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The Most Expensive Sex Toys Money Can Buy
www.forbes.com
The idea of creating a million-dollar sex toy was once laughable. But as the adult sector has expanded and social attitudes have changed, the idea of treating yourself or your partner to a high-end pleasure product doesn’t seem quite so absurd.
This was Australian jeweler Colin Burn’s belief when he set out to design and create the world’s most expensive vibrator, more than twenty years ago. The “Pearl Royale” is made from pure platinum, with 70 carats of white diamonds, as well as rare pink diamonds, AAA blue sapphires, South Sea pearl and fresh water pearls. It has been valued at $1.8 million, and is on permanent exhibition at the ACCA Gallery in Beverly Hills.
The "million-dollar vibrator" designed by Australian jeweler Colin Burn
Chris Benson
Burn’s desire to create a truly luxury product in a sector that has historically been considered a bit sleazy was borne partly out of a desire to prove he could. In one interview, he recalled how the toys he’d encountered as a young adult were cheap, tacky products. “Vibrators were known as ‘marital aids,’” he said. “They were products you used, not things you coveted.”
A conversation at a dinner party in 2003 got him thinking about whether it was possible to design a sex toy that was truly aspirational. He researched the market and realized there was nothing he as a jeweler would describe as luxury. “I laid down a challenge for myself,” he said. “To devise a true luxury product for people to use in the bedroom. It would be high-end, high-value, made from real gold, with real jewels, for people who appreciate fine things.”
While it may not be difficult to find “people who appreciate fine things,” convincing them to spend their money in the adult sector—which even today struggles to shake off its seedy image—is another story. Perhaps this is why Betony Vernon, a Paris-based American jeweler, describes her range as “erotic jewelry.” Her “Seven Pearls Gold Massage Ring” costs $1,900 and is available in sterling silver with pearl, gold with pearl or sterling silver with gold pearl beads.
Betony Vernon, the Paris-based erotic jewelry designer wearing one of her massage rings (Photo by ... [+] Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Any customers unsure of the difference between this and a regular cocktail ring should note, the description reads: “It should be worn on the middle finger of your most able hand, swivel the pearls toward the palm of your hand and experience a world of adventurous foreplay.”
Burn took much of his inspiration for the “Pearl Royal” from collections of crown jewels around the world. The desire to evoke or emulate royalty doesn’t stop with him. British brand Fornicouture, founded by artist AHH, is also keen to cash in on the association. The $1,200 “Fuji” is a curved translucent amber-colored glass dildo (described as as a “diletto”) at one end and an 18-strand flogger at the other. The kangaroo leather crop handle is said to be plaited by “the Queen of England’s whipmaker.” The leathergoods manufacturer is not named, but the most likely candidate is Swaine Adeney Brigg. The 250-year-old company held the Royal Warrant for riding gloves and whips since 1750, although it no longer does.
Sometimes, though, it’s as simple as taking an age-old design and casting it in 24-karat gold. Lelo’s “INEZ” vibrator is the same shape, size, and has largely the same functions as the silicone models. On the page you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish it from any other toy, if it wasn’t for the fact that it comes with a $12,800 price tag. But celebrity endorsements always help. The INEZ gained exposure (not all of it friendly) when it was featured on Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop website in a round-up of “Not So Basic Sex Toys.”
The INEZ vibrator by Lelo is plated in 24-karat gold and costs $12,800
Lelo
“LELO offers free three-day ‘discreet’ shipping, so your nosy neighbors will never have any idea that you're getting off by way of a device that costs more than a brand-new Hyundai Accent,”quipped one Time Out writer at the time. Nevertheless, its fans seem genuine enough. “If you can afford it, the naughtiness of using gold to get off is worth every penny,” gushes one reviewer. “What could be more luxurious than a golden dildo? Enough said,” writes another.
For those who can afford to, splashing out on jewelry, homewares, clothing, food, or wine is second nature. Why should sexual pleasure be any different? These days, if you’re in the market for luxury, the adult sector is ready and willing to cater.
www.forbes.com
The idea of creating a million-dollar sex toy was once laughable. But as the adult sector has expanded and social attitudes have changed, the idea of treating yourself or your partner to a high-end pleasure product doesn’t seem quite so absurd.
This was Australian jeweler Colin Burn’s belief when he set out to design and create the world’s most expensive vibrator, more than twenty years ago. The “Pearl Royale” is made from pure platinum, with 70 carats of white diamonds, as well as rare pink diamonds, AAA blue sapphires, South Sea pearl and fresh water pearls. It has been valued at $1.8 million, and is on permanent exhibition at the ACCA Gallery in Beverly Hills.
Chris Benson
Burn’s desire to create a truly luxury product in a sector that has historically been considered a bit sleazy was borne partly out of a desire to prove he could. In one interview, he recalled how the toys he’d encountered as a young adult were cheap, tacky products. “Vibrators were known as ‘marital aids,’” he said. “They were products you used, not things you coveted.”
A conversation at a dinner party in 2003 got him thinking about whether it was possible to design a sex toy that was truly aspirational. He researched the market and realized there was nothing he as a jeweler would describe as luxury. “I laid down a challenge for myself,” he said. “To devise a true luxury product for people to use in the bedroom. It would be high-end, high-value, made from real gold, with real jewels, for people who appreciate fine things.”
While it may not be difficult to find “people who appreciate fine things,” convincing them to spend their money in the adult sector—which even today struggles to shake off its seedy image—is another story. Perhaps this is why Betony Vernon, a Paris-based American jeweler, describes her range as “erotic jewelry.” Her “Seven Pearls Gold Massage Ring” costs $1,900 and is available in sterling silver with pearl, gold with pearl or sterling silver with gold pearl beads.
Getty Images
Any customers unsure of the difference between this and a regular cocktail ring should note, the description reads: “It should be worn on the middle finger of your most able hand, swivel the pearls toward the palm of your hand and experience a world of adventurous foreplay.”
Burn took much of his inspiration for the “Pearl Royal” from collections of crown jewels around the world. The desire to evoke or emulate royalty doesn’t stop with him. British brand Fornicouture, founded by artist AHH, is also keen to cash in on the association. The $1,200 “Fuji” is a curved translucent amber-colored glass dildo (described as as a “diletto”) at one end and an 18-strand flogger at the other. The kangaroo leather crop handle is said to be plaited by “the Queen of England’s whipmaker.” The leathergoods manufacturer is not named, but the most likely candidate is Swaine Adeney Brigg. The 250-year-old company held the Royal Warrant for riding gloves and whips since 1750, although it no longer does.
Sometimes, though, it’s as simple as taking an age-old design and casting it in 24-karat gold. Lelo’s “INEZ” vibrator is the same shape, size, and has largely the same functions as the silicone models. On the page you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish it from any other toy, if it wasn’t for the fact that it comes with a $12,800 price tag. But celebrity endorsements always help. The INEZ gained exposure (not all of it friendly) when it was featured on Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop website in a round-up of “Not So Basic Sex Toys.”
Lelo
“LELO offers free three-day ‘discreet’ shipping, so your nosy neighbors will never have any idea that you're getting off by way of a device that costs more than a brand-new Hyundai Accent,”quipped one Time Out writer at the time. Nevertheless, its fans seem genuine enough. “If you can afford it, the naughtiness of using gold to get off is worth every penny,” gushes one reviewer. “What could be more luxurious than a golden dildo? Enough said,” writes another.
For those who can afford to, splashing out on jewelry, homewares, clothing, food, or wine is second nature. Why should sexual pleasure be any different? These days, if you’re in the market for luxury, the adult sector is ready and willing to cater.
