Apple iPhones have the reputation for being fragile at the best of times, but a jeweler has created a model so expensive its unlikely its owner will want to take it out of the box. The handset, built by London-based jewelry firm Alchemist, is the world's most expensive iPhone with a £600,000 ($1 million) price tag. Dubbed Million Dollar iPhone, the handset has a handmade, 24-carat gold bezel and is covered in 700 individual diamonds, totally over seven carats.
The company said it set out to create an item that was so luxurious it would 'redefine the meaning of grandeur' and spent seven months making the bespoke device. "It has culminated in the production of the most sought after piece of customised technology available in the world today," said a spokesman for Alchemist London. The rear panel of the Million Dollar iPhone is made from 24-carat gold, with 53 diamonds making up the Apple logo.
The navigation button is also made from 24-carat gold and has a two carat diamond cut into the centre.
The spokesman added: 'Meticulous, painstaking, and methodical are the closest words with which to describe the creative process.
'The design has been called, 'A challenge of epic aesthetic and technical proportions.' Only two of the handsets will be sold, with prospective buyers being asked to formally register their interest on either of the company's two websites, the-million-dollar-iphone.com and gold-alchemist.com. The handset and accessories, including a charger and USB cable, come in a bespoke case.