Richie Rich in Technology

It bewilders me when people will spend hundreds to millions of dollars on adding a little bling to their hardware…and I do not mean household items or everyday necessities.  I am talking about cell phones and tablets.

 

Today I looked for a new cover for my Kindle Fire and found a very pretty floral Vera Bradley case but it was $39.  Yes it is stylish, but it was a piece of cotton and cardboard that I could make myself.  Designers today are expanding their product lines marketing all different avenues including technology.  You can find covers and cases from Disney to Harley Davidson and even a little bedazzle with Swarovski crystal...Hello Kitty Swarovski crystal to be exact.  I understand the pricing for these items falls within reason to today’s baseline pricing, but what about Stuart Hughes Black Diamond iPhone 5 selling for $15.3 Million!  This Iced-Out phone includes an inlay of 600 white diamonds, asolid gold Apple logo surrounded by 53 white diamonds, 135 grams of 24-caratgold and sapphire glass for the screen. As for the black diamond, the stonereplaced the iPhone's home button. 

 

Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of a phone case?  It should function as a means of protection from damage not an open invitation to steal it.  The cost of the bling is worth more than the actual hardware and technology used to develop the device. 

 

I forgot to mention that I bought my current Kindle Fire cover at Five Below for $5 after sourcing it with several different retailers.  It has the exact same interior and functionality as the Vera Bradley one I saw today.  As discussed above, retailers in every industry are broadening their designs to the technology industry which allows consumers to purchase trendy accessories at reasonable prices.  Below are a few other places I looked before making my purchase:

·         E-Commerce Channels – Amazon/eBay

·         Book Stores

·         Flea Markets – you can find almost any style phone and tablet equipment cases and covers for under $5.  These are designer inspired and there is always room for negotiation with these vendors.

My final thoughts are even if you can afford a diamond encrusted phone cover, why not spend the money on a more purposeful product like an $890,000 Stuart Hughes suit!  This will really boost the US economy.