Crowning Glory - The Ideal Accessory

Tosca, so lush, so lovely, but soooo long. I adore Puccini's operas, La Boheme, Carmen, Madame Butterfly and Turandot....what's not to love?

But for some reason Tosca, that old war horse, just doesn't rock my opera world. Maybe it's because I've seen it too many times. Or maybe it's because after I saw Placido Domingo and the memorable Hildegard Behrens sing it in the sublime Zeffirelli Met production in New York (way back in the day) complete with a back stage tour by the lighting designer Gil Wechsler, I just decided that I would never see a better Tosca.

Well the LA Opera, which staged the magnificent Dwarf this year is bringing back Tosca...again. But this year they are adding some bling to bring some sparkle to the production. As reported by the LA Times

For its latest revival of “Tosca,” opening Saturday, Los Angeles Opera has obtained a rare stage artifact – the jewelry worn by Maria Callas in 1956 for her Metropolitan Opera debut as Giacomo Puccini’s tragic heroine.

Made of nearly 200 tear-shaped Swarovski crystals, the jewelry was created specifically for Callas by the Atelier Marangoni in Milan, Italy.
The three-piece set, which consists of a tiara, earrings and a fanned-out necklace, is worth approximately $85,000, according to Swarovski, the current owner.

Of course you don't need to be a tragic heroine who throws herself off the Castel Sant'Angelo to sport such bling.

The Kazanjian Foundation has the perfect tiara for you...an Edwardian tiara circa 1910 which was worn by Madonna for her wedding to Guy Richie. This beautiful crown has 768 old cut diamonds, approximately 78 carats which can be converted into a necklace.

Come on, you know you always wanted to be a princess. Well here's your chance to buy a tiara and know that the money that you paid went to charity. I call that a win-win for everybody.