The Spice Girls have used £1 million ($NZ2.84 million) worth of jewels to decorate the cover of their greatest hits album.

The band - Victoria Beckham, Mel B, Emma Bunton, Mel C and Geri Halliwell - will release the LP later this year to coincide with their world tour, which starts in December.

A special one-off edition of the album will have the word 'SPICE' emblazoned across a white background with each letter decorated with a different gem, representing each of the girls.

The S is made from amber and represents Victoria, the ruby pink P represents Emma, Mel C's I is made from diamond, Geri's C is made from sapphire stones while the E is made from emerald and represents Mel B.

A source said: "The album cover is a nice touch. They wanted something simple and stylish and it's probably one of the most expensive album covers ever made."

Fans will able to get their hands on a scaled-down version.

It was recently revealed the girls had asked Italian designer Donatella Versace to design their outfits for their comeback tour.

A source said: "Donatella was a big fan of the girls back in the day and as soon as she heard that a reunion was on the cards she submitted her ideas.

"There will be several different looks for each of them and the clothes will be worth over £200,000."
Bang! Showbiz