Obscenely Beautiful Things

“I’ve never been a millionaire, but I just know I’d be darling at it.”
 - Dorothy Parker

Remember my post a few months ago on fabulous closets?  It really got my juices flowing and I started imagining WHAT the glitterati might put in those closets…

You might remember this from my previous blog, What a Girl Wants: Or Are Great Closets Better than Sex?



“Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping.”-     Bo Derek  



In this day and age, purses seem to be the ultimate signature of fashion status and style, and storage and display of these costly items is important.   Some of us might be lucky enough to have a few good bags, possibly picked up at Last Call or other nifty discount sources… some of us even have shady purchases we might prefer to keep under wraps.  A young lady who worked for me shared her story of adventure on her first trip to New York, where she made contact somehow with a “gentleman” who took her to a hidden back room somewhere near the corner where she met him and then offered her purses that looked very like the real thing. This girl, an active church attendee and a sweetheart in general, gave in to fashion temptation… and a chance to carry a very good looking bag that she could actually afford.  I don’t think I am pure enough to criticize anyone who tries to dress in their budget but look like they don’t.  Final sale is my middle name.  And the cost of the real purses has become outrageous.

Yes, we can have a designer purse, discounted or not.  But the really rich can have the limited edition, black crocodile Hermes Birken bag.  A purse of this magnitude doesn’t need a shelf… it needs an illuminated pedestal and security pads that clang if you step too close.





“Money, if it does not buy you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort.”-     Helen Gurley Brown  



Now, I see most people as pretty down to earth, and virtually no one I know flaunts their hugely expensive goodies.  Stores don’t usually post the really high prices, galleries don’t advertize the cost of their best pieces.  Similar to shopping for major real estate, I am guessing that a person needs to “qualify” before most of these prices will be shared.  No need to rile the natives, or sully the precious object’s mystique by being too loose with the secret of its phenomenal price.   Almost in the tradition of “old money”, talking too much about it can be considered a bad thing. So, in the privacy of my own blog, I want to talk about this.  Jaw dropping pieces with even more jaw dropping prices are fun to talk about, to titter over, to criticize, to covet, but most of all to put in perspective.  What are these things?  Why do they cost so much?  Could they be worth it?  And does it all trickle down in simplified forms to more affordable stuff?  Like couture, I suppose that these truly super high end items, obtainable by only the tiniest few, can serve as inspiration and style nourishment all the way down the fashion and style food chain.  

So here are some examples: 



The Birken and other leathery things… 


Fendi “B” Bag, which sells for around $27,200 in black crocodile




The Hermes “Birkin” ranges in price from $9,000 to $150,000.

In 2005, the handbag pictured above, the “special edition in black crocodile with diamond hardware” sold at auction for about $65,000 USD.


It’s also available in my granddaughter’s favorite color… PINK!  In 2007, the limited edition, crocodile Birkin in pink reportedly sold for $140,000.    I can’t possibly fathom HOW GOOD she would have to be for Santa to leave THAT under the tree for her…


Have you been a very good girl this year?


And, at only $14,000+, this Ralph Lauren “Ricky” bag is a steal!






The Watches “Time is money.”-     Benjamin Franklin



These pieces give new meaning to Benjamin Franklin’s memorable phrase… 


Piaget’s Emperador Temple  chimes in at $3.3 million





Cartier’s phoenix-shaped wristwatch at $2.7 million





Frank Muller’s Aeternitas Mega 4, with 36 complications, at $2.7 million




At around $216,000 The Patek Phillipe Ladies Split Chronograph, in 18k rose gold, features 153 flawless diamonds in the bezel.  And if that’s not enough bling, the back of the case is paved with 76 additional diamonds.  This is good for “everyday”, compared with the Piaget and the Cartier, since croc goes with everything. 




Louis Moinet’s new piece, Meteoris, is a $4.6 million set of four tourbillion watches, made using four meteorites and comes with a planetarium of the solar system.







The Jewelry 




“A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”-     Marilyn Monroe, Gentlemen Prefer Blonds 




Wallis Simpson’s Cartier-designed diamond panther bracelet broke all the auction records as it was sold for $12,417,369 at Sotheby's. This uniquely-designed bracelet is adorned with ruby, sapphire, diamond and emerald.




This rare pink diamond ring has set a record of selling at $11.7 million at the Christie’s autumn sales of Asian and Chinese art in Hong Kong. This diamond, called Vivid Pink, weighs 5 Carat and was mined in South Africa.  By comparison, a simple 4 carat, vintage, not-quite-white diamond is only $80k.




Christie’s Hong-Kong Magnificent Jewels Spring Sale sold one brilliant pair of diamond earrings which are originally from the Golconda mines, India. The earrings are named the Imperial Cushions because of the cushion-shaped diamonds studded in the pair. Weighing around 23.11 Carats, the pair was sold at a whopping $9.3 million to an anonymous buyer (sadly, not my husband).




This piece was the centerpiece at the Sotheby's semi-annual sale in Geneva in 2009. This amazing blue diamond ring sold at the hefty price of $ 9.69 million at the auction. The rectangular-shaped blue diamond alone weighs 7.03 carats which is set in a platinum ring. This diamond is smaller than a coin and was discovered in Cullinan mine in South Africa.






And, whatever will we sit on?...   



Stay tuned!  I’m tackling the crème de la crème of furniture in an upcoming post called “Million Dollar Furniture”.       




Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination. 
 - Oscar Wilde    



Let’s not even bother to go into cars, planes, art, or houses…  those are all too crazy to think about.  But the little nuggets I mentioned above… these are things you can run to the store (albeit a very fancy store) and just pick up.   Inflation is truly on the high end.  


Happy shopping.



Love,  


Sherry 





Posted: March 30, 2012

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