“‘How very beautiful these gems are!’ said Dorothea, slipping the ring and bracelet
on her finely-turned finger and wrist, and holding them towards the window on a
level with her eyes. All the while her thought was trying to justify her
delight in the colors”
Dorothea Brooke is the idealistic and fiercely religious
heroine of Middlemarch by George
Eliot, and this is the first complexity in her character. This scene is with
her sister, Cecilia, after they have opened their late mother’s jewelry box six
months after they received it from their uncle. At first, Dorothea is
uninterested and tells Cecilia to take them all, deeming jewelry as
ornamentation that was in some way morally wrong, that is, until she sees the
emerald ring and bracelet both with diamonds too. The way the gems sparkle
romance her in a way neither her nor Cecilia thought was possible. Dorothea
says, “under a new current of feeling, as sudden as the gleam. ‘It is strange how deeply colors penetrate
one, like sent.’” Here we understand that the seemingly harsh
and anti-luxury Dorothea too can, like all of us, be completely swept up in the
beauty of an object.
Inspired by this passage, for my first post I decided to
write about bracelets.
The first point about bracelets can also be summarized in
the words of Dorothea Brooke, “Souls have complexions too: what will suit one
will not suit another.” So chose your bracelets to complete your style.
On my wrists daily are : my Tiffany’s Toggle Charm Bracelet
available here, http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item.aspx?fromGrid=1&sku=22931466&mcat=148204&cid=287458&search_params=s+5-p+7-c+287458-r+101323338+101674964-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+
And a small ruby and sterling silver bracelet by Katherine
Wallach.
I like to wear the charm bracelet without charms with the
toggle on the top of my wrist, the beauty and simplicity of the silver chain is
more elegant. (sort of a personal version of the gorgeous Verdura gold chain
link bracelet- that is, until I manage to get one of those!)
Other bracelets I am lusting over at the moment are the
Cartier yellow gold (no diamonds, for modesty) Love bracelet and the Cartier
Tank Americaine watch, large model, in pink gold- to DIE FOR beautiful.
go to www.cartier.com/ to see both.
Xx -Allie
Xx -Allie
