13 Unusual Objects Covered in Crystals and Diamonds

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It's not surprising to see extravagant pieces of jewelry or clothing covered with precious gems on the red carpet. Even “bejeweled” phone cases and other accessories are commonplace these days (though those typically aren't real gems). But some objects covered in crystals and jewels are decidedly more unusual. Here are 13 of them.

1. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head

NYC, Style and a little Cannoli

You certainly wouldn’t give this version of these classic toys to your children to play with. These Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads were hand-jeweled with Swarovski crystals by Jay Strongwater, maker of jewelry and jewel-encrusted figurines. These toys and their accessories are covered with more than 50,000 crystals and were sold for $8000 apiece.

2. A Hot Wheels car

Hot Wheel Collectors

This diamond-covered car was created by Hot Wheels to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary and is valued at well over $100,000. The car is cast in 18-carat white gold and covered with more than 2700 blue diamonds. The car’s tiny engine is also adorned in black and white diamonds and the tail lights are red rubies.

3. A Coffee Machine

Tech Digest

This Nespresso Crystal coffee machine is covered with 3100 Swarovski crystals, taking its price from around $250 to upwards of $3000. Apparently, some people take their coffee this seriously!

4. A KitchenAid Mixer

Bling Diva Designs

This mixer was given its crystal coating by Bling Diva Designs. The original was made as a bridal shower gift for Katherine Kallinis, co-owner of Georgetown Cupcake. The mixer is covered by more than 8000 crystals. Melissa at Bling Diva Designs continues to decorate mixers in this way—it'll only cost you $2000 to have a shiny mixer in a color of your choice.

5. A Dog Bowl

The Rich Times

Someone seemed to think that flashy kitchen appliances might make the family pet a bit jealous. This bowl is made by BB Simon and is encrusted by hand with Swarovski crystals, complete with a skull and crossbones design. Its price is currently set around $1300.

6. Eggs


Etsy/The Glittered Squirrel

On Etsy, you can find a real egg encrusted with Swarovski crystals, along with some other shiny egg designs. The eggs are blown out and silver leafed, and the crystals are applied by hand. The listed price of the pictured egg is $550 and, at least at this point, it seems to be a one-of-a-kind creation.

7. A Toilet

BornRich

Several crystal encrusted toilets have been created to add bling to otherwise drab bathrooms. The toilet pictured above has a price tag of $75,000; some other crystal toilet creations are valued above $100,000. This design comes from the same maker as an extravagant gold plated toilet priced well above $300,000.

8. A Vacuum Cleaner

Piece of Cake PR

Although this isn’t covered from handle to floor in jewels like most of these other items, it is one of the more unusual object choices to make decorative with diamonds. This vacuum was created by GoVacuum after the popularity of their million-dollar gold plated vacuum cleaner. This device features a silver plated handle, a powernozzle sprinkled with diamond dust, and an outer filter bag that is decorated with 1000 Swarovski crystals. GoVacuum has not given this item a price tag, but has instead dubbed it “priceless” and decided to give away the one and only model as part of a contest.

9. A Fishing lure

The Most Expensive Journal

This diamond-studded fishing lure would definitely allow a fisherman to pull in that big one in style. That is, if they can afford it. Made by MacDaddy’s, this so-called Million-Dollar Lure is encrusted with 100 carats of diamonds and rubies. This lure may seem a bit too ridiculous to be functional, but it has actually been used in a fishing tournament in California.

10. Luggage


BornRich

This member of the Samsonite Black Label—a revamped version of a 1920s trunk adorned with Swarovski crystals—is sure to catch everyone’s attention in the airport, but is very exclusive.  Only 30 were made and sold in 2008 when the line came out. While no price is listed, you can be sure these went for a considerable sum.

11. Staircases

Sydney Morning Herald

There are two crystal staircases in the reception area of the MSC Splendida, purportedly the “world’s most beautiful ship.” Each step features about $40,000 worth of Swarovski crystals, making the staircases, with 72 steps between them, worth $2.8 million.

12. A Car

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To be specific, a Mercedes Benz. This car was decorated by Garson USA and is adorned with more than 300,000 Swarovski crystals. It is estimated to be valued at around $1 million and would certainly make a statement on the road. The crystal Mercedes has been exhibited at several auto shows over the past few years.

13. A Skull


Oh Gizmo!

This is a piece by British artist Damien Hirst that is entitled "For the Love of God." The underlying skull is real, and from the 18th century. The entire skull—except for the teeth—was covered in platinum before being smothered in 8601 flawless diamonds that have a combined weight of over 1,100 carats. The large pink diamond on the forehead alone is 52 carats and worth millions of dollars. All of the diamonds used cost a total of over $22 million, which is only a fraction of the sales price Hirst could ask for his creation.