Top Ten Expensive Gifts for Women: Part Two

Have you ever wondered what the most popular, and the most often given gifts for women? We have all received candy, flowers, and, maybe, once in a while, jewelry, but what if money were no object? What are the top ten most popular gifts for women, and what would those gifts look like if we could really shoot the moon?

Perhaps a modest posie would become a fabulous bouquet of exotic blooms, and a simple heart-shaped box of yummy chocolates would metamorphose into a designer's baroque extravaganza bursting with gold leaf and delectable flavor.

It's fun to speculate about what "these special things" would look like if one had a magically expandable budget, and since a colleague had already done me the favor of asking about expensive gifts for women, I decided the only thing to do was write a hub about it.

My research revealed that the most-given gifts in 2010 and 2011 were flowers, candy, perfume, jewelry/accessories, a romantic dinner, lingerie, fine wine or liquor, gift baskets/cards, a day at the spa, and a romantic cruise - lovely gifts by anyone's standards. Now let's take these ideas completely over the top.

You can enjoy the first five top picks here: Top Ten Expensive Gifts for Women: The First Five - for the rest, read on...

6. Lingerie: Victoria's Secret unveiled their $2.5 million US "Diamond Fantasy" brassiere, and set the bar for expensive lingerie.

Top design lines, Bordelle, Agent Provocateur, and Jean Yu are known for exquisite workmanship and finishing. Carine Gilson, Belgian couture lingerie designer since 1994, uses only the highest quality materials - diaphanous and delicate silks, lace, and chiffon. Her basic thongs start at $240, or you can purchase a chemise and shorts by Guia La Bruna of Italy for about $750 US, or a bustier from Romania's I.D. Sarrieri for about $650.

If your lady prefers a robe, a full-length Gilson kimono retails from $1300 - $1600 US, and a Josie Natori pure silk charmeuse robe can be purchased for $900 US, while a Stefano Ricci handmade silk robe can run from $4000 to $6000 US.

For something truly splendid though, an antique silk robe from China may be just the ticket. A pure silk robe from the Qing Dynasty can cost $10,000 or more depending on its provenance (documentation proving origin). Robes from the earlier Ming Dynasty can cost upwards of $40,000 US.

7. Fine Wine and Spirits are a welcome addition to any dining experience. Imagine arriving for dinner with your lady fair and a few select friends, with a Methuselah of Louis Roederer Cristal 1990 (a Methuselah is an over-size bottle of champagne containing six liters).

Perhaps you'd prefer a bottle of Bordeaux - a 1869 Château Lafite. Recently offered by Sotheby’s, one such bottle sold for an amazing $200,000 US, making it the most expensive of wine in the world.

Better yet, why not simply show up for dinner with a gilded and diamond-encrusted bottle of Henri IV Dudognon Heritage cognac. Your gift is a sure-fire pleaser, and will probably guarantee an invitation to return. The work of art pictured at the right retails for about $2 million US.

8. Gift Baskets / Gift Cards: Marks and Spencer offered a gift basket on their web site touted as the world's most expensive, at $1500 US. Of course, that's modest compared to the swag bags (gift bags) given away to Oscar-attending celebrities. These bags reached the dizzying heights of $100,000 US per bag in 2006, but have declined in cost since, reportedly because of IRS scrutiny.

Halcyon Jets offers a billionaire's club gift card for a mere $5 million US. The Dream Card affords its members access to Halcyon’s charter flights to and from almost any location in the world. Members can choose from Halcyon's fleet of Lear jets, helicopters, even jumbo jet - complete with a Private Aviation Specialist, and personal concierge to assist in making dining and entertainment arrangements through an exclusive network of select, luxury accommodations, and services.

9. Spa Day: Though our modern spas have their origins in Switzerland's healing mineral baths, the current, three most expensive spas in the world are located in the US.

New York’s Mandarin Oriental offers The Art of Indulgence, a treatment that involves massage, exfoliation, manicure, and pedicure - a five-hour session that clocks in at just over $1000 US.

Spa Radiance in San Francisco, offers a Grand Luxe Facial that takes three hours and costs $750, and includes a Diamond Peel Microdermabrasian (exfoliating with micro-diamonds), Microcurrent Disencrustation to remove blackheads and sebum deposits, and LED light therapy to counteract sun damage.

The title of "most expensive spa in the world" goes to Spa V, in the Hotel Victor, in South Beach, Florida. Exclusively open only to guests of the hotel, Spa V offers a bath filled with Evian mineral water and showered with rose petals, for a cost of $5000.

10. Romantic Getaway/Cruise: What would any list of indulgences be without a cruise? Here are the top three contenders for your lady's list:

You can cruise the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and South Pacific aboard a Greek owned private-charter for a mere $100,000 US per day for you and 35 close friends. The Annaliese come fully equipped with a spa, including a marble Roman bath, saunas, steam rooms, jacuzzis in the spa and sun deck, a full-size movie theater, a business center and a helicopter landing pad.

What about a seven-night Alaskan holiday aboard the Absinthe for about $340,000 US. The nature-watch charter cruises Frederick Sound, home of Humpback Whales, Orca and Dall's porpoises. The crew of 20 includes a massage therapist and master chef, and a 30-foot fishing boat that follows the yacht, along with an on-board Zodiac and helicopter available for more intimate expeditions.

If, however, your lady has a yen to discover the Arctic, you can indulge her wishes for just over $3000 US per day aboard the Nuclear Icebreaker Yamal. The ship is equipped with every imaginable amenity, including a library, volleyball court, heated swimming pool, and sauna. The full, 16-day cruise sails from Murmansk, Russia, and can cost almost $50,000 US, but book early - the cruises sell out eight months in advance.

It seems no matter how lovely a gift, how simple or heartfelt the idea, there is always someone willing to turn it into the "most expensive... in the world." I am sure that somewhere, someday, someone will create the "world's most expensive scrapbook," or the "world's most expensive Valentine's Day card."

It's easy to claim the moral high ground in the face of such blatant excesses, and assert the old adage that "money won't buy happiness." Of course, you would be quite right, but you would also have missed out on a good deal of fun along the way. Here's to having a bit of fun... Cheers!