More than Your Usual Presents

"monarch. Over the course of his reign, England's Henry
If you think that the handcrafted necklace you boughtIII received a variety of great beasts as gifts from his
as a birthday gift for Mom was expensive, or that thefellow monarchs. In 1235, the Holy Roman Emperor
scrapbook you made for your girlfriend already took aFredrick II sent him three leopards (Henry's royal shield
lot of hard work, then you most likely have not heardof arms featured three leopards). The three great cats
about these gifts. Read this short guide to some ofwere then followed by a great white bear from the
history's most expensive, extraordinary andking of Norway in 1252 and an elephant from Louis IX
jaw-dropping gifts:in 1255.
§ The Amber Room§ Imperial Easter Eggs
In pre-World War II Russia was a room whose wallsThinking about buying your girlfriend a birthday gift that
was made of amber panels and had decorations ofgoes beyond the usual jewelry and flowers? Try
gold leaves and mirrors. Considered to be the "Eighttaking a cue from from Tsar Alexander III who in 1889,
Wonder of the World" for its sheer beauty andcommissioned the famous jeweler company Faberge
opulence, the Amber Room was one of the greatestto make a special Easter egg for his wife, the
attractions of Catherine the Great's Tsarkoye SeloEmpress Maria Fedorovna. When pulled open, the first
palace.Faberge egg (which was actually made of gem
The room however, has not always been a Russianstones) opens to reveal a gold yolk, which in turn, has
possession. The room was originally a part of Prussiana golden chicken inside it. The chicken meanwhile,
king Friedrich I's home (the Charlottenburg Palace). Itcontains a replica of the Imperial Crown which has a
was built from 1701 to 1709 by master craftsmantiny ruby egg hanging from it.
Gottfried Wolfram and, at the time of its destruction,The queen was so delighted with the exquisitely
contained over six tonnes of the precious resin. Thebejeweled egg that the Tsar ordered that an egg with
room found its way to Russia in 1716 after Friedricha surprise inside be created for his wife every year.
Wilhelm I, hoping to further cement German-Prussian§ £50 Million House
relations, gave the entire room to Peter the Great as aWhile most husbands normally buy ladies perfume or a
gift after the latter expressed his admiration for it'snice piece of necklace as a gift for their wives, Bernie
beauty.Ecclestone, the president and CEO of Formula One
§ The Taj MahalManagement, just had to go a few steps further. The
Dubbed by UNESCO as "one of the most universally"king of F1" proved to his wife (and the rest of the
admired masterpieces of the world's heritage", the Tajworld) just how generous a husband he is by surprising
Mahal was built as a symbol of a man's undying lovehis spouse with a £50 million palace. Located in
for his wife. The famous structure was commissionedthe Kensington Palace Gardens (England's Billionaires'
by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1632 after theRow), the mansion has 12 rooms, a garage that can
death of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It was to be the finalhold 20 cars and is close to Kensington Palace the
resting place of the grief-stricken emperor's wife.London home of the Sultan of Brunei.
The grand mausoleum features a plinth, a tomb, fourNot all of us could afford to give our husbands a
minarets, a mosque and an elaborate gateway andvintage Ferrari car or our wives the ultimate Christmas
took 12 years to complete. Aren't you glad you couldgift for women (diamonds, what else?). Just take
now easily buy gifts and jewelry online?comfort in the fact that whatever your gift may be, as
§ Great Animals for the Kinglong as it comes from the heart, it will always be
Most animal lovers get a puppy or a kitten as a gift,cherished and appreciated.
that's not the case however, when you are a