Sethia has also designed new pieces to add contemporary interest and to celebrate the revival of tea culture around the world. His elephant teapot is made of silver with enamel, decorated with rubies and emeralds; one trunk, which serves as the handle, is encrusted with yellow diamonds, while the finial on the lid is a pineapple carved from a yellow topaz. Featuring gold and brushed silver decorated with diamonds and emeralds, his apple-themed teapot has a finial fashioned from green glass enamel in the shape of a tea shoot. And the Egoist teapot, designed as a one-person teapot (hence, the name) has been valued at $3 million and certified by Guinness World Records as the most valuable teapot in the world.
It is completely covered with 1,658 diamonds and 368 rubies, has one large 6.67-carat ruby set into one side, and has a ruby bead as the finial. Sethia explains, “I designed the Egoist teapot to raise awareness globally of the historic and cultural importance of tea, a magical refreshment that has lasted over millennia and is a part of the fabric of civilizations from the Tang dynasty to the modern era.” These extraordinary modern pieces are all manufactured by a luxury Milanese jeweller.
