The expensive, rare, and stylish sunglasses worn by Silicon Valley's top tech execs

Silicon Valley's tech elite don't define their status with the typical trappings of wealth.

You generally won't find Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, or other billionaire tech execs sporting expensive tailored suits or Rolexes like their high-powered peers in the rest of corporate America. Instead, they signal their membership in the elite another way — with expensive sneakers and luxury eyewear.

The sunglasses of Silicon Valley are taken out of their cases at least once a year when the who's who of tech elites descends on Sun Valley, Idaho, for the annual Allen & Company conference. It’s there that executives showcase their "casual" style and spend time outdoors at what's been dubbed "the summer camp for billionaires."

Thanks to that conference, we were able to get a good look at the eyewear of choice of execs including Ben Silbermann, Evan Spiegel, and Jack Dorsey. Whether it's an affordable pair of Ray-Bans or a flashy pair of Tom Fords, each set of eyeglasses serves as a chance to show off personal style — and, in many cases, personal wealth. 

Clodagh Norton, co-founder of Eyestylist, helped us assemble this list of unique, trendy, and rather pricey eyewear. While we found a few images of other tech movers and shakers like Sheryl Sandberg and Susan Wojcicki wearing sunglasses, their shades proved tougher to identify. If anyone can tell us which brands they prefer, we're all ears. 

Check out the stylish, pricey — and occasionally wacky — eyewear worn by some of Silicon Valley's top power players:

SEE ALSO: Silicon Valley's ultimate status symbol is the sneaker — here are the rare, expensive, and goofy sneakers worn by the top tech CEOs

Stewart Butterfield: TOMS Maverick 201 Shiny Gold Whiskey Tortoise

The TOMS glasses worn by Butterfield, the CEO of Slack, are a relatively affordable pair that have a colorful twist. 

The TOMS famous One for One promise, in which it pledges to provide products or services to people in need for every order customers make, carries over to its sunglasses too. With every pair purchased, TOMS will pay for eye care for a person in need.

Price: $139.95

Sam Altman: Oakley LATCH Square Polarized

The 32-year-old Y Combinator CEO looks his age in a clear pair of Oakleys. The glasses are named after the built-in latch feature that lets wearers clip them to their shirts for easy storage.

The glasses are out of stock on Oakley's website, but you can buy the same pair from Nordstrom. 

Price: $180