During Hanukkah, dreidels have a lot of value. For those unacquainted, a dreidel is like a four-sided spinning top, where each side has an engraved Hebrew letter. It is used to play a game during Hanukkah.
But this dreidel is more special than the others. In fact, Guinness has pegged it as the most valuable and expensive dreidel of all time. This relatively tiny object is valued at $70,000.
The custom-made piece is made by Estate Diamond Jewellery from New York. It was created using 18-karat gold, and is 10.8 cm high. The Hebrew letters on the side are made of white gold, and encrusted with 222 round diamonds. On the top, there is another diamond, of 4.2 carats.
The creators of this dreidel are usually known for making vintage engagement rings. They say, “The inspiring message of Chanukah (aka Hanukkah) has always resonated with us and we love whimsical jewellery, so naturally, we have always tried to get our hands on an important antique dreidel to add to the collection. A few months ago, however, we decided that we wanted to create our dream-dreidel all by ourselves, inspired by the artistic designs of the vintage jewellery from our collection. We had no idea how fun this journey would be.”
It was created using the style of Art Deco, and the makers say it was inspired by the Chrysler building, which is located a few blocks away from the Jewellers’ shop in New York.