There were servants to address one's every material need, dinner in white tie and lavish gowns, and rules designed to keep the upper crust on top and the lower classes in their place.

CNN: 'Downton' in America: 6 big estates

And those estimates are of what mining companies have concrete plans to get at numbers that are significantly lower than the colossal quantities of reserves buried throughout the Earth's crust.

WSJ: Exhausting the Earth's Resources? Not So Fast

As exotic-auto makers redefine what a superluxury car can be, their executives are attempting a delicate balancing act: maintaining the exclusive cachet of their upper-crust brands while pursuing new wealthy customers that lower-end luxury rivals are currently scooping up.

WSJ: Handcrafted Cars Geared for Soccer Moms