Valentine's Most Expensive Gifts Of The World
The way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but the way to a woman's heart is most definitely via her feet. And the better they are shod, the happier she will be: Fact.
So
if you really want to turn on the charm this Valentine's Day - and you
have a spare £140,000 kicking about - consider treating her to a pair of
the world's most expensive shoes.
Crafted in solid gold and studded with more than 2,000 diamonds, they are quite a sight to behold.
But with that price tag, you wouldn't
want to wear them for anything more strenuous than teetering around the
boudoir. Dancing shoes, they ain't. The stilettos are the work of British designer Christopher Michael Shellis, who spent three
years working on the opulent creation. The works of art were painstakingly put together by skilled
goldsmiths working at temperatures of more than 1,000c.
The heels and soles are replaceable - they are shoes that are supposed to be worn, not just looked at.
The designer, whose label is called House Of Borgezie, has already sold four pairs of the shoes - some to very high profile customers. This isn't the only lavish Valentine's love token on offer either.
For
the truly generous lover, the shoes can be supplemented with a
gem-studded bag, a snip (if you are a Candy brother or Russian oligarch)
at £200,000. To borrow from Michael McIntyre, at that price, you could
rent a butler to run alongside you holding your lipgloss and keys in his
hand.
A generous gesture for the more prudent oligarch could be the compact mirror from the same designer, costing just £25,000.
At
this level of wealth, it can be safely assumed that the lucky ladies who
are set to be recipients of such extravagant gifts are not the sort to
be satisfied with a tin of Roses, or even a box of Milk Tray.
So
for the more discerning Valentine, Danish chocolatier Fritz Knipschildt
(try saying that with a toffee in your teeth) has come up with the La
Madeline Au Truffle, a sweet beloved of Oprah Winfrey, by all accounts,
which consists of Valrhona cocoa blended into a creamy ganache with
French truffle oil - and will set the buyer back £1,800 per pound.
The
adage 'a fool and his money will soon be parted' springs to mind
regarding the next product, which can only be described as an exercise
in profligacy: A so-called couture card, covered in bling and bearing
the wincingly high price tag of £3,200 (£5,000). Created by Gilded Age Greetings in
Miami, USA, the cards are the most expensive in the world and feature
rare pink diamonds and sapphires, white diamonds, red rubies and
authentic Swarovski crystals.
Let's hope that one doesn't end up in the recycling with the others.
A 'couture' Valentine's card from Miami-based firm Gilded Age Greetings
will set you back £3,200 - but does come set with rare pink diamonds and
sapphires, white diamonds, red rubies and crystals
The company has even hired a poet to
serve as a personal Shakespeare to help customers express the love they
feel for their loved one in a one-of-a-kind poem written in the classic
prose of centuries gone by. Co-founder
of Gilded Age Greetings Melissa Schechter said: 'Giving or receiving a
Gilded Age Greeting Valentine's card is truly a memorable experience to
cherish forever.
'I can't think of anything as romantic as this unique and heartfelt keepsake.'
What happened to a good old fashioned bunch of roses?
