You may have been stunned by Katy Perry’s diamond studded shoes, or shocked by the $20,000 iPhone that comes with a diamond wraparound, but you shouldn’t be shocked by the lengths people will go to in order to bring a little bling into their lives. Certainly there are the old standbys: engagement rings, tennis bracelets, tiaras, and the like. But diamonds, by their very rarity and value, are meant to be a little ostentatious, so it’s no surprise that people use them in some oddball, off-the-wall, and totally unpredictable ways. Here are a few that may raise an eyebrow.
1. In weddings. Whether they’re adorning the dress or decorating the cake, modern brides with money to burn have shown that the engagement ring need not be the only sparkle in a day that’s all about her.
2. On a car. A Rolls-Royce hood ornament accented with $200,000 worth of diamonds is nothing to sneeze at. And while the word “opulence” barely covers the item, it’s nothing compared to the Matchbox car that Hot Wheels made to celebrate their 40th anniversary. The 1:64th scale model car is not only cast in 18-carat white gold, it contains more than 2,700 diamonds in colorless, black, blue, and red hues for a total of almost 23 carats worth $140,000. And yes, the hood lifts up.
3. On the faucet. So you’ve reached the point that diamond-crusted salt and pepper shakers, studded photo frames, and loose stones in your shadowbox coffee table aren’t enough. As you look around your house and despondently wonder where else you could possibly fit a few rocks, your eye falls on the faucet. Yeah, right. But apparently there is some demand, because architect Nilo Gioacchini has devised a gold bathroom faucet that features a strip of 282 sparklers to brighten up your otherwise drab water closet.
4. On the floor. In an out-of-the-box approach to putting diamonds on the soles of your shoes, flooring company Pietra Firma features a line of diamond-studded floor tiles (each boasts over 1,000 natural stones) that sells for $1 million per square meter.
5. In airplane windows. Granted, this probably isn’t quite what you think (if you’re planning to go back through Sex and the City 2 frame by frame to see if their flight to Abu Dhabi sported diamond-crusted windows, you’re going to be disappointed). In fact, the air force is considering the use of 80-carats worth of polycrystalline diamonds to create windows 2.5 inches across in aircraft that would allow the release of high-powered microwaves (HPMs) to destroy enemy electrical systems, without the danger of blowing a hole in the hull of the plane. That’s what you call a diamond in the rough.
