The world is reproduction crazy. I’ve seen the Mona Lisa on handbags, mugs, postcards, magnets, even throw pillows, but this really takes it to a new level. A jewelry collector in China recently constructed this over-the-top reproduction of the Mona Lisa using a mind-warping 100,000 carats of gems. If that number seems ridiculously high, well, that’s because it is. This woman has been collecting gems to make this baby for the past 30 years. Would Leonardo be proud? I’m just not sure.
Anyhow, it took the gem collector and several Eurpoean craftspeople five years to finish this extraordinary, um, work of art. It’s being displayed by a jewelry store at a mall in Shenyang City to celebrate International Women’s Day. Women of the world, rejoice! You will probably never own this many jewels in your life, but the mystique of feminine beauty will be showcased in them always!
Ah, tacky reproductions of classics. Is there anything in the world that screams “I have more money than I do taste” more? You’d be hard pressed…