4.3 million dollar slab of chocolate

A Tokyo jewelry retailer has gone out of its way to make the traditional Valentine's Day gift of chocolate special this year -- by creating a huge slab of chocolate studded with over 2000 diamonds.

Tokyo jeweler Uchihara crafted the diamond delicacy, which is priced at 500 million yen, on Jan. 24. Crafted to match this year's Valentine's Day, it has 2006 diamonds on it.

The chocolate is cut into the shape of the African continent, a huge producer of diamonds. Most of the diamonds are placed on the part representing South Africa, where the diamonds on the chocolate were produced. A diamond measuring 1.5 centimeters in diameter has been placed at the location of a famous diamond mine.

Since there is nowhere to store the chocolate, it only lasts for a day before melting, but store officials say they'll make another one if they get an order.

However, the chocolate may not be everyone's idea of a treat. "With all those diamonds in it, it looks a bit hard to bite into," said one onlooker as the chocolate went on display. (Mainichi News)
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Again, another fine example of practical Japan. Hmm. *frowns* Just a month ago I posted a blog entry on the diamond studded cake which has the shelf life of, *gulp* one year! I was told that examples as suc are simply a kind of overembellished advertising tactic. I suppose it does make one's ears perk up upon hearing such an outrageous idea. I can imagine in a few years this kind of "SHOCK" and "WOW" advertising will lose it's appeal/effect.