The Most Expensive Tattoos in the World: Is This Ink Worth the Price?

You're looking at the actual, literal, most expensive tattoo in the world. Coming from jewlery designer Yair Shimansky, it is, indeed, made of 612 half-carat diamonds. If you want something like this for yourself, it'll cost you around $924,000.

Based in Brooklyn, Stephanie Tamez is a renowned artist who is a co-owner her own studio, Saved Tattoo. You'll pay around $300 an hour for her services, which often involve playing with typefaces and inked fonts. 

Want a tat from superstar designer Scott Campbell, who's made ink for folks like Heath Ledger and Marc Jacobs? You'll have to wait awhile, as he currently has a three-month waitlist. For the first hour, it's $1,000. But don't worry; it's only $200 per hour after that.

Paul Booth is the rock-and-roller's tattoo artist of choice. He's made gnarly pieces for members of Pantera, Slipknot and Slayer. And if you're willing to wait on his two-year-long waitlist, he charges $300 an hour. But he has a strict "no-face" policy, so heads up.

You may know Oliver Peck as the judge on reality show Ink Master. He also holds a Guinness World Record after completing 415 tattoos in 24 hours. If you want a work from him, in either his Texas or California shops, he charges $100 an hour.

Nikko Hurtado specializes in photorealistic renderings of beloved characters. And people have noticed. His work occupies the bodies of Drake, Fred Durst and even Kat Von D. While Hurtado doesn't offer an official flat quote, some folks online have said they've paid between $3,000 and $5,000.

Sometimes, smaller is better. Mr. K specializes in micro-works of inked art, with impressively intricate details condensed in one small space. It will take you months to be on his waitlist, and it will cost you multiple thousands of dollars. In other words, his works may be small, but his price is anything but.

Miss Kat Paine was just a tattoo artist in Belfast. Until Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams went to her to get matching tattoos, commemorating their transformative experience on Game Of Thrones. Now, for Paine, notoriety is coming. And her prices have undoubtedly increased as a result.

Mike Rubendall's work combines the sacred and the profane. It's inspired by traditional Japanese iconography, with a twist of graphically violent horror. If you want his unique tableaus on your body and can stomach the year-long waitlist, you'll be paying $200 an hour for the privilege. And full back tattoos tend to take 30 hours or more. You do the math.

If you've enjoyed a figure in contemporary pop culture, chances are they were tattooed by Lauren Winzer. Included among her exclusive clientele are Post Malone and Miley Cyrus, and Katy Perry has publicly supported Winzer's work inspired by Perry. Her studio is in Sydney, Australia, and will cost you a pretty penny.

Yes, that's Ed Sheeran showing off a tat. The artist responsible? Kevin Paul, who owes quite a bit to Sheeran. Paul was going through a tough time and was in danger of losing his shop. Sheeran, who loved his work, sneakily put money in Paul's bank account, saving his business. Now Paul is ready to topline his own reality show, showing off his in-demand works.

Known for evoking a throwback, golden-age style in his tattoos, Keith Underwood owns a shop in Austin, Texas, where he studied under masters like Rollo Banks and Sailor Jerry. For a piece from him, you'll be paying $200 an hour.

One of the most famous tattoo artists who ever lived, you know Kat Von D from Miami Ink and LA Ink. She also has her own cosmetics line, has sung on disparate bands' work and, yes, still tattoos people. If you want that Kat Von D touch, you'll have to pay $500 flat, plus $500 an hour.

Is Bella Hadid style goals for you? Then go to the tatoo artist she goes to: JonBoy. He makes trendy, tiny tattoos, barely perceivable unless you look closely. Kendall Jenner paid him $300 for a single white dot, and that's on the lower end for his work.

Eva KRBDK is all about the circle. Her tattoos' contents all inhabit this perfect shape, communicating ideas in an aesthetically simple, pleasing form. If you want one of her 360 degree works of art, you'll be paying $400 flat, plus $400 or more per hour.

While many associate "Ed Hardy" with a certain gaudy style of clothing, they may not know the respectable history behind the name. Don Ed Hardy revolutionized the tattoo industry, shifting the medium toward an emphasis on big, bright colors and customization. He doesn't tattoo much anymore, but if you can convince him, it'll cost you at least $1,000.

Dr. Woo's customers are a who's who of the most famous and influential figures in contemporary pop culture. Folks like Frank Ocean, Miley Cyrus and Drake have all visited the good doctor. If you want his tattooed medicine, it'll cost you two years of waiting and $400 an hour to get your prescription.

Born in Kentucky and based in San Francisco, California, Derrick Snodgrass favors the slightly surreal. He takes imagery that looks identifiable and twists it just so. He's not just a tattoo artist either. He's also a member of the Raking Light Projects collective, where he makes artistic works on various media, not just skin.

Based in Atlanta, Dave Tedder's work is complicated and detail-oriented. He tends to fuse classic American tatto aesthetics with contemporary Japanese fine art. Tedder practices a Zen approach to life and work. But you may have a less relaxed response when you get your bill for his ink.

This Daniel Winter piece isn't much bigger than a quarter. And yet it's one of his bigger pieces. A winter tattoo tends to be subtle and simple. As an example, he gave Mandy Moore and her fiance Taylor Goldsmith matching tattoos: Mandy had a 'T', and Taylor had an 'M.' But do you wanna guess what are big? If you said "Winter's prices," you're right.

Based in Atlanta, Brandon Bond boasts work that walks the line between realism and stylization. A Bond piece favors saturation, lots of colors, and attitude. If you can wait the multiple years on the waitlist, it'll cost you at least $200 an hour. However, Bond is also currently facing charges for pulling a gun on customers. So that waitlist time might be increasing.

If you're looking for a simple, clean, arresting portrait of a pop-culture icon, you want Bob Tyrrell. His work screams "classic Hollywood," and his prices scream "$155 an hour." Be careful, though: In contrast to some of the other artists we're covering, Tyrrell works only in black and white.

With two repeated words, Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy changed the tattoo industry forever. He's inked the stars, including Rihanna, Justin Bieber and LeBron James. And he's also assembled a crack team of artists in his NYC studio. But if you want a piece from the OG Bang Bang, it's $500 flat with an hourly rate on top, and it's gonna be a bunch of years before it happens.

While Anil Gupta's work traffics in the abstract, his methods are concrete and literal. His offices are filled with research in the forms of books and photographs, used to help him painstakingly recreate a source. Gupta's waitlist is at least six months, and a piece from him is at least $450.

Boosted by his appearances on shows like Miami Ink and NY Ink, Ami James charges $500 an hour for his services. James is also the co-founder of Tattoodo, an online service to help customers get custom tattoo designs.