From Disney-themed solid gold Christmas trees to diamond-encrusted baubles – feast your eyes on the 5 most expensive festive decorations of all time

Dec 25 , 2020

Why decorate with paper and tinsel when you can use gold and diamonds? Photo: @veryfirstto_insta/Instagram

A Christmas wreath fit for Queen Elizabeth? The florist to royal families created a US$3.8 million wreath while Ginza Tanaka impressed with a solid gold Santa and 77 Diamonds created a star with over 280 diamonds

Christmas decorations generally include such humble accoutrements as Christmas stockings, candles, coloured paper banners and baubles, even gingerbread houses. But while many are content to wheel out the same decorations each year, others have been known to be much more ambitious. After all, if you can’t splurge at this time of year, when can you?

We present to you five of the most expensive Christmas decorations of all time.

Diamond Christmas wreath by Pasi Jokinen-Carter (US$3.8 million)

First released in 2013, this Christmas wreath is like no other – with over 40 shimmering diamonds and rubies studded throughout. The 60cm wreath is an arrangement of blueberry stems, laurus nobilis, lingonberries, eucalyptus and ivy. Finnish florist to the royals, Pasi Jokinen-Carter, also adorned the wreath with pretty Helleborus flowers to better show off the diamonds.

In total, the gems boast 138.83 carats with 17.49 carat rubies and 3.03 carat yellow diamonds, which could of course be removed and reused. The entire decoration takes just under a week to make and is said to last for 12 days.

Solid gold Christmas tree by Ginza Tanaka (US$4.24 million)

One of Ginza Tanaka’s golden Christmas trees in the brand’s store in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: youkaine/Flickr

Japanese goldsmith Ginza Tanaka has gained a reputation for creating solid gold Christmas trees in recent years. In 2006, the brand’s team of artisans unveiled their first gold Christmas tree, then worth US$850,000. Then in 2012, to celebrate the 110th anniversary of Walt Disney, they stunned fans with an even more expensive solid gold tree amounting to US$4.24 million.

The tree was 2.4 metres high, weighed 40kg and was cut in the shape of several of Disney’s most iconic characters, including Tinkerbell and Mickey Mouse.

Gold Santa figurine by Ginza Tanaka (US$1.8 million)