• The Miami Herald/AP, Friday, June 15, 2007 11:45 AM

Montblanc recently sold a $700,000-plus pen--adorned with rubies, sapphires and diamonds--just a few days after it went on sale. Cartier gets $1 million to $2 million sales checks--rare only a few years ago--a couple times a month at its North American boutiques. And Bulgari reports that single purchases in the millions of dollars are becoming more common in the U.S.

At a time when the average American is grousing about meager wage growth, the super rich are seeking new heights in pampering, price tags and one-of-a-kind items that set them apart. The over-the-top splurging is happening at a time when the income gap between the wealthy--those making more than $350,000--and everyone else is the widest since the Depression Era.

Luxury sales worldwide topped $150 billion last year, of which 30% came from the U.S. The weakening dollar has fueled a surge of tourists from Asia and emerging countries like Russia. Besides investment bankers and Internet entrepreneurs, the latest source of new wealth is hedge-fund managers.

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