THIS is a bra you'd never want to hide under your clothes. You might even want to leave the price tag on.

The Victoria's Secret Bombshell Fantasy Bra boasts 142 carats worth of gemstones - a stunning total of 3,000 white diamonds, light blue sapphires and oval-shaped topazes.

Six craftsmen laboured for more than 1,500 hours to hand-set each individual diamond onto the US$2 million (S$2.6 million) bra, which was designed by Italian designer Damiani and modelled by supermodel Adriana Lima.

"When I wear the bra, I feel very glamorous because diamonds are, of course, a girl's best friend," Lima told the Daily Mail.

The Bombshell Fantasy Bra will be featured in the Victoria's Secret Christmas Dreams and Fantasies Catalogue.

The luxury bra has become an annual novelty item to promote the holiday collection, reported Reuters.

Expensive as it is, the 2010 bra is hardly the most pricey pair of cups in Victoria's Secrets history.

Last year's US$3 million Harlequin Fantasy bra boasted 2,350 white, champagne and cognac-coloured diamonds, a heart-shaped 16-carat champagne diamond, and a total weight of 150 carats.

Victoria's Secret 2008 fantasy bra, the Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra, carried a price tag of US$5 million, while the 2007 fantasy bra was priced at US$4.5 million, and the 2006 bra at US$6.5 million.

Still, the seven-figure price-tag meant Lima needed a security team just for her bra.

The Brazilian beauty is the second highest paid underwear model in the world thanks to her mega bucks contract with Victoria's Secret, coming behind former fellow Victoria's Secret model Heidi Klum.

She also came in fourth on the list of top earning supermodels last year, earning US$5.5 million.

New mum

Surprising as it may seem, the diamond-encrusted bra is not the most precious thing in Lima's life right now.

The 29 year-old supermodel had a baby in November, Daily Mail reported.

Lima credits her little daughter, Valentina Lima Jaric, for making her more beautiful than ever.

"Being a mum is the greatest thing that could happen to me now. Now I know what unconditional love is," she said. "Valentina really taught me the real meaning of life, and coming back (to modelling) after having her really helped me with my career."

Lima claimed that rather than make her feel insecure or dowdy, motherhood has only made her feel sexier.

She said: "Sexiness is all about attitude. Sexiness for me is all about embracing yourself, embracing who you really are."

This article was first published in The New Paper.