330 THE MAGIC OF JEWELS AND CHARMS
a
pale blue, and is furnished with a gold openwork bordering. At the top
of the medallion, in a square space is set a lozenge-shaped garnet, and
around the oval sapphire forming the front are placed successively, (1)
an emerald, (2) a pearl, (3) a garnet, (4) a pearl, (5) an emerald, (6)
a pearl, (7) a garnet, (8) a pearl, (9) an emerald, (10) a pearl, (11)
a garnet, (12) a pearl, (13) an emerald, (14) a pearl, (15) a garnet,
(16) a pearl.
The
square sapphire at the back of the medallion is of poor quality and
imperfect color; about it are sixteen settings, containing
respectively, (1) (lacking), (2) a pearl, (3) a garnet, (4) a pearl,
(5) an emerald, (6) a pearl, (7) a garnet, (8) a pearl, (9) an
emerald, (10) a pearl, (11) a garnet, (12) a pearl, (13) an emerald,
(14) a pearl, (15) a garnet, (16) a pearl.
On
the band are set the following stones : (1) a pearl, (2) a sapphire,
(3) a pearl, (4) an amethyst, (5) a pearl, (6) a sapphire, (7) a pearl,
(8) an amethyst, (9) a pearl, (10) an almost white sapphire, (11) a
pearl, (12) an amethyst, (13) a pearl, (14) a white sapphire.
In
the summer of 1804, Empress Josephine went to Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen)
to take the waters there, and during her stay, on August 1, she visited
the tomb of Charlemagne in the Cathedral. We are told that Napoleon,
who joined Josephine at Aix-le-Chapelle on September 3, had already authorized the
Cathedral chapter to part with certain of the relics and bestow them
upon Josephine at the time of her visit to the tomb. This
authorization, of course, was only a polite equivalent for a command,
and was duly carried out, the most prized object secured by Josephine
being precisely this famed talisman. It eventually came into the hands
of Hortense, Josephine's daughter, the mother of Napoleon ΙΠ, and was
inherited by him. It is said to be now in a
Flickr
Stumbleupon
Scribd
