The Diego collection is probably the most popular and recognisable piece made by Deer Arrow. These little dragons have become immensely popular with many people, like myself wanting to collect the whole set. Currently, there are 13 different colour variations of the original Diego, 4 colour ways of the baby Diego or Diego 2.0 (if you include the exclusive giveaway only, colour way), and 1 new ’evolved Diego’. Numbers are also limited which means they are usually only available once & are not made again in that same colour variation.
This is a lovely brooch and I can understand why it is so collectable. Every time I wear this particular brooch, someone comments on how sweet he is. The sleeping pose is just adorable.
The very first Diego was made in 2018 (baby Diego in 2020), with a retail price of $55 AUD (orginal Diego) and $60 AUD (Baby Diego 2.0). Since then Diego’s (I believe it’s just the baby ones, not the original style) retail price has gone up slightly by $5 AUD, making him now $65 AUD.
In 2018, the blue, green, pink, black, gold and lavender Diego brooches were released.
In 2019, the Night Sky Diego was released.
In 2020, the Sunset Diego, the pink and blue Baby Diego and the Luna Diego were released.
In 2021, the Ember Diego, the Shimmer Baby Diego, the Fire Storm Diego, the Krytonite Diego and the Evolved Diego were released
In 2022, so far the Storm Diego has been released.
The Diego brooches are always increasing in value. At the start of 2020 a more common Diego (ie, blue, green) was worth $110 AUD. About 6 months later a these same Diego’s went up in value to around $250 to $350 AUD. The value of Diegos have gone up in value because of how collectible they are. Once people own one they usually want to own all the other colours. It is important to note that Diego prices are always changing; some months they are really high while others they are low. Usually a new Diego has a more expensive onsell price when it first hits eBay after a release; then about six or less months drops in price significantly. Keep in mind that the price range listed are the prices I have seen these pieces sell for in the past. Currently (August 2022) I would say that the Diegos are at the lower end of their price ranges, with at least from my knowledge not being sold as much, and their hype on them being down at the moment; but this could all change when the next colour variation is released.
It will be very interesting if someone ever decides to sell all of their Diegos at once. I have seen four sold at once for $450 which is quite under priced and there was about twelve people who commented NIL (next in line) within seconds (as expected). I think if they ever did all sell at once they would probably go for way over $2000 just for the first nine original Diegos, if the pink was included. Many would probably want just the pink though and on sell the rest.
You can learn more tips and tricks about brooching here.
The Original Diego
Note: this post was last updated August 2022 and the value of the Diegos since then have most likely changed.
1. Blue Diego
Year: 2018
Number Made: 330
Resell value: $90 – $250+ (as of August 2022)
The blue is the very first Diego brooch to be released. This colour used to be quite easy to find, as larger numbers were made of them. But as more broochies fall in love with Diego, they are becoming harder to find.
How I found my blue Diego
The blue Diego is the fourth in my Diego collection. One day I saw a Blue Diego listed on Facebook and quickly commented ‘sold’ on the ‘Blue Baby’ as listed. Facebook Groups are a great place to find brooches. You can learn more about how to buy, swap and sell brooches here.
2. Green Diego
Year: 2018
Number Made: 225
Resell value: $90 – $300+ (as of August 2022)
The green is the second Diego brooch to be released. It was released at the same time as the pink Diego. These used to be quite easy to find, as larger numbers were made of them. But they are becoming harder to find, as more broochies fall in love with them.
How I found my green Diego
The green Diego is the fifth in my Diego collection. One day I saw a Blue Diego listed on Facebook and quickly commented ‘sold’ on the ‘Blue Baby’ as listed. Once I paid for the blue Diego I said how now I only need to find a green and black Diego, (I needed a pink but I had sort of given up on that one by then). She later told me that she had a green that she needed to sell and had never been worn so I grabbed the green off her as well.
I’m so glad that I bought my blue and green Diego from this lovely broochie, who later played an important role in getting my pink and has become one of my broochie friends.
3. Pink Diego
Year: 2018
Number Made: 50
Resell value: $priceless (you never see them for sale, they are very rarely seen in swaps only for something similar value)
The pink is the third Diego brooch to be released. It was released at the same time as the green Diego. This brooch is very difficult to find, as only 50 were ever made. This brooch is lovely. The colours are so vibrant and it is such a lovely brooch to wear. (And yes, most days I am too scared to wear it!)
The pink is near impossible to find, and you rarely see them for sale. And if you ever do see one for offer, it is only because a broochie is wanting to trade it for an even harder to find brooch. So my tip for finding a pink is to find a rare brooch that a pink owner wants. I would never sell my pink Diego, because it is worth more as a trade for a more desirable brooch (like the hard to find Tangerine Menagerie portrait brooch).
I have never seen a pink for sale, and if you ever find one of these then you have hit the jackpot! I have seen a pink Diego for sale as a second (damaged and with an ’S’ on the back decreasing the value) for $450 AUD. The pink Diego is the most common ISO I see (you can learn more about broochie slang here). Many broochies have all the other Diegos but not the pink, and they are desperate to find it. If I was to sell my pink, I am guessing that it would sell for close to $1000 (if not more).
How I found my pink Diego
To my surprise I actually found a pink Diego! I still can’t believe I actually own one and am still too scared to wear it in case I brake it. I knew that the only chance of ever getting a pink was to swap and barter. I had a very old 2011 Erstwilder orange Fletcher fox in mint condition that I knew was valuable. This was actually my first ever Erstwilder purchase as well as my Bluebird of Happiness which I bought from Etsy in 2011.
I knew this piece was valuable and put up a swap post saying that I only wanted to swap for a Tangerine Menagerie (which I planned to use to barter with for a pink Diego) or a pink Diego. I had lots of people PM me for other swaps which I declined in hope for a pink.
Eventually I heard from my brooch friend who I bought my blue and green Diego from, with had some swaps. I declined her offer telling her that I only wanted a pink Diego. She really wanted the fox as she collected Erstwilder original foxes and knew how rare and valuable this piece was. So she messaged me later telling me she was talking to someone with a pink.
She had negotiated a 4 way swap, which she had to give up a very valuable Erstwilder piece for, but she wanted the fox even more. Eventually, the swap was organised with us all getting out dream ISO brooches.
I think the only reason I was able to get this pink was because the woman who was sending me hers had two! That’s right – TWO pink Diegos! If she had only one I don’t think she would of given it up as that would make her Diego set incomplete!
The first time the pink was sent I had given her the wrong PO Box number so the brooch arrived in Perth (where I live) and was sent back! I was very disappointed in myself and spent 3 hours (I’m not joking here) on the phone with Australia Post waiting for them to answer me as I was in the queue (great customer service, am I right!). The customer inquiry was put in and yet it still was returned to the sender!
The second time it was sent the sender put on the wrong street address. I’m number 120 along my street, but the parcel said 12! The woman felt really bad once I told her and I’m so glad she sent me a photo of the address she sent it to otherwise I would never had known! I contacted the people who lived at number 12 and they were of course really nice people and said they would look out for it. I again put in a customer inquiry which took only 1 hours of waiting in the queue. However, the parcel still went to the people at number 12 and I had to go get it from them.
What did I learn from this, customer inquiry with Australia Post does not work and always send photos of the address you mailed to! Definitely worth the 2 month wait as my pinky is perfect!
4. Black Diego
Year: 2018
Number Made: 170
Resell value: $120 – 300+ (as of August 2022)
The black is the fourth Diego brooch to be released. This colour used to be quite easy to find, as larger numbers were made of them. But as Diego becomes more popular, it is becoming a lot harder to find!
This brooch is quite special, and is much better in real life than in photos. The subtly of the gold through the black is just lovely.
How I found my black Diego
The black Diego is the seventh in my Diego collection.
I was almost done with my set of Diegos! I put up an ISO post in the Deer Arrow Appreciation Facebook group and had no people wanting to sell to me. Eventually, I got one comment telling me there was a black Diego on eBay. I went onto eBay and it took me about 30 minutes to find the listing since it was from the UK and was just impossible to find!
I was the only bidder on this’ impossible to find’ listing and I asked the seller for photos of the back to see if it was a second. It was not, otherwise I wouldn’t have grabbed it, since the starting bid was around $170 AUD, which is the most I had to pay for a Diego. I won the auction as the only bidder and was very happy when it arrived in a very fancy flowery postage bag.
I must say that the two brooches I have bought from people in the UK have shipped the brooches in the prettiest post bags – a flowery bag and a purple metallic bag. The UK definitely has the coolest shipping bags, as in Australia we have a choice of white with red or white with red and yellow. We really do need some flowery and metallic bags!
5. Gold Diego
Year: 2018
Number Made: 105
Resell value: $100 – 300+ (as of August 2022)
The gold is the fifth Diego brooch to be released. This colour is not easy to find as only 105 were made.
This brooch is lovely, and is much better in real-life than in photos. The subtly of the gold through the white acrylic is lovely. It is very Christmassy but can be worn all year round.
How I found my gold Diego
The gold Diego is the eighth in my Diego collection.
I put up many posts and swaps for a gold Diego as I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to get once since I have seen so many others get him. I was wrong. I finally gave up and put up a very valuable and sought after pieces for a swap, and only for a gold Diego. This was my Pete Cromer Gabby Galah. Finally, someone messaged me as they needed the Galah to finish off their entire Pete Cromer collection. Very impressive may I say so myself! We swapped since they were both worth around the same amount.
6. Lavender Diego
Year: 2018
Number Made: 270
Resell value: $70 – 300+ (as of August 2022)
The lavender is the sixth Diego brooch to be released. This brooch used to be quite easy to find, as so many of them were made. But yes, as they become more popular, it too, is becoming hard to find! It’s value is much lower than the other Diego’s, possibly because so many of them were made.
This brooch is quite lovely, and goes with so many clothes in my wardrobe (I wear a lot of pastel colours).
How I found my lavender Diego
The lavender Diego is the second in my Diego collection.
After my 2 night sky Diegos arrived my mother decided she didn’t want one and left hers to me in trade for one of my Pete Cromer brooches by Erstwilder. I gave her the Gabby Galah brooch as she loved it and I never wore it and decided I would rather have another Diego.
With this night sky Diego I put up a swap post in a brooch Facebook group I belonged too. I asked to swap my Diego for any other Diego I didn’t already own (6 at the time). This night sky that I swapped was my least favourite of the two, because it has a swirl near the nose where the other didn’t.
After a couple of hours, I heard from someone who wanted to swap for a Lavender Diego in Australia. I instantly swapped as that was my favourite Diego then and I couldn’t wait for it to arrive.
7. Night Sky Diego
Year: 2019
Number Made: 270
Resell value: $70 – 300+ (as of August 2022)
The Night Sky is the seventh Diego brooch to be released. This brooch used to be quite easy to find, as so many of them were made. But as more broochies discover the Diego brooches, they are becoming harder to find.
This brooch is much better in real life, than in photos. It is a dark brooch, so you do have to be careful about what you wear it with otherwise it will just disappear into your clothing. Despite all the other stunning colour variations, the night sky Diego is actually my favourite of all the Diegos. I feel that this one is very underrated for it’s beauty, and I find that it works well with so much in my wardrobe (keeping in mind I wear a lot of pastels & pink, which you can see by my Instagram & Facebook feed). It’s truly is sad that this brooch is so hard to photograph well.
How I found my Night Sky Diego
The Night Sky Diego is the first in my Diego collection.
The first Diego I bought was the night sky colour way of Diego. I bought him at the release in October 2019. This was my second time buying from a Deer Arrow release and I didn’t really understand who and what Diego was. All I knew is that I wanted him!
My mum and I waited until the morning release where we put two Diegos in our cart, as we both wanted one. We made sure we followed the tips on how to buy Deer Arrow brooches, making sure that we had logged in before. We went into the cart and pressed paid and that was it. I was very confused and thought that we had lost them, so I then went back and ordered two more Night Sky Diegos.
We then realised that we had bought four! So rather than on selling them for an inflated price (which I didn’t feel morally and ethically comfortable with doing), we contacted Deer Arrow for a refund which they kindly did. And that is how I got my first Diego, accidentally ordering four but only keeping the one for myself.
8. Sunset Diego
Year: 2020
Number Made: 86
Resell value: $150 – 500+ (as of August 2022)
The Sunset is the eighth Diego brooch to be released. This brooch is difficult to find because so few of them were made, but you often see them for sale on eBay.
This brooch is beautiful and because of the type of acrylic that is used, each brooch is quite unique. Some are darker or lighter in colour.
How I found my Sunset Diego
The Sunset Diego is the third in my Diego collection.
The Sunset Diego was shown in a sneak peak, with one photo being with a peach colour and the other a dark orange. I don’t like orange so I originally was not going to grab a sunset Diego. I decided that I wanted a peach colour one and that If I got one I didn’t like I could always swap it. At the time I still hadn’t decided that I wanted to collect the Diego brooches.
On the day of the release I was out all day so I had to get my mother to grab the sunset Diego during the morning release. When I got home I asked her if she was able to grab one and luckily she got one! I later went onto Facebook and discovered that many had missed out in the morning release, and he was limited so they only had one more chance to grab him.
My mother said that he took about 3 minutes to sell out and in the evening release he took about 1-2 minutes before he was gone. Many missed out and were upset, and I’m very glad that I bought one at the time after seeing them sell for $500 on eBay later that month. Luckily mine was a very beautiful sunset Diego and I couldn’t be more happy with him! Especially since many got a sunset that is not really as beautiful as my own and am so grateful mine is as beautiful as it is. The sunset also changes colour depending on the lighting, sometimes being pink other times more orange. Believe it or not, but the photo below is of the same sunset Diego with the photo taken on the same day!
9. Luna Diego
Year: 2020
Number Made: 200
Resell value: $90 – $450+ (as of August 2022)
The Luna is the ninth Diego brooch to be released. This brooch sold out very quickly one of the fastest times I have ever seen a Diego sell). I think this Diego has stunning colours and he seems to go with pretty much everything including from dark and light colours.
How I found my Luna Diego
The Luna Diego is the ninth in my Diego collection.
I was very lucky to grab it at the original release. This is the fastest I have ever seen a Diego sell, and I am very grateful that I didn’t miss out. The speed at which it sold, does alarm me, as there is no guarantee that I’ll be able to grab one next time.
So I will make sure that I have some brooches in my collection that I can use to swap for any new Diegos that I miss out on. Sadly, I may even have to trade one of my precious Tangerine Menagerie brooches for one!
10. Ember Diego
Year: 2021
Number Made: 490
Resell value: $90 – $110+ (as of August 2022)
The Ember is the tenth Diego brooch to be released. This brooch was in the first and only ever preorder Deer Arrow has done, along with the Shimmer Baby Diego. Due to this one being a preorder you may have noticed that the number made of the Ember, and Shimmer Baby Diego’s are a lot higher indicating their popularity. This was a great release for many broochies who were desperate for a Diego but never able to grab one on release day seeing how quickly they sell out. This piece was a nice change with the red acrylic, being the first red Diego in the series.
How I found my Ember Diego
The Ember Diego is the tenth in my Diego collection.
I got my Ember through the preorder release which I ordered along with the Shimmer Baby Diego. For once I was glad that I check Instagram so often as otherwise I would not of even realised a new one was being released seeing that I was on holidays in Queensland visiting family at the time.
11. Fire Storm Diego
Year: 2021
Number Made: 175
Resell value: $100 – $200+ (as of August 2022)
The Fire Storm is the eleventh Diego brooch to be released. The Fire Storm was a really popular release due to the richness in the colour of the acrylics used, making Diego seem bold & fierce. This brooch is stunning in person and always looks amazing no matter what I wear, making him definitely live up to his name.
How I found my Fire Storm Diego
The Fire Storm Diego is the eleventh in my Diego collection.
I got my Fire Storm through the release. As anticipated the Fire Storm Diego sold out very quickly, being gone in about a minute. I was quite worried with this release that I would miss him as I had to also grab the Kryptonite Diego at the same time & had no idea which one was going to be more popular and sell out first. I decided to prioritise the Fire Storm Diego and grab him first then go back from the Kryptonite Diego. As I’ve learnt from experience it is better to grab them separately and risk losing one but knowing that I had at least one rather than grabbing both & risking losing them both (which would of happened in this release as they both sold out really fast).
12. Kryptonite Diego
Year: 2021
Number Made: 300
Resell value: $70 – $150+ (as of August 2022)
The Kryptonite is the twelfth Diego brooch to be released. The Kryptonite Diego was the first Diego to be truly green, instead of the aqua colour of the Green Diego. This brooch is lovely in person and perfect for any green lover.
How I found my Kryptonite Diego
The Kryptonite Diego is the twelfth in my Diego collection.
I got my Kryptonite through the release. This variation came out in the same release as the Fire Storm Diego causing many to prioritise the Fire Storm and miss out on the brooch. I prioritised the Fire Storm but luckily had enough time in the release to come back for this piece.
12. Storm Diego
Year: 2022
Number Made: unknown as still being made
Resell value: $70 – $90+ (as of August 2022)
The Storm is the thirteenth Diego brooch to be released. The Storm Diego is the first Diego to part of the Deer Arrow ‘Classics Collection’, which is a group of brooches which will be restocked repeatably so you can have many chances to grab one! Despite the Storm Diego being grey I was very surprised by how lovely this brooch is in person, that black glitter acrylic is stunning!
How I found my Storm Diego
The Storm Diego is the thirteenth in my Diego collection.
I got my Storm through the release. Despite the Storm Diego being apart of the Classics Collection the brooch still sold out fast (within about 5 minutes). I have seen it been restocked a couple times but the piece has still repeatably sold out after each restock quickly.
The Baby Diego 2.0
1. Pink Baby Diego
Year: 2020
Number Made: 150
Resell value: $80 – 450+ (as of August 2022)
The pink is the first Baby Diego brooch to be released. It was extremely popular and released at Part One of the Mystical Collection.
I’m not sure if this new styled Diego counts as part of the original ‘Diego set’ or if they now count as a new set. I have seen Deer Arrow refer to them as Diego 2.0. I think they will be part of the Diego set but will always remain separate as the dragon is lying in a new position.
The pink which has the same acrylics as the original pink Diego was limited in number and sold out within 1 minute. Many broochies were devastated at missing out on this brooch, and I think for many, this piece replaces the pink Diego that they are unlikely to ever find.
How I found my pink Baby Diego
The pink Baby Diego is the first in my Baby Diego collection.
I was lucky enough to grab mine in the original release. I knew that these brooches would sell fast because of the chatter in the Facebook groups, so I prioritised it as I loved the colours.
2. Blue Baby Diego
Year: 2020
Number Made: 385
Resell value: $80 – 300+ (as of August 2022)
The blue is the second Baby Diego brooch to be released. It was popular and released over two parts of the Mystical Collection. The blue did not sell out as quickly as the pink. It sold out in 1 minute and 30 seconds but was not limited so broochies had a second chance to grab it.
The blue which is more of a sky blue compared to the original blue which is more of a deep blue.
How I found my blue Baby Diego
The blue Baby Diego is the second in my Baby Diego collection.
I was very lucky to grab mine in the original release. My strategy for buying a Deer Arrow brooch as a new release, is to not be greedy. So I buy one brooch, and then try to buy my second brooch as a separate purchase.
So I was lucky enough to grab the blue Baby Diego in my second purchase.
3. Shimmer Baby Diego
Year: 2021
Number Made: 415
Resell value: $80 – $110+ (as of February 2022)
The Shimmer is the third Baby Diego brooch to be released. This brooch was in the first and only ever preorder Deer Arrow has done, along with the Ember Diego. Due to this one being a preorder you may have noticed that the number made of the Shimmer, and Ember Diego’s are a lot higher indicating their popularity. This was a great release for many broochies who were desperate for a Diego but never able to grab one on release day seeing how quickly they sell out. This brooch is very similar to the Gold Diego, however the with the difference being the acrylic used as their base body colour. The Shimmer Baby contain this stunning white acrylic with gold and glitter mixed through creating a stunning colour.
How I found my Shimmer Baby Diego
The Shimmer Baby Diego is the third piece in my Baby Diego collection.
I got my Shimmer through the preorder release, which I ordered at the same time as my Ember Diego. For once I was glad that I check Instagram so often as otherwise I would not of even realised a new one was being released seeing that I was on holidays in Queensland visiting family at the time.