appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Irene Pyne

Netflix’s new binge-worthy series Bling Empire is taking the world by storm. Following the wildly wealthy Asian and Asian-American community living and lounging in Los Angeles, the hit series has clued us in on how the other side lives – and the reception has been emphatic.
Interestingly, it’s not just the well-to-do millennials that are taking centre stage in the new unscripted series. Instead, a 60-year-old millionaire recluse has been stealing the show.
If you were blown away by Anna Shay’s generous private jet excursions to Paris or dinner parties at her million-dollar mansion on Bling Empire, here’s how else the minted matriarch of the reality series spends her coin.
From tomboy to teen supreme: Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s 2021 transformation
How did she make her fortune?

Her co-star in the series, Kane Lim, gave us a brief rundown of the millionaire heiress’ history, saying in a confessional, “Anna Shay’s half Japanese and half Russian, and super, super wealthy … Her money comes from weapons. Her father sells bombs, guns, defence technology. And it’s worth like a few billion.”
Well, not quite. The billion-dollar family business is right on the money: her father, Edward Shay, was the CEO of weapons manufacturer PAE until he passed away in 1995. Shay and her brother sold the company in 2006 for a cool US$1.2 billion.
But her ethnicity is actually half white American, and (just about) half Japanese. Her mother, Ai-San, has a grandfather descended from Russian aristocracy.
Which first lady boasted the most killer watch collection?
And how does she spend it?
Boucheron high jewellery: from US$120,000

If we learn anything about the heiress’ fine tastes in Bling Empire, it’s that she’s a diehard Boucheron fangirl. In addition to defending the Parisian house to Christine Chiu in one episode of the series, Shay makes Boucheron high jewellery her go-to accessory when she’s hitting red carpet events.
Old hat? Why wedding headpieces are bang on trend in 2020



 

 
 


 
    
    

View this post on Instagram

 


 
 
 


 
 


 
 
 



 
 

A post shared by Anna Shay (@annashay93)



One of our fave pieces of hers is her Eternal Flowers ring from the Nature Triomphante collection, though it’s certainly not her most expensive Boucheron piece. The collection is a real work of art, using 3D digital scanning technology to create hyperrealistic petals. If you have over US$120,000 to spend, you too can get with the Anna Shay aesthetic.
Alexander McQueen, Maison Valentino, Dior and … Pritch London?

When it comes to fashion, Shay seems to be drawn to anything black, lace or leather – so long as it’s couture. She can be found wearing Alexander McQueen and London-based leather atelier, Pritch, at her many star-studded events in Los Angeles and across the globe.
5 blinged-out trainers to buy now – just like Kylie Jenner’s
A lesser known brand, Pritch was founded in 2012 by eponymous designer Arina Pritch, and specialises in handcrafted luxury leather pieces.
Her mansion in Beverly Hills: US$9.4 million

Shay’s mansion was the setting of many memorable moments in the unscripted series, from Kim Lee and Guy Tang’s snooping around that led to the discovery of questionable intimate products in her shower, to a birthday bash for Shay’s BFF Florent Bonadei.
The mansion, built in 1926, is in the Spanish Revival style and covers nearly 9,000 sq ft. The property – which includes lawns, a tennis court, swimming pool and so on – covers 1.14 acres.
Video: Inside Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s US$24m home, now for sale
According to a Variety cover, Shay bought the mansion in 2001 for US$9.4 million.
You might be disappointed to hear that season one of Bling Empire might be the only time we get to see the mosaic-tiled mansion, as Shay listed the old Hollywood property at US$16 million in 2020.
Caviar at her favourite restaurant … in Paris: US$330 for 30 grams of Iranian beluga (airfare not included)

The first episode of Bling Empire started with a bang – and we’re not even talking about Shay’s first scene where she takes a sledgehammer to a wall. When she took Kelly Mi Li to Paris as a birthday surprise, we wondered two things: one, why can’t we have friends like this? And two, what are they serving at Maison du Caviar that warrants an international flight?
6 totally OTT gifts bought by celebrities – from a waterfall to a gold bathtub
Opened in 1956 at the behest of the Shah of Iran, La Maison du Caviar purveys some of the most expensive caviars in the world. Their most pricey caviar is the Iranian beluga, at US$330 for just 30 grams. Interestingly, their other signature dishes hail from Russia, such as the beef stroganoff or salmon coulibiac, which perhaps helps Shay stay in touch with her royal Slavic lineage.
Her son spends it on five-figure glass bongs



 

 
 


 
    
    

View this post on Instagram

 


 
 
 


 
 


 
 
 



 
 

A post shared by Anna Shay (@annashay93)



Shay’s son, Kenny Kemp, makes a cameo appearance in Bling Empire, but little is divulged on-screen about Shay’s sole heir. But a BuzzFeed News feature in 2015 revealed that Kemp is actually a cannabis aficionado with an extensive collection of paraphernalia valued in the five figure range. When in California …
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .


How Jet Li’s trainer Wu Bin, 89, ages well and still nurtures martial arts talent

The modular furniture trend loved by Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Travis Scott

Meet Ethan Hawke’s youngest daughter Indiana, who made a rare red carpet appearance

Rob Reiner’s son Nick won’t face death penalty in trial for parents’ killing

Fame and celebrity

Millionaire Anna Shay is stealing the show on Netflix’s Bling Empire: Boucheron high jewellery, fashions from Alexander McQueen and Dior and US$330 caviar are some of her favourite things

Anna Shay, one of the ultra-wealthy stars of Netflix’s Bling Empire. Photo: @annashay93/Instagram

Anna Shay. Photo: @annashay93/Instagram

Screenshot of Anna Shay’s estate Beverly Hills, Series 1 Episode 6 in Bling Empire. Photo: Netflix

La Maison du Caviar. Photo: @lamaisonducaviar/Instagram

Netflix’s Bling Empire: meet Christine Chiu, the couture queen married to celebrity plastic surgeon Gabriel Chiu, and who got mad when Jessica Chastain wore the same Chanel dress

Christine Chiu as seen on her Instagram. Photo: @christine_chiu88/Instagram

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Christine Chiu. Photo: @christine_chiu88/Instagram

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Christine Chiu in traditional Chinese clothing. Photo: @christine_chiu88/Instagram

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Christine Chiu with husband Dr. Gabriel Chiu and their son Baby G. Photo: @christine_chiu88/Instagram

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Christine Chiu donning her signature leopard print. Photo: @christine_chiu88/Instagram

Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon all earn more than US$1 million an episode – is your favourite actor on this list of Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV and HBO’s top-paid stars?

From left, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman are three of the stars to have made US$1 million or more per episode in various TV shows. Photo: Getty Images/AFP, @nicolekidman/Instagram

Nicole Kidman stars as Celeste Wright in Big Little Lies on HBO. Photo: @biglittlelies/Instagram

Kerry Washington stars as Mia Warren in the Hulu series Little Fires Everywhere. Photo: @kerrywashington/Instagram

FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2020 file photo, Harrison Ford attends the premiere of "The Call of the Wild" in Los Angeles. Ford was piloting a plane that wrongly crossed a runway where another plane was landing, and federal authorities are investigating, officials and a representative for the actor said Wednesday. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 22, 2002 (from L) David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Mathew Perry, Courtney Cox Arquette, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc, cast members from "Friends" which won Outstanding Comedy series, pose at the 54th Annual Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. - The cast of Friends will reunite for an unscripted HBO Max special debuting in May 2020, WarnerMedia said in a media release on February 21, 2020. (Photo by LEE CELANO / AFP)

Steve Carell stars as General Mark R. Naird in Space Force on Netflix. Photo: @spaceforce/Instagram

Elizabeth Moss stars as Offred in The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu. Photo: @handmaidsonhulu/Instagram

Jeff Bridges is set to star in The Old Man on Hulu. Photo: @thejeffbridges/Instagram

File photo dated 27/05/10 of (left to right) Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall and Cynthia Nixon. (Yui Mok/PA Wire/ZUMA Press/TNS)

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Norman Reedus in The Walking Dead. Photo: @thewalkingdead/ Instagram

Nicole Kidman is set to star in Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu. Photo: @nicolekidman/Instagram

Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon star in The Morning Show on Apple TV. Photo: @reesewitherspoon/Instagram

FILE - In this May 1, 2019, file photo, Johnny Galecki, from left, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch, cast members of the TV series "The Big Bang Theory," pose at a hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. "The Big Bang Theory" made its way into the annals of the Nobel Prizes in real life. The announcement, Oct. 8, 2019, that a trio of scientists had won the physics Nobel started off with an unlikely reference: the opening lines of "The Big Bang Theory." (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

Rihanna followed his Instagram, then Netflix’s Bling Empire called – Kane Lim’s journey from real-life Crazy Rich Asian to reality TV celebrity

Rihanna helped make Kane Lim famous – now Netflix is doing the rest. @kanelk_k/Instagram

02 December 2019, England, London: Barbadian singer Rihanna attends the Fashion Awards 2019 at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo: Ian West/PA Wire/dpa

Netflix’s Bling Empire star Kelly Mi Li is a highly accomplished businesswoman who produced a film with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son, turned Jim Morrison’s former home into a bar and loves dogs

Highly accomplished Kunming-born Kelly Mi Li is about to become a megastar thanks to her new show Bling Empire. Photo: @kellymili/Instagram

Meet Netflix’s Bling Empire cast member Jaime Xie: the teetotal, vegan, Fortinet heir and equestrian champion making waves on Instagram and YouTube

Jaime Xie of Bling Empire: social media influencer, fashionista and former competitive horseback rider. Photo: @jaimexie/Instagram

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Jaime Xie as seen on the cover of Bazaar Magazine. Photo: @jaimexie/Instagram

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Jaime Xie for Bazaar Vietnam. Photo: @jaimexie/Instagram

=== PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Jaime Xie of Bling Empire. Photo: @jaimexie/Instagram

Magazines

Style

Celebrities

Luxury

Knowledge

People

Lifestyles of the rich and famous

Explainers

The US and UK

The 60-year-old is giving her millennial co-stars Jaime Xie and Kane Lim a run for their money with lavish parties at her Beverly Hills mansion; she even flew Kelly Mi Li to Maison du Caviar in Paris for the finest Iranian beluga variety


The 60-year-old millionaire, who is stealing the show on the new hit reality series, flew co-star Kelly Mi Li to Paris for US$330 caviar while her son splurges on five-figure cannabis paraphernalia
