Starting from humble origins as a Greek immigrant born in New York, Maria Callas made her professional debut in 1941. But within 10 years she was appearing in all the major opera houses. While her most famous works were Puccini's Tosca, Bellini's Norma and Verdi's Traviata.
Jewellery played a big role in shaping her charming personality as a diva. During her rise in the entertainment world, archival film clips show her wearing pieces of rubies, emeralds and diamonds for her concerts and rows of pearl necklaces in interviews. The jewellery was sophisticated and chosen for its elegance and dramatic refinement. Reflecting the opulence as well as the grandeur embodied by Callas on and off the stage.
«She [Callas] began singing 300 years of operatic music as an overweight young woman. But she ended up becoming an icon of elegance and beauty.» Said Stefano Papi, co-author of 20th-Century Jewelry & the Icons of Style.
Much of her jewellery was purchased by her husband, Giovanni Battista Meneghini. A wealthy industrialist 28 years her senior, whom she married in 1949. After a triumphant performance of Medea at La Scala in 1953, he bought her jewels with rubies and diamonds from Faraone in Milan. Jewellery that was rumoured to have been made by Harry Winston.
A replica of the necklace appears in Pablo Larrain's film Maria starring Angelina Jolie. As she brings La Divina, as she was called by her many fans, back into the limelight. It also recalls the last years of the tempestuous and jeweled opera star before she died at the age of 53 of a broken heart alone in her Paris apartment.
Jolie wore in the film and at its premiere in Cannes some Cartier pins that belonged to Callas. «It was very touching to wear a piece of Cartier jewelry that she wore that belonged to her,» Jolie said. «To have jewelry of such high quality on camera felt special but also fitting for Maria. She was such an elegant lady.».
As Callas' iconic status and wealth grew, so did her collection. In 1955 Meneghini bought her an emerald and diamond necklace and a 37.56-carat emerald ring. She wore Cartier, Harry Winston and when she left her husband in 1959 for Aristotle Onassis, the wealthy shipowner filled her with Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry. During their time together, in 1967, she commissioned Van Cleef a platinum Five Leaf brooch with six rubies and diamonds from Burma, which she wore pinned to her shoulder in many public appearances.
After her death in 1977 nothing was known about the fate of her jewellery. Until some of them turned up at a Sotheby's auction in 2004, with the seller refusing to be named.
There was always speculation about who inherited some of the jewellery. However, we now know that Cartier bought some of them.
Source: thejewelleryeditor
