German poet Wilhelm Busch already knew that once your reputation is ruined, you are truly free. The same logic is now guiding Italian luxury label Bottega Veneta.

The not-so-great public image of plastics does not seem to bother the Milanese fashion brand one bit. On the contrary, the brand has made a business model out of it. Recently, Bottega Veneta started offering a very special necklace – the one you can see in the picture here. What does it look like? Our guess would be, like grandma’s telephone cord from the ’70s.

The curly plastic look, however, is deceptive: these precious spirals are not polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane. They are, in fact, made of enamelled sterling silver. It’s no wonder the necklace doesn’t cost 7 cents per metre – as a plastics wholesaler would sell it. The piece – hold on to your seats – costs a whopping EUR 1,500. Now, that’s understatement at its best!