Top-Priced Cellphones: Ka-Ching!

Cell phones are becoming status symbols around the world. It's not just about having the latest technology or the coolest brand . . . it's also about the design and elegance of your phone. So I was interested in this week's Fortune, which writes about the $10,000 cellphone made by Vertu (see right).

The upscale phone is hand-crafted with quality materials and bundled with what Fortune calls the "killer app" of concierge service for booking hotels, restaurants, etc. (This app has also been called "a butler in your pocket.")

Vertu began life under the Nokia umbrella but majority ownership was sold in 2012 to a Swedish private equity firm. This allowed Vertu to shift gears to the Android operating system, a plus because of the many apps available to users.

But Vertu isn't the only super-luxe phone being marketed.

At left is an iPhone embellished by British designer Stuart Hughes to showcase a giant black diamond that had been in the customer's family for many years.

Add in the price of the extra diamonds surrounding the case, and the final cost was reportedly about $15 million (not including voice or data usage). 

Other top-of-the-line mobiles are made by Sony-Ericsson, Christian Dior, and Continental Mobiles. Ring-tones are extra, but so what?