image via Vosges

Luisa Casati was an odd duck, socialite and muse to artists from Jean Cocteau to Jack Kerouac back in her day. Not only did the Italian heiress enjoy leading her pet cheetahs around Venice on a leash, she was also mad about pearls. Vosges Chocolate's new Luxe Marchesa Casati Collection immortalizes the legend with an homage to that obsession.

The newly-launched gift box features a dozen dark chocolate, caramel truffles, packaged in a lucite gift box, studded with freshwater pearls. Not luxurious enough for your taste? The truffles are also coated in a layer of edible pearl dust. And, at $275, each of the chocolates cost about as much as a full tank of gas.

Chocolate--or anything edible, for that matter--usually doesn't make it to the top of my most-wanted gift list. (I think thoughtful presents should have not only sentiment but staying power.) But this clever box, which would make a beautiful addition to a coffee or dressing table once the contents are long gone, makes this a gift as unique and lasting as Casati's kooky legacy.