In the beginning, there was the 23-karat-gold ice cream sundae. It debuted in 2008 at a tony New York City restaurant.

Imagine, the finest Tahitian vanilla ice cream drizzled with the world’s most expensive chocolates, topped with caviar, almonds wrapped in gold leaf, and bits of candied fruits from Paris that cost $1,000 per pound.

The price tag: A cool $1,000, which made it the Guinness Book of World Records’ most expensive dessert.

Me? I might rather buy a plane ticket to somewhere warm.

Now, this just in from Royal Paris – the Royal Coffee Maker, possibly the world’s most expensive coffee maker, a bespoke addition to the common kitchen, is now in painstaking production.

Imagine a siphon-brew system with a Baccarat crystal carafe cradled in 24-karat gold (or silver, for the less well-heeled). Parts like the gargoyle spigot, fish key, counter weight, oak leaves and finials are made by a craftsman using the lost wax method. It sits upon a semi-precious black obsidian, azurite or malachite base, with or without your engraved initials or company name. Or family crest.

Check it out at www.royalcoffeemaker.com.

The cost: $10,000 to $18,000.

Just thought you should know.