Sold, for $185,000! Diamond-encrusted Hermès Birkin bag made from albino crocodile skin

A rare Hermès tote sold at auction yesterday to an anonymous bidder for $185,000, the second-highest price ever paid for a Birkin bag.

The Himalayan Nilo Crocodile Birkin - encrusted with 245 diamonds, boasting 18-karat white gold hardware and crafted from extremely pale crocodile skin - sent bidders into a frenzy via phone, online and in person at Heritage Auctions in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.

 Managing Director of the auction house, Kathleen Guzman told CBS MoneyWatch: 'Hermès raises crocodiles on its own farm, breeding them to have very light coloring. 'But then to search for a crocodile that has almost an albino skin is extraordinarily rare.'

According to Ms Guzman, it probably took a Hermès designer 'a full year' to craft the bag, and mentioned that if it should become scratched or damaged, the company vows to repair the flaws 'immediately.'

Interior: The bag sold for $35,000 more than its estimated value of $150,000; making it only second in price to a diamond-encrusted Birkin which sold in 2011 for $203,150

Managing Director of the auction house, Kathleen Guzmansaid: 'Hermès raises crocodiles on its own farm... but for a crocodile [to have] almost an albino skin is extraordinarily rare.' (Stock image)