Splendid Pictures Around The Net

Artist Damien Hirst has unveiled a diamond-encrusted human skull worth £50m - said to be the most expensive piece of contemporary art.

The 18th Century skull is entirely covered in 8,601 jewels, while new teeth were made for the artwork at a cost of £14m.

The centrepiece of the 41-year-old's creation is a pear-shaped pink diamond, set in the skull's forehead.

Hirst's most famous work is a shark preserved in formaldehyde.

The skull, which was bought from a shop in Islington, north London, is thought to belong to a 35-year-old European who lived between 1720 and 1810.