My Sweet, Incomparable Josephine

Jewelry : Artisan : Bracelets

 
In addition to being a brilliant military mind and feared ruler, Napoléon Bonaparte (1763 - 1821) was a prolific writer of letters. He reportedly wrote as many as 75,000 letters in his lifetime, most of them to his beautiful wife, Josephine, both before and during their marriage. This letter, written just prior to their 1796 wedding, shows surprising tenderness and emotion from the future emperor and dictator.

~ Paris, December 1795 ~

"I wake filled with thoughts of you. Your portrait and the intoxicating evening which we spent yesterday have left my senses in turmoil. Sweet, incomparable Josephine, what a strange effect you have on my heart! Are you angry? Do I see you looking sad? Are you worried?... My soul aches with sorrow, and there can be no rest for you lover; but is there still more in store for me when, yielding to the profound feelings which overwhelm me, I draw from your lips, from your heart a love which consumes me with fire? Ah! It was last night that I fully realized how false an image of you your portrait gives!

You are leaving at noon; I shall see you in three hours.

Until then, mio dolce amour, a thousand kisses; but give me none in return, for they set my blood on fire."

Oh. My. Gosh.

What a romantic!!! And what an intensely contradictory side to his personality, don't you think? I, for one, would never ever have envisaged such a fervor and passion to Napoléon, save on the battlefield, and am filled with the desire to see if I can find any other of his letters to Josephine. Such sweet delight.

This cuff bangle, is my first, and I am SO happy I managed to do it :) it was my turn to pick a theme for this week's challenge and, after much consultation with Eve, I settled on Rose Amongst The Thorns. Trust me to pick something that look fantabulous on paper but which refused to co-operate with me in its actualization!

I finally decided on a cuff and an oxidized cuff at that so here you have, an intricate wire-wrapped piece featuring various gauges of Fine and Sterling Silver Wire paired with exquisite Madagascar as well as Burmese Rubies.

In the middle, to represent brambly bushes of thorns, I braided a menage a trois of Sterling Silver Wire. Then, using the thinnest of Fine Silver Wires, I carefully wrapped Faceted Burmese Ruby Rounds to symbolize rose buds.

Both ends of the cuff feature coils and swirls of more Sterling Silver Wire with one side showcasing a single, luscious 15Ctw Madagascar Ruby Teardrop.

The clasp is also crafted by hand and hooks onto a Large Link Chain from Italy, allowing My Sweet, Incomparable Josephine to adjust from 5" all the way to 8"! A second Madagascar Ruby Teardrop, also all of 12 carats, adorns the end of the extension chain for an extra bit of dingle dangle.

Wires used in the making of My Sweet, Incomparable Josephine - 21ft in totality - are a combination of 999 Fine and 925 Sterling Silver, in Gauges 18, 20, 28 and 30.

{ COLLECTION }

MY SWEET, INCOMPARABLE JOSEPHINE is part of the STORIE DI PRIMAVERA Collection, Eclettica's line-up of lush compositions and stories for Spring 2008. She is an exclusive one-of-a-kind design, available from the studio of Eclettica.

{ SHIPPING & INSURANCE }

This piece ships within 72 hours via Registered Airmail which is a Fully Guaranteed and Insured postal service. Akin to USPS Domestic First Class Mail, orders arrive anywhere between 5-10 working days, sooner if you're nearer to Asia. Shipping charges indicated are estimates and should the final cost be less than what was paid, a refund will be issued.

Should you require an expedited service, Global Express is available with rates dependent on your shipping destination. Please convo The Atelier for costs. This service delivers orders between 3-5 working days, and also includes Insurance. If you choose Express Mail, please indicate as such in Notes To Seller upon checking out, and do not pay. An adjusted PayPal Invoice will be sent within 24 hours.

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Item ID: ERL-BRC-0102
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Shipping is $7.00 USD; insurance is included.