Some Christmas ornaments are decorations. Christopher Radko ornaments are heirlooms, and the difference is obvious the moment you hold one.

Each piece is mouth-blown glass, hand-painted, finished with real attention to detail. These are the ornaments that have decorated the White House and the Kennedy Center, and sat in the personal collections of Elton John, Oprah Winfrey and Elizabeth Taylor. That pedigree matters less than what you notice up close: the weight of the glass, the depth of the colour, the glitter work that catches tree lights properly.

Our current Christopher Radko range includes ten pieces, from the Rooftop Parking Santa to the Golden Cross of Peace and the Silvery Spruce. Prices run from $170 to $195.

That's a serious price for an ornament, and it should be. A Radko isn't bought by the boxful. It's bought one at a time, often to mark something: a first Christmas in a new home, a new baby, a year worth remembering. Families who collect them add one piece annually, and after a decade the tree tells a story.

If you're starting a collection, or adding to one, buy while the piece you want is available. Radko designs are produced in limited runs, and once a design is gone from our range, it's gone.