From Assamese muga silk to jasmine oil used in luxury perfumes and from aromatic sandalwood to real saffron that costs over $10,000 per kilogram, we traveled the length of the subcontinent to uncover the stories behind some of the most expensive products made in India.
Editor's Note: In the video we say spruce is used for the bottom of the guitar, but Martin Guitars typically uses rosewood for bottoms.
Martin acoustic guitars are some of the most popular and well-known high-end acoustic guitars in the world.
Bulgarian rose oil is the most valuable rose oil on the market. Buyers are willing to pay $15,000 for a single kilogram. But to make the highest-quality Bulgarian rose oil, producers must spend the year cultivating fields that will bloom for only a few weeks.
Buddha's hand citron, also known as the fingered citron, is one of the oldest varieties of citrus. It looks like a lemon with long segments growing from it. Its name is derived from its unusual shape, which also resembles a hand position for prayer.
Fish maw — the swim bladder of a fish — is one of the most expensive dried-seafood products in the world. A Chinese delicacy, it can fetch $450 to $1,000 per kilogram.
Fleur de sel is a rare, unrefined salt that is made by evaporating seawater slowly in 2-centimeter-deep ponds. It's made in western France using centuries-old methods. Just locally, it can cost 230 times more than table salt. Outside French borders, it can reach $420 per kilogram.
For over 200 years, tailors have been crafting high-end bespoke suits on London's famous Savile Row. A custom-made two-piece suit can cost £6,000. And while a tailor's tools are simple, the skills needed to turn a paper pattern into a pressed suit take years to master.
While palm oil is known for being cheap and controversial, red palm oil is artisanally made and much more expensive. The vibrantly colored oil is made from palm fruits and can cost three times as much as its kernel-oil counterpart.
Kamebishi's 20-year-aged soy sauce is the most expensive soy sauce in the world, sometimes selling for $125 for less than 4 tablespoons. The soy sauce has been made using the same family recipe since 1753 and follows the traditional mushiro koji method, in which each step takes years to complete.
We traveled the globe to uncover the stories behind some of the world's most expensive items, from natural latex mattresses and bespoke dress shoes to handmade calligraphy ink and ancient Tyrian purple dye.