Purses are probably the most popular accessory piece and they help tie an outfit together. Of course, purses are available at every price point. While most people feel comfortable shelling out $50 – $100 for a bag, the wealthiest people in the world pay hundreds of thousands, even millions for a single purse. In fact, most of the world’s most expensive purses cost well over $1 million! All of the purses on this list are limited edition and some are one-of-a-kind pieces.
- Chanel Diamond Forever Classic Bag
- Exceptional Collection Shiny Rouge H Birkin
- Diamond Niloctus Himalaya Birkin
- Lana Mark’s Cleopatra Clutch
- Hermès Chaine’d Ancre Bag
- Ginza Tanaka Birkin
- Hermès Sac Bijou Birkin
- Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse
- Debbie Wingham’s Upcycled Easter Egg Purse
- Maison Boarini Milanesi Parva Mea
Year Released: 2007
Materials Used: Crocodile Leather; White Diamonds; and White Gold
photo source: GC Prive
In 2007, Chanel released the Diamond Forever Classic Bag. The limited edition purse is made from white crocodile leather and 18-K white gold hardware that is covered in 334 diamonds. Only 13 of these bags were made, with five of them released in the United States. Each bag cost $261,000. The actual design of the Diamond Forever Classic Bag is the same as Chanel’s standard Classic Bag.
Did you know?
In 2008, Madonna and Karl Lagerfeld sold a Chanel Diamond Forever Classic Bag for €300,000 during that year’s AMFAR dinner auction to raise money for the fight against AIDS.
Year Released: 2011
Materials Used: Porosus Crocodile Skin; White Gold; and White Diamonds
photo source: Heritage Auctions
One of the most expensive Birkins ever, the Exceptional Collection Shiny Rouge H Birkin was released in 2011 and sold for $203,150. At the time, this was the highest price ever paid for a purse at a public auction. The Exceptional Collection Shiny Rouge H Birkin is made of porous crocodile skin dyed in a deep red color. The hardware is sold 18-K white gold, covered in diamonds. A few years after that first sale in 2011, the Exceptional Collection Shiny Rouge H Birkin was resold for nearly $300,000.
Year Released: 2013
Materials Used: Niloctus Crocodile; White Gold; and White Diamonds
photo source: Christie’s
Hermès Himalaya Birkins are some of the most coveted handbags in the world and in 2013, the brand made a special version of the iconic purse. The Diamond Niloctus Himalaya Birkin is made from Niloctus crocodile, which is from the Nile River. The hardware on the purse is made from 18-K white gold and covered in white diamonds. In 2017, the Diamond Niloctus Himalaya Birkin was auctioned by Christie’s for $400,000.
Did You Know?
The name “Himalaya” refers to the color of the Diamond Niloctus Himalaya Birkin, which is a smoky gray that fades into a pearly white. This resembles the snow-capped Himalayas.
Year Released: Various
Materials Used: Various
photo source: harpersbazaararabia.com
The Cleopatra Clutch, from South African handbag designer Lana Marks, is a favorite purse among the wealthy women of the world. The purse of a Cleopatra Clutch varies and depends on the type of materials and gemstones featured on the bag. The price can range between $100,000 – $400,000. Sometimes Lana Marks uses exotic materials like ostrich leather, American alligator, and crocodile skin from Australia, New Guinea, and Africa.
One of the most expensive Cleopatra Clutches that Marks ever made was for Chinese actress Li BingBing. The bag cost $400,000 and was made with special tanned Alligator with 40 karats of very high quality black diamonds, 18 karat gold, and her name written in pink gold with pink diamonds.
Did You Know?
While she was still alive, Princes Diana often commissioned Lana Marks to make purses for her.
Year Released: 2012
Materials Used: White Gold and White Diamonds
photo source: The Jewellery Editor
In 2012, Hermès artistic director for jewellery, Pierre Hardy, released a special collection of mini-handbags modeled after some of the brand’s most iconic pieces. One of the purses was the Hermès Chaine’d Ancre Bag, which cost $1.4 million. The bag featured a unique design of intertwining chains made of white gold and covered in brilliant diamonds. As its name suggests, the purse was inspired by Hermès’ Chaine’d Ancre purse hardware and jewelry. Like the other purses in Hardy’s collection, the Chaine’d Ancre Bag could be worn as a bracelet. Additionally, only three Chaine’d Ancre Bags were available.
Did You Know?
While all of the bags in Pierre Hardy’s collection featured diamonds, the Hermès Chaine’d Ancre Bag had the most with 11,303 diamonds, with a total weight of 86.24 carats.
Year Released: 2008
Materials Used: Platinum and White Diamonds
photo source: lofficielthailand.com
Not much is known about this special Hermès Birkin by Ginza Tanaka because it came out way back in 2008, long before the covering news about luxury items became a regular part of the internet. However, pictures of the Ginza Tanaka Birkin do exist and there is some information about the bag’s features. The Ginza Tanaka Birkin is made of platinum and covered in 2,000 white diamonds. The bag is very versatile and its pieces can be used a jewelry. The purse strap, which is made of diamonds, can be removed and used as a necklace. This converts the purse into a clutch.
Did You Know?
The centerpiece of the Ginza Tanaka Birkin is an 8-carat diamond that can be removed and worn as a brooch.
Year Released: 2012
Materials Used: Rose Gold and White Diamonds
photo source: vogue.co.uk
The next purse on this list is the most expensive Hermès bag in the world. Despite the oversized $2 million, the Hermès Sac Bijou Birkin is actually a mini version of the standard Hermès Birkin. This is because the purse doubles as a piece of jewelry. The Sac Bijou Birkin can be worn as a bracelet and the bag is made of rose gold, covered in white diamonds. The purse features 2,712 diamonds with a combined weight of 89.22 carats. In addition to being the priciest Hermès bag ever, the Sac Bijou Birkin is also one of the brand’s most exclusive handbags, as only three pieces were made.
Did You Know?
To go with the Sac Bijou Birkin, Hermès also released three Kelly purse bracelets made of rose gold that looked like crocodile skin and 1,160 diamonds.
Year Released: 2010
Materials Used: 18-K Gold; Yellow, Pink, and Colorless Diamonds
photo source: vogue.co.uk
In 2017, the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse was exhibited in the gallery of Christie’s Hong Kong and was up for sale through the auction house’s Private Sales. However, it seems that no one bought the bag as it was still for sale in 2019.
Did You Know?
The Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse was hand crafted by skilled artisans over a period of 8,000 hours.
Year Released: 2019
Materials Used: Emu Egg; Hermès Scarf; Cartier Earrings; White and Pink Diamonds; and 24-K Gold
photo source: vogue.co.uk
The fabulous egg purse, which has a value of $6.7 million, is covered in 8,000 diamonds and lined with a silk Hermès scarf. The clasp is a pair of $40,000 Cartier earrings. The purse also features an outer shell made from 24-karat gold by Italian designer Alessandro Galanti. There are also three pink diamonds (worth $1.9 mil) and two flawless white diamonds (around $265,000) on the purse.
Did You Know?
To reinforce the Emu egg used in Debbie Wingham’s Upcycled Easter Egg Purse, the designer used enamel made from blue diamond dust, which gives the Emu egg a shiny, deep blue color.
Year Released: 2020
Materials Used: Alligator Skin; Diamonds; Sapphires; Tourmaline; and White Gold
photo source: lofficielarabia.com
In 2020, Italian luxury brand Maison Boarini Milanesi created a limited edition version of its Parva Mea purse, worth €6 million (about $7 million), to raise awareness about ocean conservation, making it the most expensive purse ever in the world. The bag is made out of an aqua colored alligator skin and features 10 white gold butterflies and a diamond-paved clasp. Some of the butterflies are adorned with diamonds, while others are covered with sapphires. The remaining butterflies have Paraiba tourmalines on them. In total, there are about 130 carats of gemstones on the bag.
According to Boarini Milanesi, the color of the purse as well as all of the gemstones they chose were inspired by the sea. Only three of these limited edition Parva Mea purses were made and each one was personalized for the client that bought a bag.
Did You Know?
Whilte the limited edition Maison Boarini Milanesi Parva Mea cost a whopping €6 million (about $7 million), the brand only donated about €800,000 (about $950,000) from the sale of the bags to help clean the world’s oceans.
