In the homes of the rich and famous, grand pianos and crystals might seem pretty ordinary… but what if you combined the two?
That’s exactly what a company in the UK has done – designed the piece for an “influential Sheikh” in Qatar, Goldfinch took six months to painstakingly add half a million Swarovski crystals to the grand piano, creating arguably the most bling musical instrument the world has ever seen.
The Cambridge-based firm, which creates custom made pianos for customers around the world, says that the crystal-covered number is worth £420,000 ($620,000). This particular creation is based on a Steinway and Sons piano.
Goldfinch director Tomas Norman said: “It’s been a delight to bring another customer’s dream to reality.
“We love nothing more than blurring the lines between timeless tradition and contemporary art, but it’s not all about good looks – our craftsmanship is combined with cutting-edge technology for that seamless finish and ultimate musicality.”
Previous ebony and ivory constructs from the company have included a piano colour-matched to an RAF fighter plane and a baby grand piano that appears to melt down three flights of stairs. Goldfinch says that its pianos can fetch between the hundreds of thousands and a million.
Of course, this piano pales in comparison to some of the most expensive musical instruments ever sold. The record for this stands at $45 million for a 300-year-old Stradivari viola. Meanwhile, the world’s most expensive grand piano sold at auction is a specially designed D-274 named Steinway Alma Tadema; it sold for $1.2 million in 1997 at Christie’s in London.
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