Diamonds Are a Gadget's Best Friend

With embellishments like diamonds and white gold, tech gear can get pretty pricey

by Ian Sager

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Bang & Olufsen grabbed headlines with the release of Serene, billed as the world's most expensive mobile phone at $1,275. With its square, flip-top design and circular keypad, the Serene stands out from your run-of-the-mill mobile phone.

But when it comes to pricey tech, the Serene is hardly in a league of its own. Loaded gadget geeks can spend a lot more on high-end devices—and we're not talking about IBM (IBM) supercomputers, Sun Microsystems (SUNW) servers, or Cisco Systems (CSCO) routers, either. These are tricked-out headphones, keyboards, MP3 players, and laptops—the kinds of things we use every day (only the ones that command top dollar usually come encrusted in diamonds).

The most expensive tech tools come in every shape and size. Some are simple remodifications of existing designs while others are cutting-edge applications of science and design. Take the Tulip Ego Diamond, for instance. It's inlaid with solid white-gold plates in which diamonds have been hand set. But that's not all; this laptop can be accessorized to the nth degree, letting users personalize their computing experience. The outer skin of the laptop pops off, letting users mix and match color schemes. Thus, the Tulip Ego can become your very own fashion statement, as well as a means of getting work done. Unfortunately, there is one large downside to this product: At $355,000 a unit, it costs more than many people spend on a house.

Some categories—take headphones, for instance—lend themselves to high-end products that are a bit more reasonable. The Koss ESP-905 will only set you back $999, the price of a mere handful of iPods. The Stealth Computer 2000-DT-TB goes for only a little more than that: $1,195. Never mind that it's more than some people pay for a computer. It's chump change next to the $127,255 Yalos Diamonds TV, a 40-inch set that, like the Tulip Ego, is plated in white gold and studded with—you guessed it—diamonds.

Sager writes about technology in New York.