All that Glows is not Gold

     Everyone knows the good old saying 'All that glitters is not gold'. That saying which constantly reminds you that not everything that looks precious ends up being as it looks. I know it and I can assure you I know the exact same sentence in three different languages. However, what happens when something glows but it's not golden? Or when something golden doesn't glow? Does it hold that 'All that glows is not gold'? Asking the real questions, it is finally time to test the hypothesis and find out, by inspecting items spanning from the realistic to the more abstract.

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     The first items on the list are the most realistic and the most obvious. The Golden paint brush and the Glowing paint brush. The former can paint your pet golden while the latter can paint your pet glowing when used at the Rainbow Pool. However, one needs to remember the distinction between the type of glow they are going for. Golden gives off a radiant, eye-blinding shine while glowing gives off a green, radiative gloss. Comparing prices, the Golden paint brush is much more expensive than the Glowing one. Thus you can still achieve a glow with less Neopoints spent!

     All that glows is not gold?: No, both items have clear purposes and Glowing paint brush is cheaper than Golden paint brush as anticipated

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     Oh look a glittering apple! Look another one! Is that glowing? Or is that golden? Or is that golden and glowing? As much as these apples look the same, one is in the shades of gold, the Golden apple, while the other one is in the shades of green, th Glowing apple. However only one of the two is classified as a Gourmet food and I doubt if you can guess which one it is. The Golden apple is a normal spooky food while the Glowing apple is an expensive Gourmet delicacy for your pet.

     All the glows is not gold?: Yes, the apples have different culinary standards with the Glowing apple being the gourmet food and in extend more expensive

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     With the day of Giving fast approaching, it would be a mistake not to mention these two shiny snowflakes. The first one is a Golden snowflake and the second one is a Glowing snowflake. Despite their similarity and equal shine, both of them are in distinctively different colours. Even though they are priced at almost the same value, with the Golden one being a few Neopoints more expensive, they can both be used in the Battledome for minimal effect.

     All that glows is not gold?: Yes, on top of the price equality and the similarities, neither snowflake scores high on my Battledome tests to make it special, while Golden should have performed better

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     Our next two items are the Gold Gelert yoyo and the Glowing yoyo. Again, the similarities are uncanny, from the shape to the shine. However, the Gold Gelert yoyo is a unique Key quest code prize with unimaginable value. It came with the Gold Gelert key quest token, one of my favourites and the one I used during the glorious days of Key Quest! The Glowing yoyo is just another toy from the Toy Shop, with very little value.

     All that glows is not gold?: No, the Gold Gelert yoyo is much more expensive and rarer to find than the Glowing yoyo

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     The first fine example of objects which look alike but are entirely different. The Golden moon comb and the Glow-in-the-dark moon might be all glitters and shine, however they are two different items with different purposes. The former grooming item is used to make silky hair even silkier while the latter is a Kreludan furniture item for your Neohome. And on top of that, the golden item is much cheaper than the glowing one.

     All that glows is not gold?: Yes, from the fact that the glowing item is more expensive than the golden, to the fact that the two items look alike but act entirely different, the consensus couldn't be different

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     The next two items are the most dangerous to confuse on this list. One is the Gold evil Fuzzle, a cute, small, innocent, expensive plushie. The second one is the Glowing Wuzzle, a vicious, hot and untouchable Petpet. Never mix these two up; notice their distinctively different shine and be safe when choosing a new Petpet or plushie for your Neopet. Rumours have it that if the Glowing Wuzzle bites you, you get a radioactive disease.

     All that glows is not gold?: Yes, despite the correct price difference, with the Gold evil Fuzzle being more expensive, the fact that poor Neopians might confuse these two items strengthens the argument further

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     The two worst items to mix up during an elation of hungry pets are the Golden jelly window with the Glowing jelly. Imagine your pet being hungry and whiny while you, as the good owner that you are, try to feed it an elegant, shiny Golden jelly...window instead of a Glowing jelly. Not only does the Golden jelly window have the shape of a jelly to fool you, to make matters worse there is no Golden jelly item in the whole of Neopia!

     All that glows is not gold?: Yes, accidentally feeding your pet a window instead of jelly will not make it happy

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     Finally the two most abstract items on the list which, to me, look a lot alike are the Golden Ixi acorn and the Glowing top. From the shiny glow, albeit in different shades, to the shape of the figure, with the pointy bottom and square top part, these two items can easily be confused. The acorn is a healthy food while the top is a toy, which brings us back to the same argument that a pet might accidentally eat the top. Or play with the acorn, but that could be feasible.

     All that glows is not gold?: Yes, the two items look very alike, especially when one is not wearing their glasses, which might lead to unwanted consequences

     If you got confused by the standards that I judge the items, here is how: The gold item should be more expensive in comparison to its glowing counterpart. The glowing item should have a lesser effect on Neopians. This goes both ways; if a gold item is subpar then the saying still holds. Afterwards, it boils down to whether the items look and function as they are intended. Items that look alike but perform entirely differently in their true colours - pun intended - are an almost sure yes for the 'All that glows is not gold'.

     Out of the eight examples given, six confirmed the hypothesis while the other two only rejected it due to the monetary value of the items. The most frequent problem is the fact that many golden items have fraudulent glowing counterparts. Therefore, extra care is advised both when buying something shiny as well as when using said item. After all, you wouldn't want to be fooled by something shiny now, would you?

     PS. Please provide Neopia with a Golden jelly. Also the most ironic item would be a Glowing Goldy Petpet, however that doesn't exist either.