For the most fortunate portion of women on Earth, designer handbags are more than just handbags that carry their essentials daily. For them, it could an accessory to express their individuality, a symbol of status, or a display of wealth. A study even shows that women instinctively flash their expensive handbags whenever they feel threatened by another woman.
With designer handbags, the more limited they are, the more they cost. Sometimes, luxury brands create one to three handbags with a rare design and these are usually highly-priced.
Though it sounds extremely ridiculous, owning a handbag that costs more than your house or 4-year college tuition, most experts and collectors believe they are worth the investment since resale prices for these designer goodies increase every year.
If you are wondering what are the most expensive handbags of 2021, we have rounded them up for you. Shocking is an understatement for the prices of these ones.
The Most Expensive Handbags of 2021
Starting from the cheapest, here are the most expensive handbags of this year.
Blue Crocodile Hermes Birkin Handbag – $150,000
The inspiration behind the Hermes Birkin bag came when English actress Jane Birkin’s straw bag broke and all her belongings fell out. During the incident, the chief executive of Hermes, Jean-Louis Dumas was with Birkin and was suddenly struck with inspiration to create fashionable and sturdy handbags.
Since then, the Hermes Birkin handbag has become an established and recognized luxury bag that millions of people hoped to own. Included in the list is the blue crocodile variant is included in the list of the most expensive handbags. It went on sale for £125,000 in Mayfair, London.
Hermes Exceptional Collection Shiny Rouge H Porosus Crocodile 30 cm Birkin Bag – $203,150
The name itself just screams expensive. However, that’s not all! The official name for this handbag is Hermes Exceptional Collection Shiny Rouge H Porosus Crocodile 30 cm Birkin Bag with 18K White Gold & Diamond Hardware. This particular Birkin bag was the most expensive handbag sold at a public auction in Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas.
Fuchsia Diamond-Studded Hermes Birkin – $222,000
At this point in the list, it’s no longer undeniable just how expensive Hermes Birkin handbags are. Another one is the Fuchsia Diamond-Studded Hermes Birkin which will immediately catch your eyes at first glance. It’s prettily decorated with 18-carat white gold and diamonds and was sold for $1.72 million Hong Kong dollars at an auction of Christie’s in 2015.
Chanel “Diamond Forever” Handbag – $261,000
The Chanel “Diamon Forever” Handbag is designed to look simple and elegant. However, don’t be fooled by its simplicity. It’s made out of fine crocodile leather and decorated with 334 diamonds that weigh 3.56 carats in white gold while its detachable strap is made with an 18-carat gold chain.
Aside from materials, this is also a rare and limited handbag as only 13 of this design was created.
Niloticus Crocodile Himalaya Birkin – $379,000
Another Birkin bag on the list! This particular Birkin bag is made from Niloticus crocodiles and takes many hours to lighten the hue of the material. The lighter the coloration, the more difficult it is to craft the handbag.
The Niloticus Crocodile Himalaya Birkin is made to conjure the impressive Himalayan mountains with its rich brown and white color scheme. Topped with a few diamonds then you have this expensive bag ready to go.
The most recent Niloticus Crocodile Himalaya Birkin comes with an 18-carat gold shell coated with over 240 diamonds.
Lana Marks Cleopatra Clutch – $400,000
The Lana Marks Cleopatra Clutch can often be seen walking down the red carpet with an A-list actress. It can cost from $100,000 to a whopping $400,000. The high price is due to its rarity as each year, only one new Cleopatra Clutch is created with a new color and design.
Currently, Chinese actress and singer Li Bingbing owns the most expensive Cleopatra Clutch. Lana Marks and the stylist themselves specifically designed it to match her gown. The clutch was made with American alligator leather and topped with 1,600 white diamonds that weigh 40 carats. For a cherry on top, pink diamonds and pink gold were used to write Li Bingbing’s name.
Hermes Chaine’d Ancre Bag – $1.4 Million
We have entered the domain of the millions!
The Hermes Chaine’d Ancre Bag is an intricately designed handbag with a prison-like theme. It’s created with an anchor-shaped chain with 1,160 pieces of diamonds. The high price is not only due to its expensive materials but also due to its rarity. Only 3 of these handbags were created.
Hermes Birkin Bag by Ginza Tanaka – $1.4 Million
Hermes Birkin has dominated this list and we see no reason why it shouldn’t! This Hermes Birkin Bag by Ginza Tanaka does not only serve as a handbag but also various accessories. It was designed by Japanese designer Ginza Tanaka with detachable parts.
It carries 2,000 diamonds on the outer shell and a pear-shaped 8-carat stone centerpiece which you can detach to wear as a brooch. If you need a fancy bracelet or necklace, you can also take out this bag’s diamond sling and use it to wear as an accessory.
Hermes Kelly Rose Gold – $2 Million
This Hermes Kelly Rose Gold handbag is enough to dress you up! There’s no need to wear any accessories as long as you have this pretty handbag hanging off your arm.
The bag is crafted to resemble crocodile leather and was made in collaboration with Pierce Hardy, a well-known jeweler. It is dotted with 1,160 diamonds and took two years to create. Only 12 with three variants of these were created.
Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse – $3.8 Million
Since 2011, no one has come close to dethroning the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse from being the most expensive handbag in the world. It comes from the Emirati luxury goods company which holds five World Records for the most expensive items on Earth.
This purse is heart-shaped and handcrafted with 18-carat gold. It was created with 8,800 hours worth of labor and is topped with 4,517 diamonds, including 105 yellow diamonds, 56 pink diamonds, and 4,356 colorless diamonds.