M
mikehrz
Guest
<sarcasm mode on>
All this talk about men's jewelry and crown jewels got me thinking. Although there aren't too many powerful royal families around, there are plenty of wealthy individuals with way too much disposable income. So what's the modern equivalent of crown jewels? What's the one thing that every wealthy celebrity must have? DUH! A collection of hideously expensive cars with hideously expensive (and just plain hideous) wheels.
What does this have to do with pearls you ask? Well...
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If Hubcaps Just Don't Do It for You
A $250,000 set of car wheels decked out in 63,000 carats - almost 28 pounds - of cubic zirconia certainly qualifies as ostentatious, even by the flamboyant standards of the $3.3 billion custom-wheels industry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/17/b...51bee6deb&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
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Actually, this is my favorite line from the article:
"They have a conservative edge," Mr. Hodges said of the jewel-encrusted wheels sold under his company's Asanti brand.
No, I'm not making this up. Good lord, how I wish I was.
So, what's the obvious next step? A set of wheels "decked out" in pearls, of course! All Tahitians, perhaps, or maybe alternating Tahitians and South Sea. No akoyas or fw wanted here; far too "common." Nope, you'd need big, gaudy pearls for that maximum "bling" factor. No naturals needed, either; if people are willing to pay that much for fake damonds, cultured pearls should be just fine. Granted, the pearls wouldn't last very long when constantly exposed to the elements. These would probably be the first pearls in history to cope with brake dust. However, you would be able to market them as an "environmentally conscious" alternative to the CZ wheels, since pearl harvesting doesn't involve huge quantities of chemicals being released into the environment. And every 3-ton, 5-mpg SUV owner will be glad to take advantage of the opportunity to be seen as environmentally responsible, right?
<sarcasm mode off>
All this talk about men's jewelry and crown jewels got me thinking. Although there aren't too many powerful royal families around, there are plenty of wealthy individuals with way too much disposable income. So what's the modern equivalent of crown jewels? What's the one thing that every wealthy celebrity must have? DUH! A collection of hideously expensive cars with hideously expensive (and just plain hideous) wheels.
What does this have to do with pearls you ask? Well...
-------
If Hubcaps Just Don't Do It for You
A $250,000 set of car wheels decked out in 63,000 carats - almost 28 pounds - of cubic zirconia certainly qualifies as ostentatious, even by the flamboyant standards of the $3.3 billion custom-wheels industry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/17/b...51bee6deb&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
--------
Actually, this is my favorite line from the article:
"They have a conservative edge," Mr. Hodges said of the jewel-encrusted wheels sold under his company's Asanti brand.
No, I'm not making this up. Good lord, how I wish I was.
So, what's the obvious next step? A set of wheels "decked out" in pearls, of course! All Tahitians, perhaps, or maybe alternating Tahitians and South Sea. No akoyas or fw wanted here; far too "common." Nope, you'd need big, gaudy pearls for that maximum "bling" factor. No naturals needed, either; if people are willing to pay that much for fake damonds, cultured pearls should be just fine. Granted, the pearls wouldn't last very long when constantly exposed to the elements. These would probably be the first pearls in history to cope with brake dust. However, you would be able to market them as an "environmentally conscious" alternative to the CZ wheels, since pearl harvesting doesn't involve huge quantities of chemicals being released into the environment. And every 3-ton, 5-mpg SUV owner will be glad to take advantage of the opportunity to be seen as environmentally responsible, right?
<sarcasm mode off>