This is one item you won't want to return if you are lucky enough to get it for the holidays. Debuting in December, the "Diamond Forever" classic bag boasts 334 diamonds totaling 3.56 carats, set in 18-carat white gold hardware. The long shoulder straps are made with the same white gold. Only 13 are available worldwide, and five will be available stateside
For more information, visit www.chanel.com
Hermes Matte Crocodile Birkin Bag
Named after French singer/songwriter Jane Birkin, the bag (pictured here) is like the one sold at auction house Doyle New York. The clasp of this 30-centimeter tote boasts 10 carats of white diamonds. And its body is made of crocodile. There are only two bags available for sale worldwide.
For more information, visit www.hermes.com
Leiber Precious Rose
The Precious Rose is precious indeed. Made in the shape of a perfect flower, the bag is made with 1,016 diamonds totaling 42.56 carats, 1,169 pink sapphires and 800 tourmalines. If you are inclined to purchase it, you'd better do it quick: There is only one available in the world.
For more information, visit www.judithleiber.com.
Lana Marks Cleopatra Bag
Each year, Marks produces one Cleopatra clutch for retail. This year's limited edition (pictured here) is made of metallic silver alligator skin and a clasp encrusted with 1,500 black and white diamond set in 18-carat white gold.
For more information, visit www.lanamarks.com.
Nancy Gonzalez Porousus Bag
Made with a rare, almost uniformly scaled crocodile skin, the Porousus Bag can be customized by color, skin, size and hardware.
For more information, visit www.bergdorfgoodman.com
Chanel's "Diamond Forever" tote. In December, the company will debut 13 of these diamond and alligator handbags just in time for the holiday shopping crunch. Each is a stepped-up version of the classic Chanel shoulder bag, with the iconic Chanel "Cs" encrusted in a staggering 334 diamonds (a total of 3.56 carats) set in 18-carat white gold. The alligator skin is farmed and treated with a matte finish.
While few may actually end up owning this bag, the demand for other high-end handbags has skyrocketed. Online retailer eluxury.com saw sales of luxury handbags (those over $500) increase 11% last year.
Scarcity is also driving desire for these totes. Something that is hard to obtain or impossible to find will be more valuable, says Meaghan Mahoney, editor of the daily news and handbag review online site purseblog.com.
"A handbag [such as] the Chanel Diamond Forever bag is more of a collector's item than something you use on a daily basis," she says. "Like an exquisite car or a rare painting, it's the limited availability and high demand that make this handbag more valuable."
Though Chanel's treasure may be the costliest handbag on the market, there are others that are just as costly, some dripping with diamonds, others crafted from animal skin.
A Purse Is Worth A Thousand Words
Take the Birkin by Hermes, a brand synonymous with luxury. This bag, inspired by French actress Jane Birkin, can fetch between $6,000 and $15,000, depending on what grade of leather or exotic skin it is made of.
But it is as nothing compared to its more exotic sister, the Crocodile Birkin. Price: $120,000. What makes this bag so expensive is not just the leather used but also the 10 carats of diamonds set in white gold and placed on its clasp. There are only two such bags available for purchase in the world
Bejeweled Bags
Accessorizing handbags with precious stones is not uncommon. The Leiber "Precious Rose bag incorporates 1,016 diamonds, 1,169 pink sapphires and 800 pink tourmalines, all set in 18-carat white gold.
The Lana Marks Cleopatra Clutch in alligator ($100,000) comes accessorized with 1,500 fully cut and faceted black-and-white round diamonds that line the top of the handbag. Only five such clutches are made each year. In Hollywood during awards season the designer makes a limited-edition Cleopatra for only one actress. Two have won Academy Awards while in possession: Charlize Theron in 2004 and this year Helen Mirren, who carried hers right up to the podium.
Rare Skins
When it comes to alligator, ostrich or snakeskin, handbag designers go to extreme lengths to find the rarest. Santiago Gonzalez, chief executive of Nancy Gonzalez handbags, has traveled from the Australian Outback to Hong Kong to find skins that seldom come to market.
Quality also determines price. The Nancy Gonzalez Porousus Bag, made with rare lizard skin, costs $30,000. Designer Devi Kroell uses alligator skins whose scales are similar in size--a rare phenomenon--to create a bag priced at $29,000. Judith Leiber's canary yellow handbag in alligator ($17,000) likewise uses skin with similar-sized scales.
What with animal rights activists up in arms over fashionistas in fur, might we not soon see the day when lizard lovers will be pressured to not buy bags that once swam or slithered?
“As much you would think there would be a huge backlash, there won't be,” says Danziger. “It goes back to the basic rule of supply and demand. The more rare and scarce something is, the more people want it. In the case of overly expensive handbags, people will still covet them because it's an uncommon find.”
source: http://www.forbes.com/
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