Finding the perfect present for the person who seems to have everything is never easy, so shopping for someone who really needs nothing can tax even the most creative gift-givers.
But with a little extra thought, a present that will delight just about anyone-even someone who is ultra-wealthy-can be within grasp, shopping concierges say.
"We find that our clients gravitate toward things that have a story or a special meaning that transcends the physical gift itself," says Michael Fazio, principal of Abigail Michaels Concierge in New York City and author of Concierge Confidential. "It's not about the amount of money spent, it's much more about the thought invested and the creative energy spent coming up with a unique idea."
It's OK to go with a standard gift, such as jewelry; just don't choose the typical, concierges say.
"For gifting, you have to kind of up your game a little bit," says Lee Coleman of Quintessentially Lifestyle, a members-only concierge club. Coleman loves Susan Foster of Los Angeles, who creates unique diamond slice pendants and boldly designed rings.
"Really hot in jewelry right now are colored diamonds, picked for their beauty and rarity," says Bruce Wallin, editorial director of the Robb Report, which produces an annual Ultimate Gift Guide. Gift ideas in the guide include a $20 million-plus backyard amusement park designed by the company whose co-founder is the former creative director of Universal Studios. "It's a very good investment."
Graff, Leviev and Cartier are among the top makers of colored diamonds, he says. Cartier's women's watches are popular, with the Tank line almost 100 years old. For men, vintage watches are hot, as are Rolex watches, with price tags that can exceed $100,000.
Also popular, concierges say, is Theo Fennell, one of today's premier jewelry designers, who has many one-off pieces of jewelry-including cufflinks priced at up to $20,000-that all are hand-made in the workshop above his Fulham Road store in London.
"His pieces incorporate eclectic, quirky, and beautifully detailed design with great craftsmanship," says Gordon MacGeachy, co-founder of Globalblackbook.com, an online source for luxury travel information.
TMB Art Metal, also based in London, creates cufflinks, clocks and sculptures with provenance, incorporating into them metal or material from the subject they represent-mostly cars, planes and trains, Coleman says. The items include a limited-edition four-inch sculpture of a Supermarine Spitfire World War II fighter plane, crafted with metal from one of the war's surviving aircraft, for $14,000.
Unique clothing is always a popular gift item, concierges say.
Doug Greenberg, vice president of sales and marketing with Garde Robe, a personal valet and storage service, suggests California-based David August, which has teams of designers that meet with clients to learn about their profession, lifestyle and passions and then creates a custom wardrobe.
Kimberly Garrett of Plush Fashion Styling in New York City offers a similar service for women. Garrett, a former Ralph Lauren celebrity stylist, also helps her celebrity clients clean out their closets to get rid of outdated and unflattering items and replace them with the latest styles.
For those with too many clothes, Garde Robe, with locations in New York, Las Vegas, Southern California and Tokyo, provides cataloguing, storage and transportation services for clients' wardrobe collections. "We get a ton of folks who use us as a gift," Greenberg says. "We are like a personal valet or butler, but we don't live in your home."
Books are also prized gifts, concierges say. Coleman likes to work with Peter Harrington, a London seller of fine and limited editions that can, for example, provide an edition of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's bound in pink goatskin leather, with a black silhouette of Holly Golightly on the cover that is studded with real diamonds. Sold in a custom-made black velvet bag, the book sells for about $4,400.
For the wealthy technofile, STRUT LaunchPort in San Clemente, Calif., offers designer protective cases and a high-tech charging system for the iPad, including covers with walnut burl, carbon fiber, leopard print and sparkle pink finishes. The centerpiece of the charging system is a pedestal made from "individually crafted, hand-welded, hand-polished, jewelry-grade stainless steel." One unit costs about $1,250.
When people's material desires have all been met, it may be time to consider getting them a gift in the form of memories. Experiences-unique vacations that can include brushing shoulders with celebrities-are among the hottest of gift items, concierges say.
"This buzzword has surpassed the trend phase," Fazio says. "The luxury market loves gifts that deliver a full experience. We have seen a significant increase in the number of experiential gifts we arrange."
Any fan of 1960s and 1970s rock music will scream for a five-day jam at rock 'n' roll fantasy camp in Las Vegas, culminating in a performance on stage with legendary singer Roger Daltrey of the Who at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.
For the adventurous, D1 Ultimate-GT in the U.K. creates luxury supercar driving events. The company offers a four-day ice-driving trip in Lapland, Finland, in February or March with instruction on how to control a supercar at high speeds in winter conditions. Among the cars available are a Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi RS4 and Porsche Carrera 4S.
The company also offers a 20-day Antarctica expedition that goes to the South Pole and back. The tour starts and ends in Cape Town, South Africa, and heads by air to Novo, an air base in Antarctica, for the ride to the South Pole in modified vehicles provided by Arctic Trucks.
Ancestral Footsteps is a British company that tailors a vacation to one's family history. The company researches a client's family tree, then helps retrace that history, arranging a tour of sites important to one's ancestors, with the researcher as a tour guide. Prices start at about $20,000 for a five-day trip.
To help travelers get where they want to go, a Flexjet 25 Jet Card could be a convenient gift item, concierges say. The program, operated by U.S. air carrier Jet Solutions, offers cardholders benefits from Executive Golfer, Abercrombie & Kent, Lake Austin Spa Resort, Korean Air and Qatar Airways. Recipients of any Flexjet 25 Jet Card product-such as the debit option, which starts at $100,000-will get access to as many private jet flight hours as they need on board a Learjet or Challenger aircraft. Rocks from space are valued partly on their distinctive size and shapes, and can sell for hundreds of thouands of dollards.
For a gift that is truly out of this world, purchase a meteor, suggests Wallin. In mid-October, Heritage Auctions put more than 125 meteorites on the block in New York City, bringing in more than $1 million. The centerpiece item was one of the largest moon rocks ever sold publicly.
Rocks from space are valued partly on their distinctive sizes and shapes, and can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Children love opening holiday presents and Coleman has several recommendations for unique gifts for the youngest members of the family.
Designer Nika Zupanc, who has a showroom in Italy, creates chic, high-gloss, fiberglass three-wheeled cars for toddlers. The Konstantin B, selling for about $2,000, comes in five colors with a silver or gold windup key that serves as the seat back.
For the child who needs a place to stow the spoils from the tooth fairy, David Linley, the British designer, offers a tooth "piggy bank"-a rosewood or walnut box with an inlaid pig design in polished nickel.
For adults, a "fun" gift item could include Johnnie Walker's Diamond Jubilee whiskey commemorating the 60th anniversary of the reign of the Queen of England, priced at about $158,000. Using rare malt and grain Scotch whiskies distilled in 1952, John Walker & Sons' master blenders created this special whiskey for Queen Elizabeth herself, as well as 60 other bottles for sale. The scotch is bottleld in diamond-shaped Baccarat crystal decanters on a crystal base adorned with Britannia silver. The collars are also set with a half-carat diamond. The sets are sold with a pair of lead crystal glasses and a personalized commemorative book in a chest of oak and pine.
Several concierges said charitable donations are an excellent gift. One can combine a donation to a good cause with a special gift or experience like a meet and greet with Barbra Streisand by checking the array on www.charitybuzz.com or www.charityfolks.com.
If a celebrity interaction is the desired gift, or nothing else seems just right, it may be time to call a concierge.
"One of our clients is a big fan of the Jerry Seinfeld Show, and he especially loves the character of George Costanza's father played by Jerry Stiller," Fazio says. "Our request from his wife was to see if we could hire Jerry Stiller to surprise him at his birthday dinner. Within a few days, we had a signed contract from Mr. Stiller agreeing to come to our client's party. Needless to say, it was a big hit."
