The Imperial Faberge Eggs!

Yesterday I had to deliver a gift to one of my employer's friends, and while there the house manager was kind enough to gave me a quick tour of the downstairs.

Although the house was attractive overall it was obviously the work of an interior decorator, with no personal touches from the family to speak of - usually the telltale sign of the new rich. To me these kinds of rooms appear cold and uninviting - like being in an up-scale furniture store rather than a private home.

While I was trying to be polite, you can imagine my shock when I spotted a knock-off copy of a Faberge egg sitting in a prominent place in the formal living room. What on earth? My first rational thought was that the decorator should immediately be thrown into prison and tortured, perhaps even locked in a room full of Alexander Calder mobiles. Plus I was confused as to why the house manager hadn't taken it upon himself to accidentally break this hideous objet d'art years ago.

You see, rich people generally eschew copies of anything - going straight for the original. And failing that, they'll buy something else altogether rather than expose themselves to gossip at having knock-offs sitting around the house.

There were only about fifty Imperial Faberge Eggs created in the first place, by Peter Carl Faberge for the Tsars of Russia. Reportedly only forty-two survive, and these bejeweled eggs are valued in the multi-millions. While a few might be in the hands of a rich private collector, most are cloistered in museums around the world, especially the Kremlin Armoury Museum in Moscow.

Certainly they are not sitting on a coffee table inside the home of a new-rich family.

There are several companies offering Faberge-style eggs, some of them quite expensive, even into the low thousands. And there's nothing wrong with that - as long as they're meant for an obscure shelf somewhere, or perhaps a child's bedroom.

But for prominent display? No, don't do that. Scandal and gossip is the only possible outcome.

Here's a link to images of the Imperial Eggs. Again, each and every one worth millions. Not a bad deal for something that comes out of a chicken's butt.

Thanks for dropping in,

Andrew

   

Credit Cards for the Rich: The American Express Black Card!

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but a huge and fun part of my job is running errands for my rich employers. Whenever the Missus sends me out on one of these assignments (especially if it's to Neiman's) she usually hands me her American Express card - the Black Card.

The first thing you notice about this peculiar card is that it's really, really heavy, compared to all the light-weight cards we carry around in our wallets. The second thing is it's really, really thick - to the point I worry if it will actually slide through anyone's credit card reader.

Even though I might be unshaven and dressed in old jeans and t-shirt, I can't help but notice the lifted eyebrows and attitude adjustment when I take out the Black Card and hand it to a clerk at Bergdorf's or Saks Fifth Avenue.

I'd heard whispering and rumors about the Am Ex Black Card for years of course, but wasn't sure if it truly existed or not. You see, it's not advertised and in the past it's not something you could apply for -  it was by invitation only from American Express to big spenders on their traditional Green Card.

Nowadays the rules may have changed, but it's fairly out in the open this prestigious card really does exist - although the membership, both domestic and international, is reportedly quiet small.

While information about the members and the requirements to carry the card is still rather secretive, from what I can gather you must spend at least a quarter-of-a-million dollars a year on the card ($250,000) to remain a member - and there's an annual fee of $2,500.

But what's that to a billionaire?

As we all know, prestige in the world of the rich seems to be highly important. While dignity, honor and respect are harder to come by, prestige is still one of those commodities that money can easily and always buy.

Thanks for dropping in this evening.

Andrew