "soft".
It'll be nice with 5 colours tough,for the 5 colours on the center will be a symbol of a balance of the 5 colours.

Already exists:
http://twistypuzzles.com/cgi-bin/puzzle.cgi?pkey=2935

While the two layer version already exists, I think it would look much better with the Pentacle's Double-convex lens shape and spiral tiles.

And, while it is a little on the large side, I still want to wear one as a pendant.

I could do this in a couple of ways. I could either put a hole straight through the white point of the star which will end up around the center of the point, or I could add a hanging tab to the top of the white point. The hanging tab would allow the cord or chain to lay in the same plane as the pendant, while putting a hole through the point would require the cord to sit in a plane perpendicular to the pendant. What's your preference?

The hanging tab sound like the most aesthetically pleasing option. Now if only I could find room in my budget to buy it now instead of waiting until the end of may.

Here's a rendering of how the Pentacle Puzzle will look with a hanging bead. The hole through the bead is .08" (or about 2mm):
If you like this, I'll put it up in my Shapeways shop.

Dave

I don't think that hole is big enough, well depending on what type of necklace you will be using, because take a a military dog tag chain for example which is 2.5mm it will not fit

Thanks for the info, that's exactly what I needed to know! I've updated the model to fit 2.5mm ball chain, which is typically used for dog tags. Of course it will fit smaller chains or cords as well. Here's a new image:

Looks good, and I agree that a dog tag ball chain is a good standard to base the hole size on. The 23rd cannot get here quick enough.

Yeah np it is funny cause I was checking info the other day to make my own pendent to hang it on a chain like that

Basically, this is a pentagonal floppy. Neat. I always felt that it would be more possible to deeply scramble a pentagon floppy than it is a square one. Slightly more of a challenge.

The Pentacle Pendant Puzzle is now available for sale in my shop.

Enjoy!
Dave

Very nice puzzle, keep up the good work !

Pete