The Custom $175K Shotgun Coveted by Pop Stars & Royalty

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Sep 18th 2009 at 4:02PM

Recession or no, certain truly unique and exclusive handcrafted luxury items remain in very high demand. The Fall issue of WSJ., The Wall Street Journal's glossy magazine, reports that there's currently a five-year waiting list for the custom $175,000 shotguns made by Italian master Tullio Fabbri. Fabbri marries high-tech fabrication - the guns' locking mechanisms are coated in diamond dust to increase durability - with classic Brescian engraving on the metalwork that looks like embroidered lace. He has made guns for celebs like Steven Spielberg, Eric Clapton and King Juan Carlos of Spain, as well as Mexican-born pop singer Thalia, pictured above with her Fabbri 20-gauge. Fabbri's father began the business in 1965 in a small shop in the Valle Trompia, a legendary valley in northern Italy that has been home to gunmakers since the 16th century. Fabbri only makes 30 guns per year, hence the waiting list. Italian artisans spend 400 - 600 hours etching the metalwork on each gun, which can add $50,000 or more to the price. Thalia's husband, music mogul Tommy Mottola, tells the magazine that "Tullio's work is as good as a Picasso."

Tags: celebrity, diamond, Eric Clapton, EricClapton, guns, hunting, Italy, shotgun, shotguns, sporting, Steven Spielberg, StevenSpielberg, Thalia, Tommy Mottola, TommyMottola, Tullio Fabbri, TullioFabbri, wall street journal, WallStreetJournal, WSJ.