Since we’ve been hearing so much about recession these days and about how we can all best cope with it without going out of business, Universal Music thought maybe it was high time we put our worries aside and thought only of beauty instead. “Woman: Sweet 10 Diamonds” comes encased in platinum and bears ten diamonds, which makes it the world’s most expensive CD ever recorded, according to InfoTech.

“Woman” is not meant to be just a sight for sore eyes, though. Since it’s Universal Music we’re talking about here, the CD also includes 18 tracks compiled by various female artists, although whether the buyer will actually ever play it is yet to be determined. “Woman: Sweet 10 Diamonds” comes at a whopping price of $100,000 and is said to be a true collector’s piece – wherefrom the question of who is ever going to listen the tracks included on it.

The CD is “made with a platinum case and studded with a total of 10 2-carat diamonds, produced by Universal Music and Japanese jeweler Nagahori in Tokyo,” the aforementioned source notes. It was not released just like that, without a purpose, it is being further underlined, but on the occasion of the 10th commemorate album from Universal Music. It also makes for a marketing strategy meant to attract attention to the materials coming from the label, as well as to ensure an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.

While the CD case certainly represents excellent craftsmanship, the release has not failed to raise some eyebrows as to the appropriateness of it and its timing. As the music industry is increasingly complaining about the hits it takes on a daily basis what with the illegal music downloads, while more and more people choose to go online to buy their music (thus sales for actual CDs are dropping fast), what would be the point of this beautiful but immediately useless piece, several music-oriented e-zines and blogs are asking.

While we’re pondering over this, we should also mention that a buyer for “Woman: Sweet 10 Diamonds” has not yet been announced. Given the economical context, it will probably be another while before one comes through, it is further being maintained.