MOST EXPENSIVE HANDBAG EVER SOLD AT AUCTION

The Birkin, which sold at a Christie’s auction for $300,168 by a private collector from Asia, features 18-karat white gold and diamond hardware.

Obviously, this is no ordinary bag. The cadena lock itself is made of 68.4 grams of 18-karat white gold and encrusted with 40 white round brilliant diamonds, totaling 1.64 carats. Christie's handbag auction specialist Caitlin Donovan explained that the Himalaya Birkin "is of the bags that Hermès makes [that is] the most rare, the most coveted, the most collectible." Only a certain number of bags in this style are produced each year, making it one of the most desirable handbags in the world.

The opulent piece apparently was inspired by the snowy mountains of the Himalayas. The crocodile skin underwent a long, difficult dyeing process achieve its milky white tone. 

Another jaw-dropping fact about the bag is that it has three different structural elements, including, the Touret, the Pontets, and the Plaques de Sanglons, which all together have more than 200 diamonds with a grand total of 8.2 carats.