What Is the Most Expensive Christmas Tree?
Alexandria Wyckoff
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Each year we drape a tree in decorations, whether that be garland, ornaments, or tinsel, and grow increasingly excited as the Christmas season comes to stay in our homes. But, there are some that go overboard with their holiday spirit, and we are left with numbingly expensive Christmas trees displayed around the world.
Check out the top twelve most expensive Christmas trees on our curated list.
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12. Sofitel London St. James Black Tree, $55,000
Our first selection on the most expensive Christmas tree list begins in London. The management of the fashionable hotel Sofitel paid tribute to the hard-nosed London pub culture and the posh elegance in their own hotel by creating a metal tree frame, which happened to hold 200 miniature-sized 24-carat gold bottles containing Louis XIII Grand Champagne Cognac. Each bottle was made by hand by Baccarat masters, and the crowning piece on the metal tree was a smoky-blue chandelier. What a way to show off your liquor.
11. Denmark’s Swarovski Christmas Tree, $150,000
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Christmas market, Copenhagen, Denmark twinkled when Swarovski unveiled their public Christmas tree. The tree itself was decorated with more than a million multicolored bulbs, and 100,000 encrusted lights, along with the 3,000 Swarovski crystals that glisten in the moonlight.
10. Steve Quick Jewelers Gold Tabletop Tree, $500,000
2007 brought around the next most expensive Christmas tree on our list. Jeweler Steve Quick wanted to bring the essence of the holiday season to a creation, and this ended up being an 18-karat gold Christmas tree with scattered diamonds on its surface to show the crisp snowfall. On top of the tree is a star crafted from platinum and diamond, which is valued at 4.52 carats and is detachable so the owner can wear it as a pendant.
If you are looking for a more affordable version of this unique tree, check out Steve’s other creations which are silver- and gold-plated versions of this Christmas tree.
9. Singapore Sookee Jewelry Shop Diamond Tree, $1 million
Another tree created from finery is the product of jeweler Soo Kee in Burgis Junction, a shopping mall in Singapore. The 6-meter, 3-ton Christmas tree bears a staggering 21,798 diamonds totaling 913 carats and has twigs thrusting up 3,762 crystal beads. To make the tree even more amazing, Soo Kee placed 500 lightbulbs around the tree to bring the whole sparkling structure to life.
8. Washington DC Capitol Christmas Tree, $1 million
One of the only truly natural trees on our list is stationed in Washington DC at the Capitol. Since 1964, the Capitol has taken a conifer out of its commissioned tree nursery, keeping the branches and roots intact, and planting it right in front of the White House. Sometimes this massive tree can exceed 20 meters and calls for thousands of lightbulbs to bring its holiday cheer to the surface. Between the costs of getting the tree unplanted, replanted, decorated, and set up, it’s no wonder that the price tag comes to around $1 million.
7. Ginza Tanaka Jewelry Tabletop Tree, $1.8 million
Ginza Tanaka is known for making extravagant Christmas trees, and it only makes sense that a few of their trees appear on our most expensive Christmas tree list. This specific tree is a 6.6-foot masterpiece crafted out of 42 lbs. of pure 24-carat gold processed into golden wires. The tree was displayed for the shop’s 90th anniversary, and of course to spread the holiday cheer in Japan.
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6. Hong Kong Swarovski Crystal Tree, $1.8 million
If you thought the previous Swarovski Christmas tree was crazy, then you haven’t seen Hong Kong’s 30-meter Crystal Christmas tree. Costing a total of $1.8 million, the tree is made with silver and gold rhombus-shaped mirrors and 20 million crystal pieces created by Swarovski. And if that’s not enough, the tree has interactive lights in 200 of the crystal pieces.
5. Takashimaya Preserved Roses Christmas Tree, $1.8 million
Instead of a towering tree, Takashimaya decided to go the other way, in order to prove that size does not matter when a piece demands attention, especially with Christmas trees. Based on the design by Parisian flower boutique Claude Quinquaud, Takashimaya shrunk the tree to a 16-inch height. On its surface is a cluster of preserved roses in differing colors and sizes, but the real money maker is on the petals. Diamonds of Australian and African extraction sit on the petals like dew drops, sealing the deal on this $1.8 million tree.
4. Pro Aurum Gold Coin Tree, $2.6 million
The next tree on our most expensive Christmas tree list is not a tree at all, rather it’s a collection of coins. Pro Aurum, a German gold dealer, made a tree in Europe in 2018 by using gold coins. Costing a total of $2.6 million, the tree was 10 feet high and was produced in association with the Austrian Mint. It was made of 2,018 gold coins to commemorate the year it was completed, and of course, a gold star adorned the top of the tower.
3. Ginza Tanaka Disney Gold Christmas Tree, $4.24 million
Pure artistry is reflected in our top three choices for the most expensive Christmas tree, created by the famed Ginza Tokyo. Celebrating the 110th anniversary of Walt Disney, the 2.4-meter-tall tree features 50 Disney characters, all made from solid gold. The 24-carat gold altogether totals 88 pounds, and it took ten artisans two whole months to create this store display in time for the holiday season.
2. Emirates Palace Hotel Decorated Tree, $11.4 million
2010 was the year for our second most expensive Christmas tree, located in the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. Even though the 13-meter fake evergreen tree only cost a few thousand dollars, it was the decorations placed on the limbs that racketed the value up to $11.4 million. Along with diamonds, gold, pearls, sapphires, and emeralds, the tree boasted priceless necklaces, bracelets, and watches. If something were to wear its weight in gold, it might just be this Christmas tree.
1. Most Expensive Christmas Tree: Kempinski Hotel Christmas Tree, $15 million
Last but certainly not least on our most expensive Christmas tree list is located in the Kempinski Hotel Bahia in Spain. Setting the record in 2019, this is the most expensive display of a Christmas tree from across the globe, worth a total of $15 million. This was due to the natural diamonds dripping off of the boughs, sponsored by British designer Debbie Wingham. The diamond decorations were in the shades of red, white, black, and pink, and had jaw-dropping diamonds like a $5.5 million red oval diamond, a $2.6 million pink diamond, a $590,000 black diamond, and many more.
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Even though these trees are draped in diamonds and gold, there is nothing wrong with decorating your tree with homemade ornaments. These might be the most expensive Christmas trees in the world, but it increases the feeling of holiday cheer amongst all of us, especially as we wait for Christmas day.