World's most expensive bag goes on sale

The Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse holds the Guinness World Record for being the most valuable handbag ever produced, with an original price of US$3.8 million in 2010.
The Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse holds the Guinness World Record for being the most valuable handbag ever produced, with an original price of US$3.8 million in 2010. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

LONDON • Who would not get carried away by this diamondencrusted handbag which is billed as the most expensive in the world?

If you have money to splurge, it is now up for sale.

Officially known as the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse, the one-off accessory holds the Guinness World Record for being the most valuable handbag ever produced, with an original price of US$3.8 million in 2010.

The statement piece, designed by the jeweller Robert Mouawad, is handcrafted from 18-karat gold and covered in more than 4,500 diamonds.

The rocks are mostly colourless, but 105 yellow and 56 pink diamonds have been incorporated into the design.

The front of the bag dazzles with a firework motif in pink diamonds working outwards from a central diamond heart.

The sheer volume of bling means the bag weighs in at 381.92 carats - even before any belongings have been stowed in it.

Handbags have become a sought-after investment for high net-worth individuals. Last year, Christie's auction house sold a Hermes Birkin bag for £155,000 (S$279,000).

The intricate diamond work of the Mouawad took artisans more than 8,800 hours to create, according to Christie's, which is handling the private sale.

To drum up interest in what it described as a "bejewelled masterpiece", the auction house is showing the piece to potential buyers in Hong Kong before embarking on a tour that will visit Geneva and London next month.

Mouawad also holds a number of other world records, including for creating the most expensive bra in the world.

The US$11 million Very Sexy Fantasy Bra, which was modelled by Heidi Klum in a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2003, was covered in 2,800 diamonds, sapphires and amethysts and weighed 2,200 carats.

GUARDIAN

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 26, 2017, with the headline World's most expensive bag goes on sale. Subscribe