Covered in precious metals and gems

Mar 5, 2007 08:19 GMT  ·  By

With Nokia's 8800 already being expensive, there's nothing else they could do to take it to the next level than make it even more expensive.

Russian company ISSE, designers of mobile phones and jewelry accessories have released one such phone, a more limited and expensive version of the 8800.

Why? Because, nobody makes luxury phones covered in precious metals and gems better than the Russians. While there's no piece of information that should lead you to believe that this is a phone manufactured by Nokia, the phone looks exactly like the 8800.

The 8800 Russian version was dubbed ISSE Monaco Jewelry phone, comes with a front panel made out of gold or silver featuring individualized drawings that were made using hot enamel technique and a number of diamond (1.5 carat), ruby, garnet, topaz and other gems.

Very much like the Vertu, the Monaco comes with a color display that is covered with a scratch resistant sapphire glass to ensure that the phone will look exactly the way it looks now, after a long and maybe even rough period of use.

As the company suggests, the mobile phone is intended for the very wealthy people and should compete successfully with other luxury mobiles like the Vertu. Optional heated enamel will add a shade of color and make each handset even more special.

The polishing and cover details are made from platinum, gold, silver or color enamel. As any luxury phone, it must come with a proper presentation, and each handset comes in a unique box from various rare timbers. There's no info regarding the price or how many Monaco Jewelry phones will be available, but expect it to be expensive and rare. Also, it looks like it is now available for sale in Russia.