Lovers of chess might well play with even plastic pieces bought at a corner shop, but why deny the pleasure of owning a truly elegant set? If money is no object, it is possible to try an extremely luxurious solution, for instance the wonderful Royal Diamond Chess, to a design by painter and jeweller Bernard Maquin? The set is graced by 9,900 diamonds, both black and classically white, with the creation of this extraordinary item also seeing the use of 1,168.75 grammes of 14-carat gold. An exceptionally impressive element is the king, formed with 18-carat gold and decorated with 73 rubies and 146 diamonds! The cost of the exquisite set is $9.8m. Involved in the execution were thirty craftsmen and artists and the work took 4,500 hours! Well, it was definitely worth it!