The WBC $1 million Emerald Belt

I talked to a custom jeweler friend about the belt the other day. He's of the opinion that the belt is worth less than $100k. The 800 grams of gold cost only $17k and was used for plating. The emeralds can be bought wholesale by jewelers and probably cost another $20k. The rest of the price was for the artisans. He said if it was truly worth a million the gold would be solid. Its still a pretty belt.