[Still Waters]

www.telegraph.co.uk said:

Take a look at the most expensive Christmas bauble in the world, coated with precious gems and worth a cool £82,000 - and created in a tiny village jewellers.

The one-of-a-kind tree decoration is made of 18 carat white gold and is plastered with over one and half thousand stunning diamonds.

It is surrounded by two incredible rings featuring 188 red rubies and took all year to design and make.

The bauble is being unveiled tomorrow night, but is currently being kept under lock and key in Titchfield, Hampshire.

It is so valuable it is being kept in a steel-framed case surrounded by 6mm thick laminated glass.

The box is surrounded by a high tech microwave bubble, which sounds if it is broken, and even has an extra internal alarm which fills the shop with smoke if it goes off.

It was dreamt up by Mark Hussey, 38, the owner of 30-year-old family business Hallmark Jewellers.

He said: "It was never about the value of the bauble, we just wanted to do something special for Christmas.

Read more...

[conspiracybeliever]

And it isn't even that pretty. It's just gaudy.

[chemical-licker]

i just stamp on it.

[Dark entity]

chemical-licker, on 05 November 2009 - 09:24 PM, said:

i just stamp on it.

That's probably the best thing to do with it.
Also, If I hear of anyone buying one I'll probably stamp on them too :/ lol.

[MissMelsWell]

I actually think it's quite pretty, and I'd imagine that it looks better in person.

The reality is that jewelers who do this kind of work don't really expect to sell these pieces... they do it as a marketing exercise and it always works.

I make jewelry and christmas ornaments too sometimes (for a holiday I don't even celebrate lol) but I enter those pieces into shows to further my name and recognition in the community. Rarely do I sell those pieces... the amount and work that goes into them makes them cost prohibitive.

These kinds of things are for people that appreciate the beauty of gemstones, craftsmanship and creativity. I DO love to see something that took that much time and care to create. These people are jewelers, artists, they're pressing the boundries of their skills and this is the result. From a design perspective, it's very nice. It actually reminds me a bit of the Levian style of pave jewelry that's been quite popular for several decades now. It's classic, but creative.

It's great advertising for their store as well. People will go there just to see this bauble, almost none of those people will be interested in purchasing it. But, they might be interesting in purchasing something they CAN afford. Great move by these folks. Like I said, these kinds of marketing campaigns almost always work.

Oh, and you have to be careful with pieces like this. An independent assay house assigned the outrageous price to this piece... that's the insurance replacement value of the piece.. NOT what it's actually worth in materials and labor. That price would be significantly lower. The reason the assay house would assign such a high value is beacause it's irreplacable being a one of a kind.

This post has been edited by MissMelsWell: 06 November 2009 - 01:06 AM

[Rhungobains]

I'm no expert but I wouldn't give you 82p for that. Looks tacky.

[susieice]

It would be tasteless to hang something like that on a Christmas tree.

[MissMelsWell]

1. No one would hang it on a christmas tree. LOL.
2. How can anyone say it's tacky or gaudy? Are you kidding? It's a lovely and simple design. And the craftsmanship is remarkable.

I understand that people recoil from what SEEMS to be excess... but you're still missing the point of this piece. It's not a bauble to hang on your Christmas tree, it's not meant to impress your friends and neighbors with.

It's quite possible someone would purchase this piece as an INVESTMENT. Just like they might buy a painting or a scupture. From my point of view, I'd rather own something like this than some crappy paint splashed canvas. Then again, I like art pieces that require the artist to be a craftsman, something that requires him to be not only a designer, but a craftsman with unique skills.

I can't see why people would claim this piece is gaudy or tacky. It's lovely. It's simple, classic, and clean from a design perspective... Did the words diamonds, rubies and gold throw you off?

[Pinx]

I think it's very pretty. I agree with people here that it's excessive, but like MMW said, it's meant as a show piece or collector's item, not something you'd actually hang on your tree or use in any practical sense.

[Rhungobains]

MissMelsWell, on 06 November 2009 - 04:53 PM, said:

1. No one would hang it on a christmas tree. LOL.
2. How can anyone say it's tacky or gaudy? Are you kidding? It's a lovely and simple design. And the craftsmanship is remarkable.

I understand that people recoil from what SEEMS to be excess... but you're still missing the point of this piece. It's not a bauble to hang on your Christmas tree, it's not meant to impress your friends and neighbors with.

It's quite possible someone would purchase this piece as an INVESTMENT. Just like they might buy a painting or a scupture. From my point of view, I'd rather own something like this than some crappy paint splashed canvas. Then again, I like art pieces that require the artist to be a craftsman, something that requires him to be not only a designer, but a craftsman with unique skills.

I can't see why people would claim this piece is gaudy or tacky. It's lovely. It's simple, classic, and clean from a design perspective... Did the words diamonds, rubies and gold throw you off?

The opinions of others: As dictated by MissMelsWell.


I think it's tacky, conspiracybeliever thinks it's gaudy, chemical-licker wants to stamp on it, Dark entity wants to stamp on everybody and susieice thinks hanging it on a tree is tasteless. T'is our opinions. Get over it.

[MissMelsWell]

Rhungobains, on 06 November 2009 - 10:31 AM, said:

The opinions of others: As dictated by MissMelsWell.


I think it's tacky, conspiracybeliever thinks it's gaudy, chemical-licker wants to stamp on it, Dark entity wants to stamp on everybody and susieice thinks hanging it on a tree is tasteless. T'is our opinions. Get over it.

I'm trying to figure out WHY... Is it the perceived excess that your don't like? The price? The materials?

People see things like diamonds, gold, and a heafty price tag and think it's ugly because of THOSE things; because they don't like what they represent. I find some people and can't look beyond that to see the craftsmanship and careful design preparation that goes into an art piece.

Let's put it this way... christmas ornaments are suppose to sparkle, they have a winter theme, they're suppose to be sumptuous and over the top to a degree. They are a form of decoration and jewelry to an extent a timeless display piece. It's not really meant to be hung on a christmas tree, but it COULD be if someone decided to. It will remain in someones collection for generations... 200 years from now, it could potentially end up in a museum as a specimin of superior craftsmanship and design.

Now if this was a cell phone covered in diamonds and rubies and made of gold, that would be tacky and not terribly well thought out by the artist unless they were making an obscure statement on the excesses of society and poking fun at anyone that might buy it. I'd laugh at someone that bought a disposable technology art piece. That's stupid (and a poor investment... it would never hold its value).

I dunno, are Fabrage Eggs tacky? Or the Crown Jewels housed at the Tower of London tacky?? Most people would say NO. Are they excessive and foofy?? Yes, they're SUPPOSE to be--just like this piece is suppose to be.

I guess because I am a jewelry designer and do fancy myself an artist since I have several of my pieces in galleries all over town, I wonder WHY you think it's ugly? Is it the pave settings (which can be kind of old fashioned), or is it the lines? Do you have an adversion to stuff that's spherical? I'm trying to figure it out to be honest. If I had to say something critical about it... I'd say it teeters on the edge of being so neo-classic that it's almost boring design wise.

EDIT: hahaha, look what I just found and it can be yours for 1.3 million dollars. Now I think the design and investment quality of this is RIDICULOUS and stupid. This is the kind of excessive materialism that will end up being melted down and taken apart because it serves no useful purpose. It's just laughable it's not even suitable jewelry or a display piece after a certain amount of time--it's just a broken out of date cell phone encrusted in diamonds. To me, that's tacky.

This post has been edited by MissMelsWell: 06 November 2009 - 07:45 PM

[susieice]

The only kind of person who would want to own something like that is someone flaunting their wealth and that to me is tasteless.

[MissMelsWell]

susieice, on 06 November 2009 - 03:00 PM, said:

The only kind of person who would want to own something like that is someone flaunting their wealth and that to me is tasteless.

So you think investing in art is tasteless? Really? I think purchasing art, if it's something you can afford, can be a VERY wise investment...

I think that cell phone I posted a picture of is tasteless wealth flaunting AND it's a poor investment.

The ornament is an art piece, like sculpture, like a painting, like an amazing piece of architecture... I see nothing wrong with that. I see a lot wrong with the cell phone I posted, Do you see the difference?

[susieice]

MissMelsWell, on 06 November 2009 - 09:27 PM, said:

So you think investing in art is tasteless? Really? I think purchasing art, if it's something you can afford, can be a VERY wise investment...

I think that cell phone I posted a picture of is tasteless wealth flaunting AND it's a poor investment.

The ornament is an art piece, like sculpture, like a painting, like an amazing piece of architecture... I see nothing wrong with that. I see a lot wrong with the cell phone I posted, Do you see the difference?

I don't see that as art. I see it as an over-indulgent use of gems. Art has a purpose and is soothing to the soul. That's just an overstated Christmas ball.

[MissMelsWell]

susieice, on 06 November 2009 - 07:15 PM, said:

I don't see that as art. I see it as an over-indulgent use of gems. Art has a purpose and is soothing to the soul. That's just an overstated Christmas ball.

So, how would YOU use those gems if you were a jeweler? What spectacular piece would you create that would not be over-indulgent and overstated?? LOL. What would you do with 1,000 sand sized diamond chips. LOL Make 1000, two hundred dollar rings? LOL.

ALL precious gemstone art works are over-indulgent by definition... LOL. Why is this different that say a Dale Chihuy glass vase (which, will set you back well MORE than 87K) It's considered art work, it's hand crafted, it a neo-classic design. The christmas ornament and the vase are two different mediums of course, but both still art. Both are indulgent and overstated. They're SUPPOSE to be. LOL. One is an overstated dead plant holder, the other is an overstated dead tree decoration... same thing. Both still art.

Now if you're talking tacky and gaudy, that cell phone is tacky, overstated, and over-indulgent. It's an abomination and an abuse to gold and diamonds LOL.