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Vertu Launches Crumpled Gold Phone
Nokia's luxury brand, Vertu has created a rather crumpled looking phone which it says was inspired by Parisan Jewellery house Boucheron, in celebration of its 150th Anniversary.
Frank Nuovo, Vertu Principal Designer said "The constantly changing angled surfaces allow a cut stone appearance, inspired by the clearly faceted stones which are a significant part of BoucheronÃ's core craft. The recognisable Vertu V shape has seemingly morphed into random proportioned patterns and directions of the three sided surfaces creating a perfect blend of Vertu and Boucheron elements. The challenge was to gain visual sparkle not from precious stones but instead through pure form and line achieved with precious faceted metal"
Every one of the gold components on this exceptional mobile phone has been crafted from individual solid gold ingots taking over 1000 man hours to cut to shape, with over 700 man hours of hand polishing to follow and a further 500 hours to hand build.
The design intricacy of the sapphire crystal keypad with its concave design and 400 points on its surface provided the toughest of challenges for the most skilled of craftsmen as it strays from the typical flat surface used with such a precious material.
The Vertu Boucheron 150 is housed in a bespoke hand made wooden case made from Noce Pedullo, a special part of the walnut tree, and produced by Reuge, the Swiss makers of artisan music boxes. Inside the box sits an exquisite custom-built brass music drum which plays the signature Vertu sandpiper ringtone upon its opening.
Posted to the site on 10th December 2008