There's not doubt that Etsy is full of interesting, talenting creations (and some not so interesting) and it's easy to spend hours searching through the masses of stores and listings. One of my favourite things to do is look at the most expensive listings on Etsy.
Today's search led me to this sculpture of
Pope John the 23rd by Alan Somerville. It's being promoted for the Easter holidays and costs $100,000. At that price it is easily the most expensive item on Etsy. Is it worth it? I definitely think so. I googled Somerville and found that he is a well-known sculptor in Australia and New Zealand and has several pieces displayed around the country. Whoever purchases this piece is getting work from an award winning artist and will definitely have a long-lasting item that would work in a variety of places. It would make an excellent addition to a Catholic cathedral.
Next I travelled to the woodworking section to find the most expensive item in this category. The results? This
wooden boat for $67,700.
This is the description:
(This is a boat I built from the Locust Keel up. It is the "Epoxy" method. This involves 1/8 inch clear heart cedar planks laid cross grain to one another, three layers; with a very heavy coat of glass cloth and epoxy applied to the exterior of the hull for durability, and also to the interior. It is a replica of the 1955 Century Whirlwind Runabout. That means a small boat that you drive with an outboard motor. An outboard motor has never been on it. Instead i made up masts, and sewed my own sails. The sail plan is a two masted fore and aft square rigger, used from the 1600's to the 1900's. it is the ideal, and perfect sail for a small open boat. the canvas is spread out low, -moreover, the rig is 'balanced' so that you can let go of the tiller and it 'tracks' on heading. It has never capsized for the above reasons; although I have seen small open boats with a triangular , tall sail capsize every time I've been out on the water. Everything was hand made by me, including sculpting and casting the mermaid stem head fitting, and the 'blocks'- the pulleys that handle the couple hundred feet of line. It is fitted with a powerful troll motor on a "kick up rudder".I realize no one can afford a boat that took me 17 years to build ( while keeping my day job ) but I offer it for sale for a collector who knows the value of such things. I fully expect never to sell it. Who in the world has this kind of money? Well...a peek at "Car Collector" magazine with million dollar cars, and even 14 million dollar cars might give you a clue. Obviously there are some staggeringly wealthy people in the world. Albeit, it's a pelasure to list my boat...to show off, actually. I think I'd be shocked if someone actually bought it. I do plan to keep it and have fun with it, and let my grandkids inherit it, and enjoy it as a family heirloom.)
I'll happily admit that I don't know that much about boats. I can't really say if this is great deal or not but in my meagre little opinion I think this artist put a lot of time, energy and heart into this creation and would like to get the value of the love that went into it as well as the time and money. This is understandable. I think a lot of artists feel this way. A lot of the value it probably in the replica of a classic boat. Again, I'm an expert in boats by any stretch and am simply showcasing some of the priciest items on Etsy today.
Now on to Jewellery ... my category. :)
The most expensive piece of jewellery on etsy is this extravagent piece of bling.
Priced at $90,000 this is one of the priciest items on Etsy. Here's their desciption:
(White gold , 18 kt.surrounded by 7 carat of beautiful diamonds in G color VS1 and yellow diamonds.The center Diamond is about Carat 5,40 in J collor SI1 .Total Weight of Diamonds is carat 12,40 . Please contact me if you have any question in regard,the ring is amazing ,able to adapt at any event ! You can have any information about other diamond for the center,any color,any quality, available at reasonable price. G.I.A certificate,with laser inscription. Thank, Marco)This is something that might be seen at the Oscars. The average person isn't going to be buying this item. From the description I'd say that this is a fair price. I had a friend who had a very high quality, single diamond ring that was valued at $20,000 by three different appraisers. The quality of the diamond is extremely important. I can't complain about the price of this item. The only thing I'd like to comment on is that Etsy, for me, is about Artisans being able to showcase their work. This looks much more like the work of a professional jewellery designer. This artist doesn't have any information in their profile about themselves, an external link or any sales/feedback so you don't really know who you are dealing with.
With that in mind I'm going to skip some of the other pricey items on etsy as some of them are from the same store and have this 'professional' flair.
This next item is from someone I would call an artisan. In his profile page he describes his proces and his vision and I get a real sense of how he works and what his pieces mean to him. His most expensive one is the
Burning Water Bracelet
This bracelet is very funky and is made from quality materials - 14k coloured gold. That's not gold plating or gold fill but real 14k gold. That puts a lot of value in this item as do the diamonds. It also has a name that speaks to his vision. The photography is well done and the care is obvious. I also like that each piece is unique. This is never going to be recreated. At $21,950 I definitely think this is worth it. It may not be for everyone and it's certainly not in most people's price range but for the right person this will be, essentially, a priceless item.
The last item I am going to showcase was one of the most expensive necklaces when I first started doing this kind of search. It was listed at $10,000 but has since been dropped to $6,500. The
Baroque Cathedral Necklace is not for someone who has a weak neck. It's large and intricate and quite fascinating to look at. I'm sure it's even more fascinating in person. This was created by an actual artist who wants to make wearable art. It's for someone who wants to make a statement.
A note from the author:
For the sake of this article I'm assuming that the artists and their creations are authentic and that they have given accurate descriptions of themselves and their work. As buyers we must always be aware of who we are purchasing from, especially at these prices, and I am in no way assuring anyone that I know this artists or can vouch for them.
