We’re deep into December, which means it’s very much twinkling tree season. When it comes to decorating festive firs, some people think the tackier the better. Others opt for a more aesthetic approach, even hiring a professional tree decorator to achieve a tasteful, high-end look.
And if you think that’s a little over the top, you probably won’t agree with the outrageous sums of money that have been splashed out on some of the most luxe Christmas decorations in the world.
In this article, we list five of the most valuable, including bling baubles and trees worth more than buried treasure.
Hallmark’s diamond-studded bauble – £82, 000
In 2009, Hallmark (the jewellers, not the greetings card people) created the world’s most expensive Christmas bauble. Made of 18-carat white gold and encrusted with thousands of shimmering diamonds, the one-of-a-kind bauble was said to be worth £82,000 and took a whole year to design and make. Did it end up on a tree? Of course not — we all know the dangers of people gravitating towards those branches after one too many egg nogs. Instead, it’s kept in a steel-framed case surrounded by 6mm thick laminated glass in Titchfield, Hampshire.
Ginza Tanaka’s Santa Figurines – £1.2 million each
Fun fact: one of the biggest Christmas Day traditions in Japan involves eating Kentucky Fried Chicken. And it’s possible that the Colonel’s secret recipe went to someone at jewellery maker Ginza Tanaka’s head, as in 2020 they crafted two pure gold Santa figurines costing more than 200 million yen (£1.2 million) each.
The statues are approximately 40 cm tall and weigh a solid 20kg, so they’d do some serious damage to your fireplace hearth if Saint Nick accidentally dropped one down your chimney.
The Rockafella tree’s Swarovski star – £1.5 million
In New York City, they don’t mess around when it comes to Christmas trees. The Rockefeller Center’s annual tree lighting is one of the great festive traditions in the city, and this year they went with an 82-foot, 90-year-old Norwegian spruce that grew in nearby Queensbury. It took a crane and lots of people wearing high-viz jackets to stand the thing in place.
Obviously, a tree like that requires a special star, so every year they adorn it with a $1.5 million Swarovski creation that contains 3 million crystals. And when it comes to lighting the tree up, they don’t just flick a switch; they invite some VIPs along and make an evening out of it. This year, Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys and Andrea Bocelli gathered around the trunk to sing Christmas songs. Which begs the question, where was Noddy Holder?
Pro Aurum’s gold coin tree – £2 million
No Christmas stocking is complete without a bag of chocolate coins. And they’re the first thing that must have sprung to mind when people first caught a glimpse of Pro Aurum’s 2018 Christmas ‘tree’. The Munich-based gold dealer created its festive showpiece using 2,018 Vienna Philharmonic gold coins shaped into a pyramid, topped by a massive 20-ounce Philharmonic coin set inside a golden star.
In total, 64kg of the precious metal was added to the tree, which was 3 metre high and worth more than €2.7 million (£2 million).
Takashimaya’s gold tree – £6 million
It’s safe to say the folk at Tokyo department story Takashimaya like gold. In 2013 they unveiled a Christmas tree with gold branches that were adorned with gold trinkets and topped with a gold star. To mix it up a bit, they also added a touch of red in the form of baubles, bows and flowers. But really, it was all about the bling, and as a result the costly conifer was said to be worth more than 1 billion yen — that’s £6 million.
Remember, if you’re looking to free up money fast — maybe by borrowing against a luxury Christmas decoration — Almagrove has 30 years of experience in lending, pawnbroking, and private asset finance. Contact us to find out more.