Golden Toilet Creator Dies; Gold Goes Missing

If you haven't visited the golden toilet yet, you may have missed your chance. For the throngs of mainland tourists in Hong Kong, the Hall of Gold is a must-see on the itinerary. Constructed with six tons of gold, the palace features chairs, tables, chandeliers, life-size statues, and a fully functional toilet, all made of solid gold. Commissioned by jewelry retailer Lam Sai-Wing a decade ago, the opulent spectacle has attracted gawkers and gold speculators alike—the palace is conveniently attached to a jewelry gift shop. But when gold prices approached $1000 dollars an ounce earlier this year, Lam started to melt down his gilded palace, one ton at a time, and sell off his gold reserve in order to help the company with a mainland China expansion plan. No matter how high gold prices rose however, Lam said he'd never sell his Guinness World Record-certified toilet. But no longer is that decision up to him. Lam, 53, died suddenly last month, and his company, 3D-Gold Jewelry, which has nearly 200 shops in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, is in trouble. Just days after Lam's death, $23 million USD worth of gold bars went missing from the company vault. Since then, five 3D-Gold executives, including Lam's own widow, have been arrested in connection to the alleged theft. Trading was suspended on September 30, and now the company has been placed under provisional liquidation. A company receptionist who answered the phone today confirmed that the Hall of Gold has already been closed. Plenty of tourists will be sad to hear the news.