The most famous gifts in history
Rich people can both earn good money and spend it with gusto. With the right approach, expensive gifts should turn into an investment, without becoming a liability. This list of the most famous gifts in the world is bound to make you think about what presents you make to your loved ones, and what you get from them.
Scorpios island. The picturesque 500-acre Greek island of Scorpios was a gift from billionaire Aristotle Onassis to his wife Jacqueline Kennedy in 1968. Onassis had dreamed of this piece of land since childhood, but he owned it for only 6 years, and then presented it to his beloved one to impress her. The happy couple got married there. The purchase price in 1962 was only < 10,000, but the next resale of the island 47 years later brought < 100 million to Onassis' granddaughter.
The 68-carat diamond. In 1969, Hollywood actor Richard Burton presented his beloved Elizabeth Taylor a ring with this stone worth $ 1.1 million. The diamond is famous for its unusual shape and perfect cut. Interestingly, Elizabeth Taylor married Burton twice, most likely unable to resist such gifts.
The Taj Mahal. The incredibly beautiful palace was a posthumous gift from Padishah Shah Jahan to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to her 14th child. The mausoleum was built over two decades; the best craftsmen and architects worked on its creation. The Taj Mahal walls are built of white polished marble, so, depending on the position of the sun, the palace changes its color from snow-white to pale pink.
Collection of works of art. Roman Abramovich, a billionaire who fell in love with Daria Zhukova, distinguished himself with incredible generosity. He gave his wife a whole collection of works of art, the value of which is estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars. The collection includes a sculpture by Alberto Giacometti ($ 14 million), 40 paintings by Russian artist Ilya Kabakov ($ 30-60 million), paintings by Lucien Freud ($ 33 million), Francis Bacon ($ 86 million) and other outstanding artists.
The "Koh-i-Noor" diamond. In 1849, Queen Victoria of Great Britain got an incredibly beautiful diamond called "Koh-i-Noor" as a gift from Maharaja Duleep Singh. The 186-carat gem has become the main decoration of the British Crown Jewels and is almost priceless.
Cartier pearl necklace. In 1917, the fabulously rich American banker Morton Plant gave his young wife a unique pearl necklace by the famous jeweler Cartier. Interestingly, he did not simply purchase this piece of jewelry, but exchanged a six-storey mansion in New York for it. Now the cost of the necklace is estimated at about $ 20 million.
The 34-meter-long yacht. In 2008, Indian businessman Anil Ambani purchased an $ 80 million yacht for his wife and former Bollywood actress Tina. The luxurious 34-meter-long vessel was a gift for the 50th anniversary of his wife.
The "Hope" and "Star of the East" diamonds. In 1908, billionaire Thomas Walsh decided to please his daughter Evalyn with a fabulously expensive wedding gift and presented her a 94.8-carat "Star of the East" diamond. Evalyn's husband was no less generous having given her the "Hope" diamond (45.52 carats) placed in the center of a chic diamond necklace by the Cartier jewelry house.
1.5-kilometre-long sable coat. The French Monarch Louis XIV made this romantic gift to his young wife Maria Theresa. The young queen liked taking an early morning walk in the garden. To make sure his beloved did not bother to put on shoes after getting out of bed and could go barefoot, the king ordered for her a "path" of sable skins.
Which of these gifts in your opinion is worth investing in today?