Guide for the filthy rich

Introduction:

In the last few years, the mobile phones, including their accessories, have become an inseparable part of our everyday life. The high-tech fashion has conquered the World, and you can actually guess the social status of a person, by checking out his/her phone. Many companies did smell the market potential and boutique devices started appearing. The stars are usually the first audience such products are targeted at (after all, they belong to the limited group of people, who can pay the extremely high prices of such devices). They are not only able to afford the expensive toys, but are like walking neon signs, with all the rest of us following their every move.

This article aims to show you the world of the ultra-expensive and rare mobile phones and of the more affordable ones, which are modified using precious metals or gems. What characterizes both, is the individual approach used when crafting each unit and the radiating taste of luxury, as opposed to the high-tech specifications. The pricing of these phones is different and can be from the amount of an average monthly salary, rising to the value of the last model by Aston Martin and reaching to the sum needed to buy a cozy penthouse.

Les Uniques

In this category, we have the phones made by companies devoted to luxury handset production. By default, their price is similar to the price tag of an exotic vehicle or a small condo, and in some cases, it could be a six figure . If you are even able to spot any of these phones in a store, they will most likely lack a price label.

Vertu:

This is the most popular brand in this class and is a division of Nokia, using its interface (Series 40) as well. Its popularity, unusual for such an expensive brand, has made it a knock off target, but luckily, the fake copies (mainly originating in China)are quite easy to tell apart.

The Vertu phones are handcrafted in „the leafy English countryside”. So far, the following collections have been presented:

• Signature
• Signature Diamonds
• Constellation
• Monogram Constellation
• Ascent
• Ascent Ti
• Limited: Racetrack Legends
• Limited: Ferrari 1947
• Special: Summer Colours

The overall design of the brand has been inspired by exotic sport cars. This becomes apparent when you take a look at the production materials; if no precious metals or gems are integrated, high quality, modern alloys are used.


By purchasing one of these jewels, you get a unique 24/7 concierge service. All you need to do, is press a single button! Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to ask “Where in Shanghai can we have the best Sichuan Duck?” or „What’s the best hotel on the North Pole?” As an additional service, you can trust Vertu to store all your personal info. The option Vertu Fortress lets you wirelessly send all your priceless contacts and calendar events to a server, secured in an ex-military bunker in Kent, England.

Until last year, all phones of the manufacturer had no high-tech elements built-in. In contrast, the last Vertu model, Ascent Ti, is definitely not just another pretty face. It is quad-band, with a 3-megapixel camera, including flash and autofocus, Bluetooth support and 4GB internal memory. The people who can afford to buy this phone are usually the subject of the paparazzi themselves, as opposed to the ones taking the pictures, but that’s a different story.The price of that piece of art is about $ 7,000.

Mobiado:

The mobile division of Bonac Innovation Corp. uses the Nokia (Series 40) interface as well. The application of high-tech alloys (employed in the aircraft industry). The collections currently announced are as follows:

• Stealth
• Luminoso
• Professional
• Professional Executive Model with Limited Edition

The design is definitely inspired by military machines. That is the reason for the clean and “Spartan” appearance, which would not be considered luxurious by the mass consumer. The carrying case included in the set, is made out of carbon, which, thanks to its great strength and lightweight, is becoming more and more popular.

Luminoso is the model with the most capabilities; it is tri-band (900/1800/1900 MHz), with 3G support (WCDMA 2100), 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, mircoSD slot (up to 2GB). If we had to compare its specs with all other regular phones, the Luminoso would fall in the middle class. The illuminated sapphire buttons, in combination with the high-tech materials, mentioned above, are the ones making the handset unique and bumping the price up to $ 2,200. The Stealth, inspired by the legendary tactical bomber F-117, is also a modified version of the Luminoso.


If you are a war vet, with romantic memories from your service or a military wannabe, the Mobiado phones are just for you.

(Currently, Mobiado mobile phones are not available for sale to the United States of America.)

Gresso:

In nature, no two trees are identical. In order to offer unique phones only, the Russian company Gresso, counts on imported African Blackwood. The bodies of their devices are made of the exotic material and if what the company says is true, you have the unique chance of purchasing a product with a 200-year history. All Gresso handsets are slim, but still are Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard based, i.e., they are smartphones. Aside from being extremely expensive fashion accessories, these devices can help you organize your day/office.

That’s not enough? Well, then order the Royal Black Diamonds model. Each one of its 23 buttons are made of gold and decorated with a 2.53 ct. black diamond. On top of that, the phone is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Memory card slot (up to 2GB). For the moment the Russians have not announced a fully operational U.S. version and their “wooden” jewel is only tri-band (900/1800/1900 MHz), but it's still pricey at $ 46,000.

These are the collections offered:

• Avantgarde (Sol & Luna)
• Avantgarde Black Diamonds (Classic & Royal)
• Black Aura

Base price is about $ 8,000.

Bellperre:

That is another manufacturer targeting the “filthy rich” audience and offering cell phones handcrafted from expensive materials. Similar to Gresso, the company has decided that their products should run on Windows Mobile, but here we have the older, 5.0 version, which is a bit disappointing. The design of the various models includes a wide range of differently colored, exotic skins, including shark and crocodile, to choose from. The overall vision of the Bellperre phones is extremely simple and clean, resembling a rectangular leather kit-bag, but is customizable, upon customer's request.

So far, there is only one model announced and it has many variants, depending on the choice of materials . The phone has a 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth and a miniUSB jack for charging and connecting to a PC. Unfortunately, the device is tri-band and it has limited U.S. coverage.

Since the phone is expected to hit the European market in June 2008, there is no additional detailed information at present.



GoldVish:

What happens if you combine Swiss quality, 100ct. diamonds, and high-tech technology? You get Le Million. This is a jewel that is priced at
$ 1,200,000, and is currently considered the most expensive phone ever created. Only three units were made and one of them has already been purchased by a Russian millionaire. The phone is a creation of the Geneva based company GoldVish, which specializes in the production of extremely luxurious mobile devices. “The best possible” materials (18ct. gold, VVS1 diamonds etc.) are used by “skilled artisans” to handcraft Le Million.

If you can think of a better way to spend a million dollars (like buying a family home on Hawaii for example), but still would like to own one of GoldVish’s masterpieces, the Illusion collection is a solution for you. The devices of the line include phones equipped with 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, microSD slot (up to 2 GB) and a unique Vivaldi ringtone played by Domenico Nordio, exclusively for GoldVish. Twelve different color variants are offered, each one with a romantic name such as Creamy Crème, Blue Heaven, Lollypop Pink, Red Red Wine and our favorite Roses are Red. The base price is a little over $ 20,000, but it can increase considerably, depending on the customer’s choice of materials (additional rubies, higher quality gold or diamonds). In contrast to all previously mentioned phones, every GoldVish model is a global phone.

Crafted Phones

In this category, we have included popular models, which have been modified in various ways; they may have been gold plated, may have precious stones and/or animal skin added etc. In theory, every phone can be transformed into a masterpiece if you have the will and the imagination needed – for example Nokia 2610 with a sapphire display, a 100ct. diamond for a D-pad and a platinum body. In reality, mainly the most popular models get bling-bling elements added.

GoldStriker:

Exclusivity for the Fashionista. That’s exactly the type of products the English company Gold Striker offers, be it a mobile phone or a music player. The materials used are 18 and 24ct. gold, platinum and 3-4ct. diamonds.

The most impressive collection is the 18ct Gold Diamond Edition. It includes:

• Nokia N95 8GB White Gold Diamond
• Nokia 8800 Sirocco 24ct gold Diamond
• LG Shine Dawn & Dusk
• Motorola KRZR Leopard/Roma/Blue Diamond

The idolized iPhone, Prada and Armani also have golden versions and the price tags are not as scary as the ones of the GoldVish models, for example.



Amosu:

It’s the same story here. The company specializes in, adding a diamond shine to models like iPhone, Nokia N95, Motorola KRZR & V3i D&G, BlackBerry Pearl. Unfortunately, you can only buy their phones if you are on a shopping spree in the English cities of London and Manchester. The prices are from $ 960 for Samsung D900, up to $ 91,000 for BlackBerry Pearl.



Mart:

The Russian company has chosen Nokia’s showoff 8800 series (8800, 8800 Sirocco) as a base model for their product. On the metal surface of the various phones are engraved the signs of the zodiac and pictures inspired by them, Arab and Celtic symbols, and details of paintings of the great artists. Currently the collections offered are as follows:

• Sky Diamonds
• Magic of Symbols
• Great Artists

The most impressive is the Sky Diamonds collection, which includes 12 Nokia 8800 Sirocco phones, with the zodiac signs engraved on them. There are 99 phones of each design in the collection.

Pricing varies between $ 1,000 and $ 4,000, depending on the model.

Luxury Editions

In this category, we have included the limited versions of some devices, offered by the phone manufacturers themselves. These are the only solution for purchasing a limited edition phone, without going bankrupt.

Sony Ericsson T650 Precious Gold:

Presented by Jelena Jankovic, this is a color variant designed especially for the ladies. The T650 is one of the best looking Sony Ericsson candybar and the gold, in combination with the pink, give it the bling-bling appearance.

Samsung U600 Limited Edition:

As in the Т650, only the coloring has been changed – here named Black Gold. The phone really looks stylish, and its price is not that high (around $ 490 without SIM card).

RAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition:

Combine the high-tech clamshell Motorola RAZR2 V8 with 18ct. gold surface and you will get the luxury edition. Of course, that’s what the PR agents like to say, but in this case, that’s not all. The back panel is covered with imitation snakeskin. The genuine material has not been used, in order to avoid conflict with animal protecting organizations. H680 headset with 18K gold accents and a patent leather carrying case, also comes in the set, which can be yours for about $ 850.

Luxury Accessories

Until recently, one of the main problems of the headsets and the carrying cases was that they were not easy to “beautify” with matching jewels. The manufacturers of fashion products have come up with a solution; by using a few diamonds, some gold or modern colors, these devices become exclusive, luxury accessories.



Plantronics' Discovery 925:

This baby is expected by the ladies not only because of the ergonomic design, the small size and the high quality, but also because it is announced to be available in 12 different colors. This will give an answer to the question “what should I wear tonight and how will it fit with my wireless head set”. Simply buy 12 different variants and everything will be fine. The $ 150 price tag is not that bad either.



Lamborghini 'Bello':

Designed by Tonino Lamborghini (son of Ferruccio Lamborghini – founder of the world-renowned automobile brand), the device uses the legendary bull as a logo, of course. The headset uses Nokia charger and the rest of the specs, which are pretty impressive include: 6 hours of talk time, 160 hours of standby and weighing at less than 9 grams. The Bello is definitely an interesting solution and priced under $ 90, is affordable not only to owners of Lamborghini automobiles.


Motopure H12 Diamond Edition:

Another bling-bling gadget by Motorola – a diamond and gold encrusted headset. The precious stones can be black, white or pink. There are two variants offered, one with 184 (totaling 3.47 carats) and another one with 246 (totaling 1.6 carats) diamonds. The first model is priced at $ 17,000, meanwhile the second will be a bargain at “only” $ 5,000.


Jabra JX10 cara:

One of the smallest and best looking wireless devices is now offered in two limited edition variants – golden and stainless steel. The first can be yours for about $ 500 and is covered with 24ct gold.We think the second option is kind of pointless, since the original version of the device is in a similar color and this one also has a high price.

Jawbone “Love to Talk”:

Jawbone’s design has always been impressive. That of course, is normal, since it has been created by a professional, such as Yves Behar. The manufacturer is trying to add a unique style to its product with the limited “Love to Talk” edition. There are three versions announced - the white unit is marked for Trash Talk fans, the sexy black one for Dirty Talk and the light brown is for a Sweet Talk.





iPhone Case-Mate:

What happens when a high-quality phone case manufacturer becomes a part of the obsession called iPhone?. The result is an iPhone case, encrusted with 42 diamonds and 18 carat gold, priced at $ 20,000, a must-have for the owners of the Apple phones, customized by Amosu or Gold Striker. There’s also a carbon-fiber limited edition priced at $ 90.

Conclusion:

The high-tech world is characterized by dynamic changes, where every new high-end model gets its 15 minutes of fame, then, under the pressure of the new competition, quickly becomes history. In the chaos engulfing the universe, the luxury phones are like islands of relaxation. They will never go out of style, just like the materials they are made of (gold, platinum, diamonds). Investing in such a device is like buying a piece of timelessness, it will last forever. In case, you can afford such a purchase, but are too modest to show it off, you should buy a luxurious headset.