MOTZA, Israel (AP) – An Israeli jewelry company is working on what it says will be the most expensive coronavirus mask in the world, a gold, diamond-decorated face with a $ 1.5 million price tag.
The 18-carat white gold mask will be adorned with 3,600 white and black diamonds and fitted with top-rated N99 filters at the request of the buyer, said designer Isaac Levy.
Levy, owner of the Yvel company, said the buyer had two other requirements: that it would be ready by the end of the year, and that it would be the priciest in the world. That last condition, he said, “was the easiest to fulfill.”
He declined to identify the buyer, but said he was a Chinese businessman living in the United States.
The glitzed-up face mask can lend some pizzazz to the protective gear now required in public spaces in many countries. But at 270 grams (more than half a pound) – almost 100 times that of a typical surgical mask – it is unlikely to wear any practical accessories.
In an interview at his factory near Jerusalem, Levy showed several pieces of the mask, covered with diamonds. One gold plate had a hole for the filter.
“Money may not buy everything, but if it can buy a very expensive COVID-19 mask and the boy wants to wear it and walk around and get the attention, he should be happy with it,” Levy said.
Such a demonstrable mask can also rub some the wrong way at a time when millions of people around the world are out of work or suffering economically. Levy said that although he would not carry it himself, he was grateful for the opportunity.
“I’m glad this mask gave us enough work for our employees to deliver their jobs in very challenging times like these,” he said.
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