Music gilded with bejewelled headphones

Do you know what is the latest must-have iPhone and MP3 accessory for the uber-trendy?

Well, it is the Dh30,000 iDiamond Ear headphones that made their world debut at the Selfridges Concept store in London recently.

These limited edition headphones are made of 11.5 grams of 18 carat white and rose gold and have been encrusted with 204 Top Wesselton, VVS, brilliant cut diamonds that weigh 1.65 carats. And only 1,000 of these will ever be made.

These headphones have been created by Norwegian designer Thomas Heyerdahl, who creates haute electronic items out of diamonds and gold.

Thomas Heyerdahl made headlines last year when he created what is said to be the world's most expensive iPod called iDiamond Shuffle. A one-off piece, the iDiamond Shuffle was made of solid 18 carat white and pink gold and kitted out with 430 diamonds.

After wowing the world, the iDiamond Shuffle was auctioned off and the proceeds were donated to charity as part of a Quintessentially event in London in March 2008.

Heyerdahl owns a chain of one of Norway's top jewellery stores called Heyerdahl Juvelèr. It was established in 1972 by goldsmith, and diamond specialist Sten Heyerdahl, Thomas' father.

Thomas Heyerdahl told Emirates Business: "I wanted to combine high-tech electronics with traditional jewellery making to create headphones that would be as nice to look at as they were to use.

"These headphones are a marriage of the best Sennheiser Electronics technology and ergonomic design as they have been designed using the open ear dynamics."

Sennheiser Electronics is a German company that is synonymous with top-quality products and complete solutions for recording, transmission and reproduction of sound.

These headphones have been designed using open ear dynamics as apart from ensuring that there is no damage to the listener's ear due to prolonged use, this technology ensures that there is less sound distortion.

The housing, or earcup of a headphone is either open or closed. Open headphones have an open grille on the back of the earcup, exposing the driver to the outside sound and preventing complete isolation of the listener and also prevent hearing loss from extended use. Apart from this they usually have less distortion due to the lack of earcup resonance.

Closed headphones have a sealed backing, which attenuates sound waves propagating away from the ear. However, a sealed chamber is often claimed to have the negative effect of distorting sound in certain frequencies due to resonances within the earcup housing. They also isolate the user from outside sound, which makes them dangerous to use while driving.

Apart from the open air dynamic, the iDiamond Ear headphones have input power of 100 mW, sound pressure level of 117 db and come with a gold-plated mini-plug.

Heyerdahl said: "Apart from being uber-trendy and luxurious, my iDiamond Ear headphones are very user-friendly as they are compatible with all MP3 players and the new iPhone. This will save the owners the bother of carrying multiple headphones and they will be able to use them all the time."

So if you want an haute electronic item that combines bling, technology and ease of use, then these headphones would be a good place to start.