Wealth Blog | A bling too far

Just when you think you’ve thought of everything you might ever want, someone thinks of something really expensive and pointless that you really don’t need.

This of course makes it a must-have for those who just can’t resist the latest bling thing. And what could be more bling than a 22 karat gold business card?

They come with an eye-watering price tag – US$3,300 for one, US$15,500 for five and a not very substantially discounted US$30,000 for ten. Of course you can opt for 14k gold at just US$2,000 per piece, US$10,000 for five or US$19,000 for ten. If you’re a real cheapskate to give away gold cards away, then there’s sterling silver at a mere US$350 each, US$1,625 for five or US$3,000 for ten. If you baulk at that, there’s even copper, or brushed stainless steel at $829 for 200 or $13,770 for 5000. Or heaven forefend, wood. But perhaps that sounds a bit more realistic.

But hold on a minute, who would want to give someone a bit of heavy metal to clutter up their purse or pocket? The whole point of business cards is they are small, slightly stiff and bend easily. Years ago Harlan’s restaurant in IFC in Central had metal menus, and apart from the hazard of slicing your fingers, they were an affectation too. But there’s no accounting for taste.

The chaps making these call themselves Pure Metal Cards and operate out of something called The Hive. Their names are Richard Buckley and Eric Fabery de Jonge and they have been churning out metal business cards since mid-2010, “because Hong Kong is the place where everything is happening,” says Richard.

Today, they have the dubious distinction of selling the world’s most expensive business card, the 22 karat ones. Clearly not knowing when to stop, they also offer other metal based products including invitation cards, Christmas cards, magnetic cards, VIP membership cards and even USB cards. There are a lot of possibilities and choices in terms of design and type of material used as they gush on their website. Don’t say you haven’t been warned. A large lump of metal may land on the floor and break your toe any day soon.