Laurence Dollimore
IT’S been branded the world’s priciest Christmas tree.
Draped in diamonds and precious stones – from Cartier and Bulgari no less – the 3.5 metre tree is proudly standing in the luxury Kempinski Hotel Bahia, in Estepona.
It has been standing tall since November 30 as part of the hotel’s Christmas Market, which helps raise money for charity.
And they will be happy if they raise a fraction of what the tree is worth – a jolly €14 million!
Inspired by ‘Art Deco and Colonial designs’, the tree is the work of British jewelry designer and expert in luxury items Debbie Wingham.
The hotel explained in a statement: “All flawlessly cut and ethically sourced, decorations include 3crt pink diamonds, 4crt sapphire, oval red diamonds, black and white diamonds, and a mixture of remastered, expertly upcycled jewellery from the likes of Bvulgari, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Chanel.
“Inspired by the verdant feathers of a peacock and the modernist art-deco era, the tree features unique martini glasses, feathers, perfume bottles and even 3D printed chocolate peacocks.
“But it wouldn’t be Christmas without tradition, and guests can still expect to find classic decorations such as snowflakes, fairies and beautifully decorated baubles, carefully curated with a mixture of materials, from diamond dust and 24 carat gold, to emu and ostrich eggs.”
Debbie’s previous works have included the world’s most expensive wedding cake, which set an exclusive Dubai client back an eye-watering €50 million.
She was also behind the most expensive shoes in the world – a pair of sandals made from gold and pink and blue diamonds, worth €15 million.
Her latest work will stand in the Estepona hotel until January 6.
Meanwhile, on December 28 a ‘Diamonds and Champagne’ party will see each guest receive a glass of champers with a diamond at the bottom.
Only one of the jewels, however, will be genuine.
It will be the task of a stone expert to make the rounds and discover who has the real diamond – valued at more than €2,500.
That lucky guest will be able to take the diamond home with them.
The dinner costs €100 per person and offers a five-course menu prepared by chef David Fernandez.
Meanwhile, Santa Claus will be welcoming all children to come to the hotel’s Christmas market to tell him what they want for xmas.
The market will be open to the public throughout the holidays.
There is also a life-sized Gingerbread House on display, which took the hotel’s head chef three weeks to create.
