The woman with the parasol
The snake has been a source of inspiration for jewellers since antiquity. In the nineteenth century, this motif returned to prominence thanks to the craze for Queen Victoria's engagement ring. An incredible serpentine jewel with which the sovereign was buried.
However, at the same time, another precious and rare ring was designed. This unique piece of jewellery made of yellow gold and diamonds with coiled snake motifs goes far beyond the symbolism of the matrimonial union of the first ring. This makes it even more exceptional.
For Franz, passion in love had to be adorned with an unspeakable, mad, almost mystical beauty. Unfortunately for him, such high standards did not make it any easier ... Franz knew that he would no longer be considered a young man forever. There would come a day when his quest for romance would no longer be acceptable. Not by his family and friends. Not even by everyone in his small Prussian town of Frankfurt (Oder).
One day, while Franz was walking along the Oder, love struck him. It struck him right in the heart. It materialised in the form of a sublime young woman, delicately evanescent under her parasol, whose long hair waved like a sprig of wheat in the wind.
Woman with a parasol facing left, Claude Monet
Franz could not help but follow her discreetly. She walked gracefully. Stopping here and there. Either to admire the reflection of the sun on the stream or to smell the fragrance of the flowers in the fresh grass. Peacefulness reigned and Franz totally abandoned himself to this sweet sensation. But without warning, the calm breeze became a gust of wind and the parasol suddenly slipped from the young woman's hands.
Franz was standing about ten metres behind. He leapt at the umbrella just before it could end its run in the turbulent water of the Oder. The young woman was walking towards him in a hurry. When he met her gaze, Franz was caught by the ocean blue of her eyes. He knew instantly that he was in the presence of his heart's desire. The one he had always been waiting for.
The more he got to know Paula, the more his love turned into devotion. Paula was an irresistible young woman. Both physically and with her wit and humour. Franz knew he was the luckiest man in Frankfurt/Oder, indeed in all of Prussia. His happiness was complete.
But Franz often felt that Paula did not take his love for her seriously enough. Paula was delighted when he wrote her poems. However, she objected that his poems could only be appreciated in the present moment. In the face of the test of time, their intensity was therefore relative.
The Kiss of the Muse, after Frillié, Paul Cézanne
Franz considered his improvised poems to be the only true proof of his unconditional love for Paula. To seal them in eternity, he decided to write them down. But he soon realised that this would not be enough to prevent their future disappearance. Sooner or later, the ink would dry up until it was completely unreadable. The paper itself would gradually turn yellow until it was completely erased.
Despite the setback, Franz was more than ever determined to offer the ultimate proof of love that would make Paula fall in love with him for good. Franz was fascinated by something other than poetry: jewellery. So in his mind, only the preciousness of the jewel could compare with that of the poem. Moreover, the piece of jewellery had one decisive advantage: it would successfully stand the test of time.
For these reasons, Franz decided on the most romantic piece of jewellery of all: a ring. He wanted its design to represent the love of two inseparable people. As a kind of Holy Grail of romance, the ring would become his pledge of eternal love and loyalty to Paula.
Franz was obsessed with finding the perfect pattern. So much so that he seemed to be in a form of daydreaming in which his imagination reigned supreme. And it was during their daily walk along the Oder that his unbridled imagination manifested itself prodigiously.
Paula wore a headdress with two voluminous, carefully braided pigtails. In a playful mood, Paula kept running in front of Franz, beckoning him to catch up with her and promising him a kiss on the fly. As Franz started to run behind her, his gaze fell first on Paula's back and then slowly up to her head. The two braids intertwined sensually with such splendour that they seemed to have taken on the delicious shape of two entwined snakes.
The striking beauty of this reptilian embrace was clearly imprinted on Franz's retina. Shortly afterwards, Franz had a yellow gold ring designed, featuring two languidly coiled snakes with diamond-encrusted eyes. Their love was now sealed into eternity. Immortal.
Text by Jean-Philippe Samarcq.