iPhone 4S already blinged-out by U.K. super jeweller

There’s this guy, Stuart Hughes out of the U.K., and he tends to go a bit overboard.

He’s one of these jeweller-to-the-stars types, and he pimps out everything from BlackBerries to iPads to fish tanks. No, really pimps them out. Like, slaps 149 grams of 22ct gold and a whack of diamonds onto an iPod Touch and turns it into a $226,000 gadget. That kind of stuff.

Remarkably, Hughes claims he actually sells his blinged-out creations. I spoke to him on the phone for an MSN feature a few months back, and he swears big money buyers flock to his gadgets, which act like status symbols for the super-rich.

If there was one thing you gained from speaking with the PR-savvy Hughes – his media people send out promo emails to reporters almost weekly – is that he’d never miss a headline. And, already, with the iPhone 4S debuting just yesterday, Hughes has turned the long-awaited smartphone into a gaudy jewel.

Arriving in my email inbox this morning was a message from Hughes’ people, announcing the jeweller has already bejewelled two models of the iPhone 4S.

*Bing: Browse more of Stuart Hughes’ excessive gadgets

One version, called the “Billionaire Toys Gold Edition,” will be fully embellished in 24ct gold and will feature an outer frame inlaid with 500 top-quality crystal stones.

The other, called the “Billionaire Toys Platinum Edition,” will be fully embellished in platinum and feature the same crystal border.

Both phones will also have 53 hand-set crystals adorning the Apple logo on the smartphone’s back. Both units, available after Oct. 7th, will also be worth $6,100.

If six grand for a phone seems excessive to you, consider that Stuart Hughes is the same jeweller that memorably rolled out the world’s most expensive mobile last October – an $8 million diamond-studded iPhone 4.

Also consider that the words “economic recovery” don’t mean anything to the people that would actually mull buying these things. If you can afford a diamond-plated BlackBerry or platinum MacBook Air, there’s no such thing as fiscal restraint in tough times.

It’s always time to spend.

By Jason Buckland, MSN Money

*Photos courtesy Stuart Hughes.

Posted at 12:34 PM in Cell phones, Consumer news | Permalink