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Merrick, NY—While technophiles and Apple devotees alike anxiously await the iPhone 5 (reportedly due out this fall), luxury lovers know that what your iPhone wears is just as important as what it does.

There’s a plethora of designer luxury garb for your iPhone, most of it costing more than the phone itself. No cheap silicon case here: major luxury brands such as Hermès, Prada (left), Gucci, Burberry, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton and others all offer cases that make whipping out your phone a status staement. But with retail price tags typically ranging from just under $200 to as much as $500 (for a case by Céline), these little tech totems also can seriously vie with jewelry-store impulse buys like sterling silver or bead jewelry.

While $330—the price for either the Hermès or Bottega Veneta models—may seem a little steep for a scrap of leather, it’s an easy entry into the brand without the waiting list or the financial outlay for one of Hermes’ famed Birkin bags or a woven sack from Vicenza, Italy-based Bottega Veneta. (Insider tip: the Bottega Veneta factory is barely a mile from the Vicenza fairgrounds, and this editor has snagged some huge (90% off!) bargains in the outlet store there. Ask a show official for directions if you go.)

Hermes' iPhone case, left, and Bottega Veneta's, right, each retail for $330. The Prada phone case at the top of the page retails for $150.

But there’s room in the lucrative iPhone case market for jewelers, too. While plenty of Swarovski crystal or gold-tone case options abound, two jewelers already have offered the real deal: James Allen created a $20,000 diamond and ruby encrusted case for the iPhone 4S and held a giveaway last fall, while for a mere $10,000, Miansai by Michael Saiger will create a custom 14k gold case in yellow or rose gold, matte or polished, with or without engraving. And the designer, whose regular line is modestly priced, gives free shipping on orders over $100.

James Allen's $20,000 diamond-encrusted iPhone case, left, and Miansai's 14k gold version with matte finish, right, cost $10,000 at press time. Photos from companies' own websites.

Hermes, Prada, and Bottega Veneta case photos: PC Mag.com