The bluefin tuna is a species in decline. While the Pacific variety isn’t as endangered as the West Atlantic bluefin, it’s quite telling that half of the 600 devices that researchers from Tag-A-Giant attached to Pacific bluefins were returned to the New York-based operation by fishermen seeking the $500 reward for each device. Combine the pressure from fishing with the weather experienced in the region this year and you have a species that may not be around to see 2010.

It certainly doesn’t help that it’s such a tasty fish.

In early 2009, a 282-pound bluefin caught off the northern coast of Oma was sold to a pair of rival restaurateurs who set aside their differences to procure the massive fish for $100,000. In 2001, a 440-pound tuna was sold for the phenomenal price of $220,000.

In 2010, however, the 440-pound tuna’s record was beaten by the sale of a gargantuan 513-pound bluefin. Sold at Tokyo’s Tsukiji market, the most expensive tuna in the world was also purchased by a confederacy of restaurateurs—this time the owners of two sushi restaurants in Japan and the owner of one in Hong Kong.

As the world recently celebrated the start of a new year, sushi connoisseurs worldwide also celebrated a brand new record for the world’s most expensive tuna sold at auction. Purchased at the same Japanese fish market as the previous record holder in Tokyo, this blue fin tuna is substantially bigger than its predecessor. At 269 kilograms (539 pounds), Kiyoshi Kimura purchased the delicious fish at $1,238 per pound.

When you do the math, it adds up to $736,000 US. Kiyoshi, the CEO of a popular sushi chain reportedly bought the most expensive tuna in the world to celebrate his restaurants’ obviously soaring profits while also taking advantage of the publicity that comes with such a purchase.

Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market

Part of the reason for these phenomenal prices, of course, is the bluefin’s rarity. While forty-one bluefin tuna were sold at a 2008 auction, only three were sold at the same auction in 2009. The economic crisis, however, may have been a boon for the bluefin population as consumers found the fish too rich for their wallets. In adition, The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas reduced the quota for the 2010 catch to 13,500 tons—around two-thirds of the former quota.

Still, offering a reward for the prize in the fish’s belly might not have been such a good idea after all.

Lindeth Howe Country House Hotel in Windermere, Cumbria has recently served the world’s most expensive dessert to a British diamond merchant, Carl Weininger.

The 3 inch by 3 inch chocolate flavored cake, made to appear like a Frabrege egg, was infused with peach, orange and whiskey and layered with champagne jelly and a light biscuit joconde. The edible parts were finished with dark chocolate and of course no record breaking dessert is complete without gold leaf.

To fully bring the dessert to the level of an ostentatious display, the dessert is topped with a two-carat diamond.

The dessert cost a mere £22,000, or around $34,000 USD.

Marc Guibert, the head chef, prepares the extravagant dessert.

In the movie Stardust Memories, Woody Allen echoed the sentiment of many Americans when he referred to pigeons as ‘rats with wings’.  Each society has their own set of rules when it comes to the ranking and treatment of different animals, so it comes as no surprise that the storied past time of pigeon racing, currently gaining popularity in China, has yet to catch on in the US.

Pigeon racing has rich cultural roots all over western Europe, and training carrier pigeons has been the privilege of noblemen throughout history.  It is said the Rothschild family banking dynasty benefited from receiving advance news of Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo from their homing pigeon.  Modern pigeon racing first gained momentum in the mid 19th century, when Belgian practitioners of the sport began breeding the animals for speed and endurance.  Similar to horse-racing in the US, opportunities to bet on racing pigeons have become big sponsored events in China.

The most expensive pigeon in the world was sold to a wealthy Chinese buyer, who shelled out $200,000 at a Belgium auction for a highly pedigreed racing pigeon.  Known as Blue Prince, this ‘designer’ pigeon seems a breed apart from the plump, trash-foraging birds commonly seen in urban parks.  Currently living out his retirement on a Chinese roof top,  Blue Prince is no longer expected to race, but was purchased to breed more speedy champions like himself.

A person typically spends a third of their life sleeping, so why not make the most of that time by spending a ridiculous amount of money on an extravagant bed? Each supremely expensive bed is luxurious in its own way, and we’re certain almost anyone will find one of these beds most desirable.

Parnian Furniture bed – over $210,000

Furniture designer Abdolhay Parnian treats his furniture like works of art and it shows in the final product. It’s taken him two years to design this bed and I think you’ll agree that it was well worth the wait. It’s not only visually striking, with the eyelike headboard that will surely dominate any bedroom, but also equipped with features sure to intrigue even the most jaded of millionaires. The purchaser may choose from a variety of materials, including the ebony, sapele and curly maple in the pictured display model, as well as technological features such as iPad holders and charging stations, hidden compartments and pop-up swiveling televisions and computer monitors.

Jado Steel Style Gold Bed – $676,550

If you want to go all out with a bed that conveys wealth like no other, you can’t go wrong with the Gold Bed. As its name suggests, the luxurious waterbed is coated in 24k gold and features Swarovski crystals along the sideboard. It’s equipped with a DVD player and Bose sound system, Blu-ray player, Playstation 3, a foldaway plasma television coated in gold and can even be connected to the internet.

Magnetic Floating Bed – $1.6 million

The 2006 Millionaire Fair in Kortrijk, Belgium saw the debut of a magnetic floating bed that pretty much takes the cake for the coolest bed in the world—and the most expensive. Conventional beds and mattresses haven’t changed much over the years, and that’s where Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars comes in. The goal in his project was to make a usable piece of furniture that wasn’t constrained by the laws of gravity.

Ruijssenaars reportedly worked on the technology for six years in collaboration with Bakker Magnetics. Permanent opposing industrial-strength magnets allow the bed to float around 1.3 feet off the floor while holding almost 2,000 lbs. This aesthetically pleasing technology could also be applied to other areas in home furnishings like coffee tables, sofas, and Japanese dining tables. How cool would it be to eat sushi and drink sake off a floating table?

While the expensive bed will run you €1,200,000 (US $1.6 million), a smaller unit, one fifth of the full size, costs €115,000 (US $153,000). If you are a millionaire and simply must have this eye-catching bed, the people at Universe Architecture would be happy to make it happen for you.

Baldacchino Supreme – $6.3 million

After four years on the top, the magnetic floating bed has been unseated by luxury designer Stuart Hughes. whose collaboration with Italy’s Fratelli Basile has created nothing short of the most expensive bed in the world–the Baldacchino Supreme.

Fratelli Basile’s Hebanon furniture evokes the timeless qualities of 18th century furniture while making use of modern craftsmanship. This bed, with its chestnut structure and ash wood canopy, is no exception. The exterior is lacquered, patinated and decorated with 107 kg of 24k gold. The bed also features the finest Italian silk and cotton.

The Dubai Mall

In the US, we think of shopping malls as places for teenagers to hang out and purchase things for more than they’d cost just about anywhere else, places to get our holiday shopping done and places to walk in comfort for exercise. Will the same be true of the most expensive shopping mall in the world? Only time will tell.

The Bawadi mall, part of the Bawadi project in Dubailand, Dubai, will be the world’s most expensive shopping mall—if it’s ever completed. The original plans called for the 4-million-square-foot mall to be finished in 2012 for $2.7 billion, although construction on the Bawadi project was, at the very least, slowed by the 2008 financial crisis.

If completed, the Bawadi mall will be more expensive than the US $1.3 billion, 9.58-million-square-foot New South China Mall in Dongguan, China, and larger than the 12.1-million-square-foot Dubai Mall, part of Dubai’s $20 billion Burj Khalifa complex.

Since the earliest microscopes were invented in the late 1500s, mankind has been developing new and better ways of looking at really, really small things. From traditional light microscopy to atomic force microscopy, scientists have only become better at visualizing cells, atoms and subatomic particles.

The most expensive microscope in the world doesn’t use either of those methods. It’s a synchrotron microscope built in Oxfordshire, England, and it’s not just the most expensive microscope; it’s also the largest. Diamond, as the facility is called, works like an X-ray microscope. In this case, however, the intense, focused beams of radiation are produced by particles accelerated to 600 million miles per hour.

Diamond is so precise that it can be used for anything from analyzing fossils to the development of new ways to decrease the size of modern electronics. It has also been used to develop AIDS treatments.

Diamond cost £260 million (US $415 million) to build and was funded by the British government and the Wellcome Trust, a charitable foundation dedicated to improving human and animal health through biomedical research.

The Jacht was originally a lightweight Dutch naval vessel used to pursue pirates in shallow waters. When King Charles II chose to sail in one on his return to England in what would later be known as the English Restoration, the Jacht became a symbol of important and, eventually, wealth and luxury. Today, that tradition is still quite alive and nothing demonstrates that fact better than the most expensive yachts in the world.

Octopus – $200 million

Owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Octopus is the world’s eighth largest yacht. The 414-foot yacht was first launched in 2003. The yacht has two helicopters, a submarine with room for ten men and seven boats. For those who’d like to see the ocean floor, the yacht even includes a remote controlled vehicle to do so.

Rising Sun – $200 million

Co-owned by Oracle’s Larry Ellison and media mogul David Geffen, Rising Sun is 453-feet and five stories of oceangoing luxury. It was built with one goal in mind—to exceed the size of Paul Allen’s Octopus, above. This pricey yacht has 8,000 feet of living space with onyx countertops and Jacuzzi bathrooms, a spa and sauna, a gym and even a private movie theatre with an enormous plasma screen.

Lady Moura – $210 million

This 344-foot mega-yacht is owned by billionaire Nasser Al-Rashid. It features a pool with retractable roof, a 75-foot dining table crafted by Viscount Linley and a helicopter. Lady Moura’s most remarkable feature, however, is the beach resort that slides out of one side of the boat. The mini resort features not only sand and deck chairs, but even includes palm trees for a truly authentic resort experience.

Dubai – $350 million

This costly yacht has gone by three names since its conception—Platinum 525, Golden Star and, most recently, Dubai. The Platinum 525 was commissioned by Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei in 1996, but a lack of funds caused the project to be abandoned a scant couple of years later. In 2001, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, then Crown Prince and now ruler of Dubai, took over the project and renamed it the Golden Star. Dubai is as expansive as it is expensive. The 525-foot yacht features an owner’s suite, five VIP suites and a number of guest bedrooms. The bridge features the captain’s quarters, an office and a lounge. The foyer and atrium connects each deck while lighting them from above via skylight. The luxury yacht is powered by four diesel engines with over 9,000 horsepower altogether.

Streets of Monaco – $1.1 billion

The amazing Streets of Monaco yacht will not only rival Roman Abramovich’s Eclipse (below) in price, but also in sheer audacity. Rather than being the largest or most secure yacht in the world, Monaco will feature scaled-down reproductions of landmarks from its namesake city-state. This 500-foot yacht will feature a go-kart track on deck inspired by the Monaco Grand Prix, as well as reproductions of the Hotel de Paris, La Rascasse and the Loews Hotel. It’s being designed by Yacht Island Design of Derbyshire County in England and will accomodate 16 guests and 70 crewmembers. For the owner, a 4,800-square-foot suite with three floors is planned.

Eclipse – $1.2 billion

Russian billionaire and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich’s super-yacht will be a 560-foot monster requiring a minimum of 70 crewmembers and featuring eleven guests. Abramovich and his guests will be protected by a security system that uses laser bursts to foil digital paparazzi photography when activated, anti-bugging and anti-intruder systems and a missile detection system. They’ll also enjoy a swimming pool that can be drained and used as a dance floor, an additional swimming pool and an aquarium. The yacht holds two helicopters, three boats and a submarine.

While every medieval fortress is a treasure trove of history, some are such cultural icons that they are virtually priceless. England’s Tower of London and Windsor Castle are such landmarks, and merely suggesting a price tag for either of those would be unthinkable.

Not so is Bran Castle in Romania. Archduke Dominic von Habsburg, a New York architect and grandson of King Ferdinand I of Romania, put the castle up for sale in 2007. It is historically important as a the home of Romainian royalty, including Ferdinand’s wife, Queen Marie. It was seized by Romania’s communist regime in 1948 and only recently retroceded to Archduke Dominic.

You may know Bran Castle by a different name, after a more infamous occupant. It’s also called Castle Dracula.

Its association with Count Dracula is tenuous. The castle was briefly occupied in 1459 by Vlad III, the historical figure on whom Bram Stoker’s famous vampire was based.

While the Archduke’s original asking price was a mere $78 million, and even then he would only sell with the promise that the castle would be treated with due respect, the New York investment firm expected to sell it for over $135 million. That asking price would have made it the most expensive castle in the world.

The sale never happened, however, and the Archduke has instead turned Castle Bran into a museum dedicated to Queen Marie and the royal family.

What better way is there to give your kids an early start on life than to get them their own kid-sized home? Sure it doesn’t come with a mortgage or monthly utility bills, but this Tudor House by Flights of Fantasy has a price to match some adult-sized houses.

The handcrafted two-storey playhouse is just over 10 feet tall. Made primarily of moisture-resistant marine plywood, the home features oak floors and stairs as well as hardwood trim and doors. The Tudor House is built to last—the pictured playhouse was built in 1987.

Selling for £25,500.01 (US $36,036) at Hamleys, and shipping only to the UK mainland, this is the most expensive playhouse on the market—but what about custom jobs for millionaires?

Well, Flights of Fantasy does that, too.

The Wendy playhouse, commissioned by a Swiss millionaire as a magnificent Christmas surprise for his children, is modeled after the father’s chalet in the foothills of the Alps. Not only that, but it’s specifically suited to the climate in Switzerland, as Flights of Fantasy’s Russell Bowlby visited the country to study the weather conditions.

The Wendy playhouse features underfloor heating, an LED-lit chimney, a well-appointed kitchen and a large living room.

The most expensive playhouse in the world cost $155,000 to manufacture, including materials and 2,000 man hours, and another $95,000 to ship from Norfolk to Switzerland.

In 2010, Forbes reported on the Most Valuable Teams in Sports. Should they be sold, we’ve no doubt they would be some of the most expensive sports teams in the world. Will 2011 bring a change to this list? We’ll see.

Manchester United F.C. – $1.87 billion

England’s Manchester United is a Premier League club and the most valuable football club (that’s soccer on this side of the pond) in the world. That’s probably due to the team’s 18 league titles, four Football League Cups and 11 Football Association Challenge Cups, and the skills of legendary players like Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and Jack “The Gunner” Rowley.

Dallas Cowboys – $1.65 billion

American football’s most expensive team, and the most valuable team in American sports history, has a record number of Super Bowl appearances and, beginning in 1990, sold out more consecutive home games than any other NFL team. Cowboys who took their place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame include Super Bowl MVPs Chuck Howley, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith.

Washington Redskins – $1.55 billion

The Redskins’ claims to fame include five NFL Championship wins, ten NFL divisional titles and six NFL conference championships. The team ranks fifth in number of Super Bowl appearances. In honor of the Redskins’ 70th anniversary, a panel named the team’s 70 greatest players. The list included Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen, Ken Houston and Russ Grimm

New York Yankees – $1.5 billion

The New York Yankees have a long and storied history as a team that produces legendary players. Forty-four Yankees have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, including such players as Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and, of course, Babe Ruth.

According to the first Annual Review of Global Sports Salaries, written for sportsintelligence.com and covering the salaries of 211 teams in 2009, the average Yankees player makes just under $7 million annually, while their highest-paid player, Alex Rodriguez, makes over $30 million. The Yankees were paid so much, in fact, that they had to pay a $23 million luxury tax to the MLB.

In 2009, a British transportation museum paid a pretty penny for tires, but are they the most expensive tires in the world?

1929 Leyland Lion bus tires
$800 each

The Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum’s premier exhibit, a 1929 Leyland Lion bus, required new tires to make it roadworthy for the museum’s 50th anniversary. In order to replace the old and significantly cracked tires, the museum was eventually forced to order specialty tiles from America.

The Leyland Lion is the only surviving example of its model, the other three having been scrapped after serving as transport during World War II. This particular bus was used as a snowplow until it became the museum’s first acquisition around 1954.

Michelin PAX tires for Bugatti Veyron – $9,065 each

It makes some sense that the world’s most expensive car would have proportionately expensive tires. The car uses specialized Michelin PAX run-flat tires, which can be used for a short time after the tire has been punctured.

Michelin tires for Caterpillar 797 – $42,500 each

Truly the most expensive tires in the world, the Michelin 59/80R63 XDR tires required for the Caterpillar 797 dump trucks are a massive 13 feet tall and weigh 11,680 lbs. They are the largest tires in the world. These tires require 47 nuts to be attached to the axle. Six of these enormous tires can hold up to 1,375,000 lbs of truck and load.

Cheese on toast is a snack consisting of, as the name implies, cheese and toast. Butter and creative use of seasonings and toppings make the variations of this simple snack almost limitless. As Chef Tom Bridge demonstrated in 2006, the price for cheese on toast can be equally limitless.

Bridge’s Welsh Rarebit is a slice of Warburtons Toastie bread topped with creamy Lancashire cheese, chosen for its unique melting consistency, as well as L’Aquila white Umbrian truffles and Matsutake Chinese mushrooms. Considering the high price of both the truffles and the mushrooms, the dish cost a grand total of £345 (about US $609 at the time) to create.

Chef Bridge auctioned the most expensive cheese on toast in the world on eBay on April 27, 2006. The winner was treated to the Welsh Rarebit made by Chef Bridge in their own kitchen.

Considering the controversy over high speed rail in the US, it is significant that China’s most expensive rail line has just become operational.

The line crosses 234 miles from Yichang City, Hubei, to Chongqing’s Wanzhou district. It took 50,000 workers to drill the 159 tunnels and build the 253 bridges necessary for the line to traverse a stretch of mountains, and the overall cost came in at a staggering $3.41 billion.

The benefits of this line include a shorter trip between Yichang and Chongqing—from 22 hours to a mere 5 hours—and the increased opportunities that a shorter trip will provide to residents along the line.

Is it worth the price? Only time will tell. Considering China’s efforts to upgrade from standard to high speed rail, who knows how much higher the final cost of this line will be?

Like any historical work, first edition books can fetch enormous sums when sold at auction. This is especially true of those books written by influential authors, scientists and other extraordinary thinkers. The most expensive books in the world are the works of seminal masters whose legacies are all but impossible to ignore.

Ptolemy’s Cosmography – $4 million

This atlast is based on the work of the second-century Greek mathematician, geographer and astronemer, Ptolemy. Printed in 1477, only two copies are held by private collectors today. Atlases presented a unique challenge for early printers, as each map had to be etched into a printing plate by hand, precisely copying the original sources which were often over a thousand years old.

William Shakespeare’s First Folio – $5.1 million

Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories & Tragedies, a first edition collection of the bard’s plays, was the most expensive book sold at auction in 2006. The book was published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death, and contains a dozen plays that have never been reprinted, as well as many that are considered classics today. The original printing issued 750 copies of the book and perhaps a third of these still exist today, many of them incomplete. With its original price of twenty shillings per copy, the book has undergone a remarkable price increase. It was a literary custom and common practice for readers to make revisions, additions and annotations to original books and manuscripts and this piece is no exception, with many notes giving insight into the book’s readership.

The book was auctioned by Dr. Williams’ Library, a London library that contains a remarkable collection of first editions and manuscripts. It was said that the auction, carried out by Sotheby’s Auction House, would secure the finances of the library for the near future.

James Audubon’s Birds of America – $11 million

The most expensive printed book on record is James Audobon’s “Birds of America,” which sold in 2000 for $8.8 million. A second copy was sold in 2010 for a staggering $11 million. Audobon is a noted illustrator who pioneered much of early wildlife research, and the book’s dimensions reflect his attention to detail. Each original copy of this book measures 3 feet by 2 feet, because Audubon wanted to paint the birds in life size. His work vastly increased popular awareness of the breadth of species in our world, and is still very highly regarded today for its accuracy and poignant detail.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Codex Leicester – $30.8 million

This notebook filled with original drawings, notes and sketches was sold to Microsoft founder Bill Gates in 1994. The manuscript takes its name from Thomas Coke who purchased it in 1717, decades before he was created Earl of Leicester. In the Codex, Da Vinci devotes his attention to such topics as the movement of water and the luminosity of the moon.

Gates didn’t keep the manuscript to himself, either. He had the contents scanned and distributed as a screensaver with Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95.

Nothing says “Merry Christmas!” like a Christmas tree. Every few years, it seems, the world’s most expensive Christmas tree is outdecked, outjingled and outpriced by the most expensive Christmas tree in the world.

Soo Kee Jewellery Diamond Christmas Tree, 2007
US $1,005,000

Bugis Junction, a shopping mall in Singapore, may just have had the merriest Christmas in the world in 2007.

Soo Kee Jewellery produced the expensive tree, decking it with 21,798 diamonds (913 carats total), 3,762 crystal beads and 456 lights. The tree is nearly 20 feet tall and weighs in at over 7,000 pounds. Just remember that Christmas isn’t about how much money you can afford to spend decking the halls and giving gifts. That’s what they’ve been telling me, anyway.

Ginza Tanaka 24k gold Christmas Tree, 2008
US $1.6 million

This golden tree is adorned with 240 jewels—diamonds and strings of pearls included—and weighs in at 46 pounds total. That’s a far cry from Soo Kee Jewellery’s 7,000-pound, 20-foot Christmas tree. The gold tree was on display at the Ginza Tanaka jewelry shop in Shinsaibashi, Osaka throughout the 2008 holiday season.

Emirates Palace Christmas Tree, 2010
US $11.4 million

In 2010, the merriest Christmas goes to patrons of the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, as their extravagant tree has smashed the previous record. While decked with over $11 million in jewelry from Style Gallery, the tree itself is merely a 13-foot faux evergreen. The jewels include 181 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other precious stones. This is certainly a fitting decoration for one of the most expensive hotels in the world.

True pearls are always formed within the mantles of oysters and other shelled mollusks. In general, perfectly circular, iridescent pearls are the most prized, but other shapes are possible.

In late 2010, a 5-foot, six ton “pearl” was unveiled in China. This gem, while magnificent and quite valuable, was obviously not produced by any clam. Indeed, it is composed of fluorite and was ground into a pearl shape over the course of three years after the enormous gem’s discovery in Mongolia. The gem is valued at a staggering £88 million (US $139 million).

The most expensive genuine pearl in the world is likely the Pearl of Lao Tzu, also known as the Pearl of Allah. Despite its unappealing shape, this pearl is valued at $3.5 million due to its astounding size. At 9.45 inches in diameter and just over 14 lbs, it is the largest pearl ever discovered. It was formed within a giant clam, which accounts for its dull surface as clams produce no nacre—the iridescent substance also known as “mother of pearl.”

The Pearl of Lao Tzu was first discovered in the Philippines and was brought to America in 1939.

England’s long and storied history has produced one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, various masterful literary works and some equally masterful pieces of furniture.

The Harrington Commode—no, not that kind of commode; it’s a chest of drawers—broke a record for English furniture when it was sold at a Sotheby’s in London auction in late 2010. The chest is thought to have been crafted around 1770 by London cabinet maker Thomas Chippendale, whose Rococo and Neoclassical works informed the style of the period. The most expensive piece of English furniture is made of gilt-lacquered fustic, rosewood and tulipwood mounted with brass.

The chest sold for £3,793,250—just under US $6 million. That’s ove three times its estimate and £1 million more than the holder of the previous record, another of Chippendale’s works.

Expensive truffles are notoriously pricey because they are difficult to cultivate. This makes them a true delicacy that some have called the king of all fungi. White truffles are more expensive than black truffles, but what are the most expensive truffles in the world?

The Associate Press reported in 2006 that Hong Kong real estate investor Sir Gordon Wu and his wife paid €125,000 (US $160,787) at an annual truffle auction in Grizane, Italy, for a gigantic Italian White Alba truffle, reportedly the most expensive ever. This pricey truffle weighed in at 1.51 kilograms (3.3 lbs).

In 2007, the record was beaten by a truffle weighing 3.3 lbs. Casino tycoon Stanley Ho purchased the white truffle, hailing from Tuscany, for US $330,000 at an annual auction in Hong Kong.

In fact, Ho won the auction again in 2010 and even beat the previous record—pound for pound, at least. The latest auction was for two truffles weighing just under 3 lbs total. Once again, Ho paid $330,000 for the fungal delicacy.

With the current popularity of culinary television shows like Iron Chef, expensive truffles are being exposed to a wider audience than ever before. Who knows how much the price for a kilo of truffles will cost in the near future?

Some of the earliest pottery has been discovered in China, dating back to 9000 BC, and ceramic goods from the region can be traced back to the dynasties under which they were created. In fact, the first porcelain is believed to have been created under the Han dynasty from 202 BC to 220 AD. As China’s history is rich with beautiful ceramic art, it’s no surprise that the most expensive vases in the world are Chinese.

Ming dynasty vase – over US $10 million

The Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644. That era in Chinese history saw the creation of a startling amount of carved lacquerwares, glazed porcelain wares, embroidered silks and works of art in a variety of other materials. The Empire of the Great Ming also produced a great number of forgeries designed to part unsuspecting purchasers from their wealth. This was such a problem, in fact, that guides were printed to help detect such forgery. We can be sure, then, that this vase is quite authentic.

Hailing from the time of Hongwu, the founder of the Ming dynasty, the expensive vase was most recently purchased at auction by Steve Wynn. The Las Vegas casino owner and insatiable art collector is often criticized by the art community for paying high prices for second-rate pieces, but this purchase is certainly an exception. The 14th century vase is decorated in copper red scrolling flowers and is, well preserved as it is, quite rare.

Mr. Wynn purchased the expensive vase at the Christie’s Imperial Sale in Hong Kong for 78,520,000 Hong Kong dollars. Rather than keep it locked away in his private collection, however, he returned the vase to China by donating it to a Macau museum.

Qianlong vase – over US $80 million

The Qing dynasty succeeded the Ming dynasty and ruled China until 1911. The Qianlong Emperor became the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty in 1736 and, during his time in power, imperial supervisor Tang Ying authored an illustrated memoir called “Twenty Illustrations of the Manufacture of Porcelain.”

This 18th-century porcelain vase was inherited by a mother and son who, if reports are to be believed, have gone into hiding due to the £12 million in taxes they will be expected to pay after the vase, only expected to sell for £1.2 million, reached an amazing £53 million at auction.

The buyer was a wealthy Chinese industrialist and collector of antiquities.

Selling a Most Expensive home can take awhile and, especially in this day and age, may end up disappointing the seller. Dunnellen Hall, for instance, was originally listed at $125 million, but is now being offered for less than half that. With that in mind, we present these—the most expensive homes on the market.

Versailles (Windermere, Florida) – $100 million ($75 million as-is)

At 90,000 square feet, this magnificent work in progress has been dubbed the “largest single family home under one roof in America.” Featuring thirteen bedrooms and twenty-three bathrooms, no one living in or visiting this palatial estate will lack for privacy. It’s based on Louis XIV’s Versailles royal palace and is currently owned by Jacqueline and David Siegel of Westgate Resorts.

Eurasia Estate (Moscow, Russia) – $100 million

Located 15 miles from Moscow’s city center, Eurasia consists of an 11,700-square-foot mansion with a 91,000-square-foot recreation center. The recreation center features a pool, Turkish and Russian baths and a sauna to keep the water bill high. For visitors, there are two 4,000-square-foot guest houses on the property.

Tranquility (Lake Tahoe, Nevada) – $100 million

What could be more tranquil than watching movies in your nineteen-seat private theatre with the knowledge that you’re not paying taxes on your lavish estate? Located on a 210-acre stretch of land, Tranquility is being sold by Tommy Hilfiger co-founder Joel Horowitz. The mansion itself is 20,000-square-feet and features a 3,500-bottle wine cellar and an indoor swimming pool and atrium.

Fleur de Lys (Beverly Hills, California) – $125 million

This 45,000-square-foot home was modeled after the palace of King Louis XIV in Versailles. It was built over five years after Texas billionaire David Saperstein and former wife Suzanne secured five acres in the Holmby Hills section of Bel Air. It was put up for sale soon after Suzanne was awarded the estate in the couple’s divorce. The home features a fifty-seat screening room, nine-car garage and library of first-edition books.

Updown Court (Windlesham, Surrey) – $140 million

This courtly estate aims for a more sophisticated occupant with its ballrooms and grand entryways. Of course, the 103-room Updown Court also has all the basic amenities—a fifty-seat cinema, heated marble driveway, helipad and indoor spas, Jacuzzis and pools. If that isn’t enough for you, there are also 58 acres of gardens and woodlands.

Mansion on Avenue Foch (Paris, France) – $140 million

This 28,000-square-foot mansion was built in 1912 for the Duchesse de Montmorency and purchased upon her death fifteen years later by mining tycoon Antenor Patino. The mansion’s decor includes historically important elements such as 18th century wood paneling, marble fireplaces and an impressive ceiling painted by the famed French Post-Impressionist, Henri Rousseau. The mansion also boasts twelve bedrooms and bathrooms, crystal chandeliers, Corinthian columns, gilded moldings and marble floors.

The Manor (Los Angeles, California) – $150 million

This incredible mansion, built in 1988 for television producer Aaron Spelling, is the largest home in Los Angeles County. Located on the former site of Bing Crosby’s manor, which Spelling had demolished, the 56,500 square foot manor in Holmby Hills was the center of some controversy based on its shameless extravagance. The widowed Candy Spelling has now put the enormous estate on the market. The Manor has 123 rooms, including three gift-wrapping rooms, a gym, four two-car garages, a bowling alley, a pool and a screening room.

Villa Leopolda, France – $500 million

Originally built for the mistress of King Leopold of Belgium, this mansion overlooking the French Riviera has been said to be owned by several prominent people over the years, including Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Fiat Group’s Gianni Agnelli. Sketchy reports of a “mysterious Russian billionaire” said that he had purchased the villa it from the widow of a Lebanese banker who was killed in an arsonist’s fire in 2003. Now that billionaire has backed out of the deal—and lost his $50 million down payment.

Carat for carat, rubies and emeralds generally outprice the common diamond. Certain rare specimens of diamond, however, will eclipse even the priciest examples of those other gemstones. While some priceless gems exist, such as the world famous Hope Diamond, these are the most expensive diamonds ever sold.

The Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond – $23.4 million

The Wittelsbach-Graff diamond is a 35.56-carat blue diamond mined in India. The historic diamond was chosen by King Philip IV of Spain as part of the dowry for his daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa. Her suitor, Leopold I, later became Holy Roman Emperor and passed the diamond on to his heirs after she died in 1673. When the Archduchess of Austria married Bavaria’s Crown Prince in 1722, the diamond became known as “Der Blaue Wittelsbacher” (The Blue Wittelsbach) after the Crown Prince’s family. This diamond became the most expensive diamond in the world after being sold to London-based jeweler Laurence Graff in 2008. Graff immediately had the gem altered in order to enhance its color and remove some damage to its girdle, an action decried by some gemstone experts.

The Graff Pink – $46 million

Before this 24.78-carat “fancy intense pink” diamond was sold in 2010 to Mr. Graff at a Sotheby’s in London auction, it had last been sold by renowned jeweler Harry Winston. Pink diamonds are extremely valuable and only the rarest weigh more than 20 carats. It is unknown whether or not Graff plans to alter the Graff Pink. Sotheby’s made an additional $60 million on diamonds at the same auction.

In its original form, the word “whisky” meant “water of life.” I’m sure some of you readers out there will agree with that sentiment. Luckily for you, there’s quite a variety of different whiskies (or “whiskeys,” if we’re talking about American or Irish liquors). Check out the most expensive whiskies in these popular varieties.

The Most Expensive Bourbon Whiskey
$300

The most expensive Bourbon is the 16 Year Old A. H. Hirsch Reserve, one of the few remaining examples of the Kentucky pot-still tradition.

The Most Expensive Canadian Whisky
$10,000

The world’s most expensive Canadian rye whiskey was presented to Queen Elizabeth II at the Kentucky Derby in 2007. If it were sold, it would be expected to go for over $10,000

The Most Expensive Irish Whiskey
$143,020

One of the last remaining whiskeys from the Nun’s Island Distillery in Galway, Ireland, this particular elixir is still up for sale at £100,000. If purchased, it will be the most expensive whiskey ever sold.

The Most Expensive Scotch Whisky
$460,000

A bottle of 64-year-old Macallan, the oldest whisky ever bottled by the Macallan distillery, became the most expensive whisky in the world when it sold at a charity auction in November, 2010. The catch, however, is that the auction also included a one-of-a-kind crystal decanter.

Scotch whisky is produced and aged, as the name suggest, in Scotland. By law, Scotch must be made from malted grain, must be matured in oak casks for at least three years and must have an alcoholic strength of less than 94.8% by volume. The age statement on a bottle of Scotch is determined by the youngest stock used in its production. The most expensive scotch whiskies in the world were each produced in one of the regions traditionally considered part of the Highlands region.

The Macallan 1926 – $54,000

This whisky, bottled in 1986 and rebottled in 2002, was auctioned in 2007 at Christie’s in New York. The auction was the first liquor auction allowed in New York state since the prohibition in 1920, and the Macallan was only expected to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000. The Macallan was produced in Speyside, formerly considered part of the Highlands region.

Dalmore 62 – $58,000

This single Highland malt Scotch whisky from the Dalmore Distillery in Inverness, Scotland, was one of only twelve bottles produced in 1943 from four single malts dating from 1868, 1876, 1926 and 1939. Each was labeled with its own unique name, this one being called Matheson after the Dalmore Estate’s owner, Alexander Matheson. It was purchased for £32,000 at the Pennyhill Park Hotel in Surrey, where the anonymous buyer reportedly shared it with five of his friends. It has been speculated that the buyer and his friends are the only people to have actually enjoyed a bottle of the expensive vintage.

Dalmore 64 Trinitas – $160,100

Yet another product of the Dalmore Distillery, Trinitas is so named because only three bottles of this expensive whisky have been made. The whisky is a blend of rare stocks, including some that have been maturing at the distillery for more than 140 years. Two bottles were sold in Glasgow in 2010, one to a US-based collector and one to a UK-based investor. It is the first Scotch to sell for six figures.

The Macallan 64 Year Old in Lalique – $460,000

A bottle of 64-year-old Macallan, the oldest whisky ever bottled by the Macallan distillery, became the most expensive whisky in the world when it sold at a charity auction in November, 2010. The catch, however, is that the auction also included a one-of-a-kind crystal decanter.

The decanter was created by Lalique using lost-wax casting, called “cire perdue” in French. The decanter was created to celebrate the anniversary of master glassmaker René Lalique’s birth. It is based on a decanter from the 1920s, when The Macallan distillery was founded. The crystal decanter and its expensive cargo have toured twelve cities to raise awareness for charity: water, including Paris, London, Hong Kong and its final stop at Sotheby’s in New York.

The entirety of the sale price of this expensive whisky was donated to charity: water. In addition, US $145,000 were raised for charity: water during the Macallan’s “tour du monde“.

Charity: water is a non-profit organization that distributes water to developing countries.

The most important element of a vacation, aside from the destination, is the hotel where you spend your downtime. If you’re going to take a true luxury vacation, of course, it won’t do to have anything less than one of the most expensive hotel suites in the world.

Grand Resort Lagonissi in Athens, Greece – The Royal Villa
$32,000/night

Another three-bedroom suite, the Royal Villa has two pools—an indoor pool and a heated outdoor pool. The nearby marina and beach cement the fact that this suite is a swimmer’s paradise. Visitors will also have access to a private chef to accompany the fully equipped kitchen, a butler and even a pianist.

Hotel Cala di Volpe in Costa Smeralda, Italy – Presidential Suite
$34,000/night

Costa Smeralda—the “Emerald Coast”—in northern Sardinia, is home to many draws for the obscenely wealthy, not the least of which is this fabulous suite. The duplex suite has three bedrooms and as many bathrooms, an outdoor saltwater pool and a private gazebo and solarium.

Four Seasons Hotel in New York, USA – Ty Warner Penthouse suite
$35,000/night

With a carpet that’s so expensive that anyone who walks across it must wear special booties provided by the hotel, ample views of the nation’s largest city, a 700 square foot library and even a waterfall in its Zen room, this suite—which covers the hotel’s entire 52nd floor—is truly a luxury location. It’s named after the founder of Ty Inc., manufacturer of the popular Beanie Babies stuffed toys.

The Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France – Penthouse Suite
$35,000/night

This luxurious suite is located on the seventh floor of the Hotel Martinez, already a ritzy location with its Michelin-starred restaurant and prime location on the Croisette in Cannes. The suite itself consists of four bedrooms and an impressive terrace—complete with Jacuzzi—which commands an equally impressive view of the Mediterranean Sea.

Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada – Hugh Hefner Sky Villa
$40,000/night

The City of Sin’s most expensive suite is appropriately named after the Playboy Mansion’s famed resident, and it shows in the 250-person capacity and the extravagant amenities. This suite houses a poker table, wet bar, full size gym with sauna and spa, and a balcony with a spectacular view of the Vegas strip as well as an equally spectacular infinity edge jacuzzi. All of this is centered around an 8-foot rotating round bed.

Hotel President Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland – Royal Penthouse suite
$65,000/night

If you’d prefer a secure suite to an extravagant one, look no further than Switzerland. The Royal Penthouse suite, renamed and repriced from the $35,000 Imperial Suite, boasts a private elevator, bulletproof windows, armored doors, surveillance cameras and even bedside panic buttons. Of course, it’s not all about security; the suite also features a number of period pieces and stunning views of Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva.

Taj Boston $6 million Hotel Suite in Boston, USA
$6 million/two nights

Less than 5 miles from Logan Airport and overlooking Boston’s majestic Public Gardens, Taj Boston will be king of the crop for a very limited time. On the weekend of October 15-17, 2010, the hotel’s presidential suite became the most expensive hotel suite in the world to comemmorate the new theatre complex at the Boston Conservatory.

Along with two nights in the 1,540 square foot presidential suite, the $6 million price tag included transportation to Boston on a private jet, limo service, a Jaguar XJ, an engraved Chistofle sterling silver platter, etched Tiffany Champagne flutes and a magnum of Cristal Rose Champagne. The guest also received two lifetime services–valet parking at the hotel and tickets to performances at the Boston Conservatory.

Perhaps the most remarkable feature of this expensive package is that the guest’s name will be engraved on the Conservatory’s new theatre.

Beer is one of the oldest drinks known to man—and one of this writer’s favorites. While many people enjoy drinking light and less expensive beer, there are still some beer connoisseurs out there. If you don’t believe it, then check out the proof–the world’s most expensive beers.

Tutankhamun Ale – $52 per bottle

This expensive beer has a peculiar history. It’s brewed in a Cambridge laboratory from a recipe discovered in the Queen Nefertiti’s Temple of the Sun in Egypt. The beer is named after the queen’s stepson, more commonly known as King Tut. The temple, which housed a brewery, is believed to have been built by King Akenhaten, Tut’s predecessor and likely father. This beer is also limited and may be purchased for $52 per bottle.

Samuel Adams Utopias – $100 per bottle

Vintage No. 1 may be four times as expensive as Samuel Adams/Boston Beer Company’s Utopias, the former most expensive beer, but Utopias still holds a Guinness World Record for being the strongest beer at 50 proof.

Utopias was brewed with a blend of high-quality hops and sold in an ornate copper-plated brew kettle and offers a flavor unlike any other expensive beer or beverage in the world. The sweet flavor is richly highlighted with hints of vanilla, oak and caramel. The expensive beer is non-carbonated and should be served at room temperature.

Production of Utopias was limited to 8,000 bottles.

Carlsberg Vintage 3 – $348 per bottle

The Carlsberg Group, a brewing company founded in 1847 and named after founder J. C. Jacobsen’s son Carl, is best known for their light-bodied lager, Carlsberg Pilsner (also known as Carlsberg Beer or Carlsberg Hof). In 2008, however, Carlsberg introduced another beer guaranteed to be linked to the Carlsberg name in the public consciousness, Vintage 1.

Vintage 3 is the third in the trilogy of beers created from 2008 to 2010. At the time of its launch, the “pale barley wine” was the only available beer to have been aged in French Côte d’Or oak barrels in the Carlsberg founder’s original cellar. Only 1,000 bottles of this exclusive beer were hand tapped and labeled with art by Kaspar Bonnén and two artists selected from the Radiant Copenhagen project.

The price of Vintage 1, 2,008 Danish kroner, reflected the year it was introduced. The brewer introduced Vintage 2 in 2009 and Vintage 3 in 2010, priced at 2,009 and 2,010 kroner respectively.

Brewdog’s “The End of History” – $765 per bottle

Well, PETA is going to have a field day with this one. Scottish brewery BrewDog has produced a beer served in bottles as shocking as the beer’s extremely high alcoholic content.

Only eleven bottles of this expensive beer, named after a book by philosopher Francis Fukuyama, were produced. The blond Belgian ale, infused with nettles from the Scottish Highlands and fresh juniper berries, is 55 percent alcohol and will be BrewDog’s final high ABV beer.

The bottles, however, are the beer’s most striking aspect–each one is encased in a squirrel or weasel stuffed by a gifted taxidermist. The four grey squirrels and seven weasels selected were all roadkill, however, so their immortalization as beer bottles may actually be considered more respectful than ignominious roadside decomposition.

Antarctic Nail Ale – $800

If your conscience rails at the thought of drinking beer clothed in roadkill, perhaps you’ll find this entry on our list of the world’s most expensive beers more to your taste. Australia’s Nail Brewing Company has been brewing craft beer for nearly a decade, and their limited edition Antarctic Nail Ale sold at auction for a record-breaking price. Best of all, that money is going straight to charity.

This expensive beer was brewed with actual Antarctic ice. Only thirty bottles were produced, and the number one bottle was sold by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society at an auction in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Sea Shepherd opposes whaling in the Antarctic sanctuary. They are also selling bottles numbered two through ten to support their cause. The number one bottle was purchased by the Elliot Syndicate.

If you’re traveling overseas, whether for business or pleasure, you’re probably going to end up taking a cab at some point. Fortunately, you can plan accordingly by checking out the list of the most expensive cab rides in the world.

The fares below reflect a metered, 3 kilometer (just under 2 miles) ride, not including any prices tacked on for airport-to-city rides. Of course, the taxi industry isn’t exactly forthcoming, and unscrupulous drivers may claim their meters broken in order to get a higher fare. Add to that the fact that some cities will charge higher fares at night and on weekends and, well, you get the drift.

The full list of 100 cities was compiled by Price of Travel. Here are the top ten cities with the most expensive cab fare in the world.

Incidentally, the cheapest cab fare is in India, where a ride may cost less than $1.

Zurich, Switzerland – $18.18 to $24.24
Oslo, Norway – $17.12 to $22.26
Monaco – $15.28 to $19.44
Amsterdam, Netherlands – $13.89 to $16.67
Helsinki, Finland – $13.89 to $19.44
Tokyo, Japan – $13.03 to $16.13
Nice, France – $12.50 to $16.67
Stockholm, Sweden – $12.05 to $15.06
London, England – $11.29 to $14.52
Rome, Italy – $11.11 to $13.89

If someone were to say, “I just bought a Toto,” you might think they’d purchased a little black Terrier and named it after the Wizard of Oz costar. They could, on the other hand, be the proud owner of a luxurious new commode. That technological marvel is just the first on our list of the most expensive toilets in the world.

Toto Neorest 600 – $5,000

What more do you need, when doing your business, than your standard lavatory offers? Toto’s most expensive toilet, the Neorest 600, has a wide range of features to answer that question. For starters, the lid automatically opens whenever you approach the toilet. As soon as you rise from your state of the art porcelain throne, it automatically engages its Power Catalytic Air Purifier function. Six seconds after you’re out of range of the toilet’s sensor zone, it will automatically flush and close both the lid and the seat.

For those functions that aren’t automatic, there’s a wireless remote control. A button-press can open, close or warm the seat, change the water temperature, perform a powerful “Cyclone flush” instead of the automatic light flush or control the Washlet functions you’ll use to tidy yourself up after using the expensive toilet.

“Dagobert” Wooden Toilet Throne by Herbeau – $14,123

For a commode that really puts the “throne” in “porcelain throne,” look no further than this magnificent, five-foot-tall latrine. The solid ash toilet is named after King Dagobert, the last ruler of the Merovingian dynasty in 8th Century France. As such, His Majesty’s Royal Privy plays “Le Bon Roi Dagobert” (“The Good King Dagobert”) when the lid is lifted. When you’ve finished your business, the pull chain flushes the toilet and rings a bell to let your attendants know their services are needed.

The Dagobert also includes both a candleholder and an ashtray.

Hang Fung Gold Toilet – around $5 million

This 24k gold toilet is a feature of Hang Fung jeweler’s solid gold bathroom in Hong Kong. The company had the toilet made when gold was merely $200 per ounce and planned to melt it down if gold ever reached $1,000 per ounce. When the price of gold neared the $1,000 mark in early 2008, however, the company stated that they would not have it melted down. One ton of the golden bathroom accessories surrounding the toilet would be melted down instead.

Moon River Art Park Toilet – $750,000

A toilet hidden in a cave in Shanghai’s Moon River Art Park cost 5 million yuan to build. The cave is manmade and decked out like a grotto. While entry to the park costs 30 yuan, using the toilet is free. It may be difficult to get in, though. Toilet cleaners reported people waiting in line up to two hours when the toilet was first opened in 2005.

International Space Station Toilet – $19 million

What may just be the most expensive toilet ever built isn’t the world’s most expensive toilet. That’s because it’s being launched into space! The toilet system NASA had built by Russia was delivered to the international Space Station in November 2008. The system, the same as the one in place on the Russian side of the station, recycles urine into water. It will replace a toilet system that has broken twice in 2008.

A movie poster collection may be anything from an extension of another hobby to a sign of serious passion for film history. One buyer may be willing to pay $10 or $20 for an original “Fellowship of the Ring” one-sheet while another pays $47,000 for one of the few remaining “Grand Hotel” posters. With the latter type of collector in mind, we turn to the most expensive movie posters in the world.

“Metropolis” – $690,000

A private collector acquired this expensive movie poster at auction from the Austrian National Library in Vienna in 2005. Only three other copies of the poster are known to have survived to the current day—one in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, another in a private collection and a second copy in the Austrian National Library. The expensive poster was created to promote Fritz Lang’s 1927 science fiction masterpiece, “Metropolis.”

The German film, set in the year 2026, dealt with the schism between two societal castes in the film’s titular city—the wealthy thinkers and planners, and the underground working class. The film cost roughly $14 million to make, adjusted for inflation, and was the most expensive silent movie at the time of its release. Sadly, much of the original footage has been lost and it cannot be viewed in its intended form.

“The Bride of Frankenstein” – estimated at $700,000

Heritage Auctions expects to sell this teaser one-sheet, the only surviving poster of its kind, at their Beverly Hills Signature Movie Poster Auction in November, 2010. The poster comes from the Collection of Todd Feiertag, likely the largest collection of vintage horror movie posters of all time.

“The Bride of Frankenstein” is the sequel to the original 1931 “Frankenstein,” starring Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster. In the film, the monster coerces his humbled creator into creating another monster to serve as his mate. The film cost just under $400,000 to produce, or around $6 million in today’s currency.

While Apple’s iPhone is already something of a luxury device, there are clearly some who believe it just isn’t flashy enough. Luckily for them (and those of us who write about such things), luxury designers have created these—the most expensive iPhones in the world.

Goldstriker iPhone 4G Diamond Edition – $19,460

Stuart Hughes of Goldstriker International presents the iPhone 4G Diamond Edition, likely the first of a bevy of luxury editions of Apple’s latest iPhone. Hughes has adorned the phone’s surrounding metal band with 6.5 carats of VVS diamonds and, on the back, recreated Apple’s iconic logo in platinum and diamonds. The iPhone 4G Diamond Edition has 32 GB of memory and is factory unlocked so you can enjoy it regardless of your wireless carrier. It also comes with an ostrich-foot wallet with pockets for up to four credit cards. If you want the phone, though, you’ll have to act soon–only 50 will be made.

Peter Aloisson’s iPhone Princess Plus – $176,400

The Princess Plus got its name from the Princess cut used on 138 of the 318 diamonds on its surface. The other 180 diamonds on the phone were brilliant-cut. In total, the phone has 17.75 carats of diamonds set in 18k white gold around its rim. The iPhone Princess Plus is worth $176,400 while the somewhat more pedestrian “Brilliants only” version sold for $66,150.

Peter Aloisson’s Kings Button iPhone – $2.4 million

The Kings Button iPhone is, like its predecessor, a jewel-bedecked iPhone. This time, however, Aloisson had the iPhone 3G to play with—and, apparently, a bit of a bigger budget. One hundred and thirty-eight brilliant-cut diamonds line the sides of the phone, but the real prize is the home button—a rare 6.6 carat white diamond.

Goldstriker iPhone 3GS Supreme – $3.2 million

Stuart Hughes is known for giving luxury devices such as phones and video game consoles the “Supreme” treatment—covering them with gold and diamonds—and the iPhone is no exception. The iPhone 3GS Supreme features a casing made from 271 grams of solid 22k gold and a screen trimmed with fifty-three 1-carat diamonds. The home button is covered with a single rare 7.1-carat diamond. That’s not all, though—the iPhone 3GS Supreme comes in a chest carved from a single block of granite and sports Kashmir gold and an interior lining made with nubuck top-grain leather.

Stuart Hughes iPhone 4 Diamond Rose Edition – $8 million

If you thought his iPhone 3GS Supreme was impressive, check out the latest iPhone from Stuart Hughes–the iPhone 4 Diamond Rose Edition. Hughes has recreated the infamous antenna band that wraps around the sides of the latest iPhone, as well as the backplate, using rose gold. The band is adorned with 100 carats of flawless diamonds, and the Apple logo is formed with fifty-three more diamonds. Once again, the home button gets the most love–it’s made of platinum and features a rare 7.4-carat pink diamond.

The phone comes in an imperial pink 7-kilogram chest cut from a single block of granite and lined with nubuck top-grain leather. It also comes with an 8-carat flawless diamond that can be used in place of the pink one.

Only two of these expensive phones will be made.