The woman who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of snow globes has revealed that she has spent more than £100,000 on the ornaments.
Wendy Suen, 50, from China, has been collection snow globes for 20 years and has held the world record since 2005.
The priciest ornament in her 4,328 strong hoard is a Louis Vuitton snow globe which cost her £7,500. In total, she estimates that she has spent $165,000 (£124,000).
Suen says that while she still has an overwhelming urge to purchase a globe whenever she sees a design she doesn’t own, she has now run out of space to keep them.
“I have arranged and displayed my globes into zones with different themes, so my snow globe room is filled with beautiful colour globes,” she said.
“I have created a snow globe museum and whenever I am feeling down or bored, I will take some time to look at my different globes.
“It just excites me to add them into my collection, the satisfaction of finally completing an entire set is so pleasing beyond words.”
Suen’s first snow globe was a gift from her husband in 2001. The ornament, which had a 24-carat gold computer mouse inside, inspired the beginning of a collection.
“Snow globes take me away from reality and let me escape a little from stress, and bring me back down memory lane,” she said.
Since her collection has grown to above 3,000 ornaments, Suen says she has become pickier about the globes she buys.
“So instead of buying any globe, even ones in the dollar shop, I am now only attracted to globes with better craftsmanship, prettier looks, more creative designs or it’s a discontinued globe that is rare,” she said.
She also seeks out rare ornaments from online sellers in the hope of completing full sets.
One example is a set of five Disney princess hourglasses, which took her ten years to complete and cost around $1,000 apiece.
Suen has now created a 200 square foot room in her home in Hong Kong, China, where shelves of globes line the walls from floor to ceiling.
“A snow globe is a symbol of love,” she said, adding that collecting them “gives [her] a purpose”.
