Ask the young and fashionable in Taiwan if they've heard of DBTEL Inc and the answer will likely be no. But mention diamond-studded cellphones and eyes gleam and heads bob in recognition.

Without a household name such as Nokia or Motorola, DBTEL's strategy for survival in a saturated global handset market is to turn the mobile phone into a luxury fashion item, says DBTEL Chairman Michael Mou.

His company, Taiwan's largest own-brand handset maker, launched a series of handmade diamond phones in January, including what Mou says is the world's most expensive. The gold-colored item with a sparkling diamond-encrusted flip cover and a three-carat center piece costs$28,736, or about twice as much as a family car in Taiwan.

"We view the mobile phone as very personal stuff and it's a fashion statement for many, like watches and clothes," said Mou, 53, sporting a gold watch himself.

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