The Intrinsic Value of Luxury: Beyond the Price Tag
In an era entranced by speed, scale, and spectacle, the word "luxury" has lost much of its original meaning. It has been hijacked by the market—stripped down, flattened, repackaged, and sold as a mere symbol of status and consumption. The price tag became the headline. The logo, the story. But true luxury resists commodification. It does not scream; it whispers. It does not chase; it patiently waits. It is not for everyone, because it was never meant to be. Not out of elitism, but because its essence requires discernment, presence, and care—qualities in scarce supply in a distracted world.
Luxury, at its core, is not only about consumption. There are intangibles associated with luxury. It is a way of being. A state of mind and a heightened attention to beauty, to quality, to ritual and more. It's a complex culture. A devotion to the unseen energies embedded in objects, spaces, and gestures in connection with the people involved at every step. And above all, it is emblematic; a celebration of the best of what humanity can create, preserve, and pass on.
Luxury as a State of Mind
True luxury begins within. It is not something acquired—it is something cultivated. A certain gracefulness in the way one moves through the world. A posture of presence. The quiet confidence of someone who chooses quality over quantity, silence over noise, and meaning over momentum.
Italian designer Brunello Cucinelli encapsulates this sentiment: "Luxury is a handcrafted good or a place that is beautiful, well-made, exclusive. It must be exclusive; otherwise, it's not luxury. It's nearly always something beautiful, well-made, true, and also useful and fair."
This intrinsic luxury reveals itself in the rituals of everyday life: how one pours tea, lights a candle, arranges a room, selects a word. It’s the softness of well-worn linen, the serenity of a beautifully appointed space, the dignity of deliberate action. It’s not about more; it’s about deeper. In this way, luxury aligns more with Epicurean wisdom than hedonistic display—restraint, not excess; refinement, not extravagance for extravagance sake.
To live luxuriously is to live consciously, intentionally and with refinement. To edit one’s life with intention.
The Soul of Craft: Time, Talent, and Tenderness
Luxury is human. It is made—not manufactured. The true value of a luxury object is not in its cost, but in its soul: the hours of labor, the years of mastery, the transmission of knowledge, the exchange of energy between the maker and the buyer. Every stitch, every hand-finished edge, every raw material selected with reverence—these are not mere details. They are traces of humanity made tangible.
When an object is created, made by someone with vision and passionate intention, it carries a certain weight—not physical, but emotional. A handmade coat or a hand-blown glass isn’t just an item; it’s a story. A living testament to savoir-faire—the ability to do something not only well, but beautifully, typically with age old techniques and valuable knowledge now. And beyond that, savoir-vivre—the art of knowing how to live well, with taste, civility, and great care.
The machine may be efficient, but it cannot love what it makes. Only the craftsman can. That is the difference and is a link to humanity.
Civilization and Legacy: What We Choose to Preserve
Luxury is also linked to memory. It is about what endures—what is built to last, both materially and metaphorically. At its most elevated, luxury serves as a cultural archive, a vessel for civilization itself. It preserves rare knowledge, fine techniques, artistic lineage. It connects us not only to the maker, but to an entire tradition—a lineage of excellence that refuses to vanish in the turbulence of modern life.
In this sense, a piece of true luxury is not an accessory; it is an heirloom. It’s that fine watch that bears the patina of time. A handwritten letter on thick, creamy linen paper with a wax seal. A silver service set that has been passed down through generations. These things hold not just aesthetic value but emotional weight—tokens of history, memory, and human experience.
What we choose to elevate and give importance to reveals who we are. That which we keep alive determines what the future remembers.
A Philosophy of Living: Beauty, Poise, and Discernment
To embrace luxury as a lifestyle is to reject the ordinary, the disposable, the chaotic. It is to choose elegance over vulgarity, polish over pretense, and depth over superficiality. It is the slow, deliberate curation of a life that speaks in gestures, not volume.
Luxury honors peace. It can inspire moments of stillness in a frenetic world. It is the art of paying attention—of seeing the fine threads in the tapestry of life, and choosing not to rush past them. In this sense, luxury becomes spiritual: a space of gratitude, of joy, of love made visible through materials, textures, tones, and time.
To select well is an act of love. To live well, an act of art.
Beyond the Market: The Future of True Luxury
In a world flooded with abundance, what becomes rare is care. The future of luxury lies not in more production, but in preservation. Not in more spectacle, but in soulful connection.
We are entering an age where refinement, discernment, and real sustainability will once again define what is truly valuable. In that future, luxury will not be about status, but about legacy. It will not be bought in haste but carefully selected over time. It will be found in ateliers, not factories. In slow conversations, not algorithms. In memories, not marketing.
To reclaim the intrinsic value of luxury is not just a cultural act—it is a deeply human one. It is to recognize that what we cherish, what we choose, and what we create can still carry beauty, meaning, and soul.
And that, in the end, is priceless.
By Angela Tunner