A certain subset of the world is really into the idea of covering everything in sight with gold. These modern-day Midases can get their fix with gold-plated iPhones, drones and even toilets.
McDonald's Japan took the Golden Arches concept a little too far when it unveiled an 18-karat-gold chicken McNugget in 2016 as a contest prize. You'd just want to be sure not to bite down on it, no matter how hungry you got.
Sony stepped up the shininess with its 2018 DMP-Z1 music player featuring a gold-plated knob and a significant price tag. It's more expensive than Sony's 85-inch TV.
Goldgenie is a London and Dubai company famous for plating all sorts of crazy things in gold. This British racing bike from 2014 is a prime example of Goldgenie's wild streak. The blingmasters described it as the "ultimate once-in-a-lifetime gift for yourself or someone truly special."
Remember when one-wheeled personal transportation devices seemed really cool? That was around 2015 and UK blingsters Goldgenie got on board the trend by offering a gold-plated Segwheel electric uniwheel. It cost a healthy $44,000 (£28,000, AU$57,000).
This DJI Phantom 4 drone is not like the others. Drone retailer Drones Direct offered this shiny gold version in 2016 for about $25,000 (£19,999.97, AU$32,000). The gold plating added some extra weight to the machine. This is one drone you won't want to get stuck up in a tree.
French design firm Harow should be your first stop when outfitting your supervillain lair. The firm came up with the 24-karat-gold skull armchair in 2016. If you turn it around, you'll find a cushy black velvet seat.
Kay Jewelers celebrated Star Wars in 2015 with the creation of a gold-and-diamond BB-8. It took jewelers over 600 hours to design and build the shiny droid, which is just over 4 inches (10 centimeters) tall and weighs more than 1.5 pounds (a little over half a kilogram).
Russian-Italian luxury smartphone maker Caviar immortalized the alleged Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin bromance in 2017 with a custom gold-plated iPhone set featuring a profile of each world leader. Even better, the phones were called "One World."
This luxurious car seat might look like something Iron Man would use for his kid, but it's actually a bulletproof baby seat designed by luxury Latvian carmaker Dartz in 2015. The seat uses kevlar, gold stiching and gold-plated crocodile skin.
The gold-loving people at luxury-products maker Goldgenie enjoy blingifying Apple products, like this $164,000 (about £110,000, AU$214,500) Apple Watch from 2015. Not content with just rose-gold, the company also covered the watch in diamonds.
Apple's upcoming 2018 iPhones haven't even been unveiled yet, but that didn't stop Goldgenie from opening up preorders for a $127,000 (£100,000, AU$176,000) gold-plated version. The company took a guess that the new phone might be called the "iPhone Xs." It's certainly hoping the "excess" name comes true.
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan tweaked the art world's nose in 2016 when the Guggenheim Museum installed his functional, solid-gold toilet in a bathroom. Patrons were allowed to spend some private time with the fancy loo. The piece is titled "America."
Published:Caption:Amanda KooserPhoto:Guggenheim Museum
12
of 13
Royal wedding on an iPhone X
The very expensive 2018 royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got a fitting Goldgenie tribute in the form of a commemorative gold-plated iPhone X emblazoned with an image of the happy couple. So tasteful.
