'Tis the Season to be Gaudy: Christmas Tree of Pure Gold Goes on Sale in Tokyo

A dazzling $1.8 million gold Christmas tree went on sale after being unveiled at a jewelry store in downtown Tokyo on Monday.

The 19kg (42 pound) tree is decorated with gold wire and stands 2 meters (6.6 feet) high at the Ginza Tanaka store, Reuters TV reported.

"We made this gold Christmas tree hoping it would symbolize a bright and shiny future that wipes out gloomy news," the agency cites store manager Takahiro Ito as saying.

The tree is for sale but has not found a buyer yet, so it will be on public display till December 25. 

It is not the first gold Christmas tree to be produced by Ginza Tanaka. The store made headlines in 2011 with its 8.2-foot-tall Christmas tree worth $2 million, and back in 2006 with a less expensive one worth $850 thousand.

However, these Christmas trees are not the most expensive in the world. There is one valued at more than $11 million in Abu Dubai in Emirates Palace Hotel. The 13-metre (42.7 foot) fake evergreen tree is located in the hotel’s lobby and is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped ornaments and small white lights. The record price of the tree is due to the necklaces, earrings and other jewelry draped over its branches.