This recession is digging it’s hells into even the most venerable of institutions! NASA, the space people, have begun selling off their unused space shuttles. Most of these spaceships were manufactured in the 1970s. They are going for about half of “retail” price. This puts a shuttle at anywhere fro m$28 million to $42 million. There’s a bonus, however. NASA will throw in the engine for free. These shuttle engines alone can cost a cool million so it’s not a bad deal. Now when you say “One of these days, BANG, to the moon!” you can actually mean it!
File this in the “Well, at least it’s not Swarovski” category: The trend to bling up everything in the universe continue. This one makes a bit more sense, however. An Italian company has made a classy 40″ HDTV and encrusted it with 155 rubies. You read that right. 155 of the precious red suckers. We know it looks beautiful, but once question remains, how is watching LOST on it?
At one point in history, chess was the epitome of high tech gaming. This was, of course, before Swarovski-enameled PS3’s and the sort. Well maybe it’s time to freshen up your knight moves: Introducing the snazzy lacquered chess set by company Japan Brand and designer Alexander Gelman. The first of it’s kind, the chess sets are created in four different types of Japanese craftsmanship: fuki-urushi, or wood lacquering; makie, or gold lacquering; platinum lacquering through haku or leaves; and kutani, which is hand-decorated ceramic pieces with intricate textures and patterns. Long story short, this is going to be quite the dinner party conversation piece. Oh yeah. You can also play the game with it. They range in price from $80,000 to $123,600 depending on the craftmanship.
Recently, we told you Richard Fain’s megaship the Oasis of the Seas was nearing completion. That day is now upon us. The world’s biggest cruise ship, or any ship for that matter, is ready to be sailed in. The thing cost a whopping $1.4 billion to build. It features more luxury than you can shake a sea-stick at, including two rock-climbing walls, two surfing simulation wave makers, a basketball cour, four pools, a full spa and an elegant piazza with shopping and restaurants. It truly is a neighborhood unto itself. To give you an idea of how big this thing is, it comes with a retractable funnel so it can duck under bridges. Royal Caribbean will be offering up cruises to passengers with deep pockets starting this month.
Designer Alexander Amosu has had a long history of covering BlackBerrys with all manner of rare antiquities. This new project, however, may take the diamond-encrusted cake. He has formally announced the creation of the world’s most expensive diamond-encrusted BlackBerry. This magnificent beast, shown above, is crafted in solid 18 carat yellow gold and encrusted with 4,459 brilliant cut diamonds (weighing 28.43 carats). The handset is personalized with your name or company logo and comes with a 24-hour global concierge service. Amosu says only three will be made, so you had better get on it .The price tag? A paltry $200,366!
Popular cruise company Royal Caribbean is putting the finishing touches on their crown jewel, Oasis of the Seas. The massive, massive luxury liner is the biggest cruise ship of, well, all time. The vessel, worth 900 million euros (1.3 billion dollars), can accomodate up to 6,360 passengers and 2,160 crew members. It is 16 decks high, or 65 metres (213 feet) above the waterline, and measures 360 metres (1,180 feet) long and 47 metres (154 feet) wide. Dang. That’s alot of midnight lobster buffets. Of course, it features bars, pools and everything else we love about cruise liners. Oasis of the Seas takes off for it’s maiden voyage in December.
The folks over at Computer Choppers love dipping stuff in gold! They sell gold-dipped Macs, iPhones and other gadgets. The Sony PlayStation 3 has managed to avoid their luxurious golden bath, until now. The company is releasing a limited edition of five golden PS3 Slims. These units are just like regular PS3 Slims except, well, they’re dipped in pure 24k gold! No word on pricing but one would imagine it will be quite hefty. Gold doesn’t grow on trees, after all.
Hedge fund manager Elena Ambrosiadou has purchased the world’s largest yacht. Yachtpals broke the story, and note that the yacht, named The Maltese Falcon, sold for around $120 million dollars. Yowza. That’s a lot of shuffleboard and midnight lobster buffets. The 289 foot luxury boat is fitted with a sophisticated sail system, a gym, a sculpture of a Bugatti classic racecar and a miniature submarine for those hard to reach places. The ship has eighteen crewmembers on staff and six cabins for guests. As you can see below, it truly is the lap of luxury.
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Eurocopter has delivered the Hermes helicoper for the price tag of $6 million bucks. Falcon Aviation Services of Abu Dhabi has made the leap to own this ultra luxe copter. The model is based on the Eurocopter model EC135. The brown and cream craft is adorned in the signature Hermes orange accents. The handcrafted interior has plush leather and a sliding glass partition separate this from the utilitarian Hoverwing Hovercraft. This sweet ride is reserved for people with deep pockets who prefer to ride in the utmost luxury.
Just when you though your iPhone was cool enough… Stuart Hughes does iPhone 3G in solid gold and diamond. If you missed the last version of the 24ct Gold iPhone by Stuart Hughes, here is your chance to get the even cooler 3G one. This one is completely gold although 22ct this time. The kicker is the 53 handpicked diamonds that make the Apple logo on the back. Now its not as iced out as the Diamond Encrusted iPhone, but this is handmade by 4 skilled craftsmen to recreate the housing in solid gold. All this class can be yours for $34,000.
