As rumoured as early as August last year, Nokia has unveiled a luxury phone covered in 18-carat gold plating and carry a £800 price tag.

The Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold as it will be know, will be clearly aimed at those keen to show off their bling.

"The Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold is set to continue Nokia's strong legacy in exclusive and highly desirable style accessories", explains Heikki Norta, Senior Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia. "The Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold remains true to the 'form follows function' mantra of Nokia designers and engineers - a tradition built upon decades of experience in mobility."

The phone will be accented with fine white gold while the sapphire-coated, scratch-resistant glass display helps, says Nokia, to ensure that the beauty of the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold endures.

Details are short on what the tech specs are, but Nokia has confirmed that it will include a 2 megapixel camera and a 262k colour screen.

The phone is twice the price of the LG Prada phone, but half the price of the Vertu handsets.