London billionaire spends £500,000 on a one-of-a-kind platinum-plated Hermes Birkin handbag sculpture complete with 8,000 diamonds, a 3ct heart-shaped emerald and an NFT housed in a bejewelled tag
- London billionaire spent £500,000 on his girlfriend’s Valentine’s Day gift
- Commissioned a one-of-a-kind platinum plated Hermes Birkin bag
- Piece features more than 8,000 individual diamonds and a 3ct emerald
- He added an NFT of the piece for an extra keepsake for his partner
For most couples, Valentine’s Day means a box of chocolates or bouquet of flowers.
But one London-based billionaire went the extra mile when it came to buying his girlfriend the perfect gift.
The anonymous Romeo, who lives in Chelsea, spent £500,000 on a one-of-a-kind platinum-plated sculpture of a Hermes Birkin bag, complete with more than 8,000 diamonds and a 3ct heart-shaped emerald.
It also has a diamond-encrusted tag which houses an NFT of the bag in a liquescent motion.
The anonymous man, who lives in Chelsea, spent £500,000 on a one-of-a-kind platinum-plated sculpture of a Hermes Birkin bag, complete with more than 8,000 diamonds
The piece is the brainchild of Debbie Wingham, who specialises in creating lavish outfits, accessories, artworks and novelty gifts for wealthy clients all over the world.
She made headlines in October 2020 when it was revealed she had planned a £21.5million virtual birthday bash for a billionaire, complete with a bejewelled dress that cost £20million.
This time, she created a sculpture in the shape of a Birkin, one of the world’s most sought-after bags, that looks like it is melting away from the bottom.
The main body of the bag is made from fibre glass which was plated in platinum. The handles are entirely covered in diamonds and a 36ct cuff.
The bag has a diamond-encrusted tag (pictured) which houses an NFT of the bag in a liquescent motion (as illustrated by the melting bag on the black background)
After Debbie had finished the bag, the client decided he wanted an extra touch and commissioned an NFT element.
‘You could write what I knew about NFTs on the back of a postage stamp but if my clients want it then I have to get my head around it fast,’ Debbie said.
A Non-Fungible Token (NFT) is a unique digital token encrypted with an artist’s signature and which verifies its ownership and authenticity and is permanently attached to the piece.
Most NFTs include some kind digital artwork, such as photos, videos, GIFs, and music. Theoretically, anything digital could be turned into a NFT.
Debbie’s NFT is a GIF of the bag melting on a loop, titled The Drip Bag, still image pictured
Debbie’s NFT is a GIF of the bag melting on a loop, titled The Drip Bag.
Debbie enlisted the help of a blockchain and NFT expert and released her very own Art Meta Studio.
This QR code directs you straight to her Meta studio and she came up with the idea of creating a diamond NFT handbag charm to hang from the sculpture and display the NFT.
The NFT is displayed on a luxury digital screen which is encapsulated in total 17ct, including 3ct of baguette diamonds 8ct of VVS1 pointers and a centre piece of a 3ct heart shaped emerald, edged in 5ct of diamonds along with a 1ct teardrop shaped diamond. The NFT carrier alone cost £220,000.