So Expensive

Lotus silk is one of the rarest fabrics in the world. Produced only in small scale across Cambodia, Myanmar, and more recently Vietnam, this natural fibre is only extracted by a few skilled craftspeople across the world. But making this "silk" isn’t easy. Extracting enough lotus silk for one scarf can take two months, and the final product can cost 10 times as much as regular silk. So just how is it made, and what makes it so expensive?

The unmistakable sound of the gong has held spiritual significance in Southeast Asia for centuries. Hand-beaten from sheet materials, the labor-intensive shaping and delicate paintwork result in beautiful percussive instruments. Souvenir gongs can be bought for just a few dollars, but large, finely tuned gongs made from the best materials can fetch tens of thousands of dollars. So what are gongs actually used for? And why are they so expensive? But making this "silk" isn’t easy. Extracting enough lotus silk for one scarf can take two months, and the final product can cost 10 times as much as regular silk. So just how is it made, and what makes it so expensive?

This is a Đông Tảo chicken. Often known as dragon chickens, these thick-legged birds can sell for over $2,000. Each one can take years of raising and special care, and the best are even entered into beauty competitions across Vietnam. So, what does it take to raise a Đông Tảo chicken, and why are they so expensive? But making this "silk" isn’t easy. Extracting enough lotus silk for one scarf can take two months, and the final product can cost 10 times as much as regular silk. So just how is it made, and what makes it so expensive?

The cost of running a political campaign in the U.S. has been growing steadily over the past decade. The 2020 Georgia Senate races are the most expensive yet, with $480 million being funneled into ad placement since election day. How did political campaigns get so expensive? And where is all the money going? But making this "silk" isn’t easy. Extracting enough lotus silk for one scarf can take two months, and the final product can cost 10 times as much as regular silk. So just how is it made, and what makes it so expensive?

Sơn mài is a traditional Vietnamese form of lacquer painting. Created using a toxic lacquer harvested from one region of the country, it requires months of application and sanding back layers of paint to build up the image. Last year, a sơn mài painting sold at auction for $972,000. So what makes these paintings so special? And why are they so expensive? But making this "silk" isn’t easy. Extracting enough lotus silk for one scarf can take two months, and the final product can cost 10 times as much as regular silk. So just how is it made, and what makes it so expensive?

Coconuts produce some of the most expensive cooking oil, selling for up to 12 times the price of canola oil in the United States. But the health benefits coconut oil devotees swear by are hotly contested, and the American Heart Association even recommended that consumption be avoided. Nevertheless, the industry is expected to grow by half a billion dollars worldwide over the next four years. So with the controversial conversation surrounding the product, why is coconut oil so expensive?

Stone crab claws are one of the priciest seafoods you can buy. Depending on their size, claws can cost as much as $70 per pound. Unlike most other crustaceans, it's illegal to harvest the body of a stone crab, so fishermen must only collect the claws before returning the rest of the crab to the ocean. So what makes these claws so coveted? And why are they so expensive?

Before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were delayed a year by COVID-19, they were already the most expensive summer games. Experts estimate they will cost more than $26 billion. The extra year added at least another $2.8 billion. There's still a chance they might not happen at all.

The Texas winter storm is expected to be the most expensive weather event in the state’s history, costing insurers over $20 billion. Why are Texans paying the price for the polar vortex?

Americans supply two-thirds of the world’s plasma, supporting an industry that relies on vulnerable donors in need of cash.

Mike Winkelmann, better known as Beeple, has sold the most expensive digital artwork in history. It’s part of an explosion in the market for NFTs — tokens that prove ownership of things like digital art that you can’t even touch.

Ceylon cinnamon is native to just one region of the world. And producing it requires hours of delicate work. Even the most skilled workers can make only a few pounds of quills a day. One pound of cinnamon quills can cost $27. But not all spices labeled "cinnamon" are the Ceylon variety. Many in the Western market are actually cheaper types of cinnamon called cassia. So what makes Ceylon cinnamon so favorable? And why is it so expensive?

Pule donkey cheese is the most expensive cheese in the world. Produced by only one farm in the world, pule will cost you about $600 for a single pound. Making it requires more time and effort than most other cheeses. You need over 6.5 gallons of donkey's milk just to make one kilogram of cheese. That's 2.5 times more than what you need to make mozzarella. So how does pule compare to other types of cheese? And why is it so expensive?

Lightning Ridge is a small mining town outside of New South Wales, Australia renowned for its black opal, which can sell for over $10,000 per carat. But even for an expert miner, finding high-quality black opal isn’t easy. After investing tens of thousands of dollars, a miner might not find a single gem. But as soon as a gem quality black opal is found, opal cutters know they have a buyer for it. That exclusivity, and black opal’s unique colors, make it one of the most expensive gemstones in the world.

Cars in Tunisia are among the highest priced in the world. Tunisians are paying almost twice the market value for a used car. We dive into why cars in Tunisia are so expensive.

In 2017, a single violin bow sold at auction for $690,000. You can buy a beginner's bow for less than $50, but a top-rate professional bow can often cost thousands of dollars. A bow like this is completely handcrafted by skilled artisans. And just one can take an entire week to make. Even the most subtle differences in the way a bow is made will change how well it plays. So why would someone pay so much for a bow? And what makes it so expensive?

Jugyeom, or nine times roasted bamboo salt, sometimes also known as purple bamboo salt, can cost almost $100 for an 8.5-ounce jar. To make bamboo salt, sea salt must be repeatedly roasted inside of bamboo at temperatures over 800 degrees celsius. The goal is to enrich the salt with minerals and to reduce toxicity. But depending on where you buy it, purple bamboo salt can cost more than 10 times the price of pink Himalayan salt. That labor-intensive process makes purple bamboo salt the most expensive salt in the world.

Hong Kong has the most expensive housing market in the world. Rent is so high many can only afford to live in subdivided apartments known as “coffin homes.” But the problem isn’t land scarcity.

Even in the high-end world of jewelry, Cuban link chains are a symbol of luxury. Once a quintessential part of hip-hop style in the '70s and '80s, these chains have become increasingly popular in the last decade. Today, you'll find prominent rappers like Future, Daddy Yankee, and Lil Uzi Vert wearing Cuban link chains. Although the majority of these chains are machine-made, many of the most expensive ones are handmade by just a few shops in Miami. One handmade 18-karat gold Cuban link chain can cost $27,000, and some of the most valuable ones will cost 10 times that. In 2012, Jay-Z wore one of the most expensive Cuban link chains made at the time, worth $200,000.