Every category where we've tested the price-to-quality curve, in one index. Each row is a real published piece, not an estimate: the cliff price is where more money stopped buying more quality, tested and written up in full.
| Category | Pillar | Cliff price | Unit | Above the cliff | Piece |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movement provenance premium | Horology | $8,000 | per watch | Genuine manufacture capability and collectibility start to be real | Read → |
| Mechanical watch | Horology | $2,000 | per watch | Finishing, complications, and heritage, not better timekeeping | Read → |
| Niche perfume | Fragrance | $150 | per 50ml | Rarity, story, and bottle, increasingly rather than better juice | Read → |
| Fragrance | Fragrance | $90 | per 50ml | Rarer materials and packaging, not proportionally better composition | Read → |
| Pour-over kettle | Palate | $40 | per kettle | A held temperature and a more comfortable handle, not a better pour | Read → |
| Specialty coffee beans | Palate | $18 | per 12oz bag | Rarer lots and micro-lot scarcity, not a cleaner or sweeter cup | Read → |
| Restaurant wine by the glass | Table | $16 | per 5oz glass, American dining room | Preservation hardware, list prestige, and the insurance premium on a slow bottle. Not usually more wine | Read → |
| Extra virgin olive oil | Provisions | $14 | per 500ml bottle | Estate prestige, packaging, and rarity, not a further jump in the bottle | Read → |
| Single-origin chocolate bar | Provisions | $14 | per 2-3oz bar | Packaging and limited-edition framing, not better cacao | Read → |