Bonaparte's Unassuming Engagement Ring Commands a Startling Sum at Auction

Sapphire and Diamond Engagement Ring Given to Josephine by Napoleon I in 1796
Photo Credit: PeachyJean by Angela Magnotti Andrews Said to have elicited giddy laughter among bidders during an auction at Osenat's, this unassuming antique engagement ring, featuring a pear-cut blue sapphire nestled opposite a pear-cut diamond in tet et moi ('you and me') fashion, commanded a startling sum of over $1 million (including fees and commissions). With an opening bid of $13,000 and a steady climb at interval bids of the same amount, it's no wonder that laughter began sprinkling throughout the room partway through the ring's foray on the block. At one point, bidding plateaued at approximately $810,000. In the brief pause as the hammer was poised to end the bidding war and release the palpable energy building in the room, one of the contenders slid in another bid. The fierce battle for the prize was reinstated on the wings of more laughter from the crowd. Upon the final blow of the hammer, the winner was declared at a price of $948,000, and a round of applause broke the tension. To what is owed such fierce competition for an antique ring with a market value of only $20,000? A rich history, of course. This elegant jewel is likely to have cost Napoleon Bonaparte his entire purse in 1796 when he purchased it for the woman of his dreams, the widow Josephine de Beauharnais. A bit of a tragedy, the love affair between Napoleon and his bride of only 14 years endured no less than six wars, which placed Napoleon amid death and inclement weather instead of beside the woman he yearned for with every breath, and ended in an annulment despite a deep and abiding affection between the two lovers. Rumors abound as to why the two parted ways in 1810, though the consistent letters exchanged between Josephine and Napoleon imply that duty forced the decision, rather than the supposed infidelity of a woman left home alone for months at a time. Unable to produce an heir, Josephine agreed to releases Napoleon to marry another. Napoleon and Josephine dissolved their civil union in December of 1809. The Emperor married Marie Louise of Austria the following March, and she promptly produced a son and heir for the empire. In a letter from Napoleon to Josephine dated January 17, 1810, one month after the dissolution of their marriage, their agony is ripe: "D'Audenarde, whom I sent to you this morning, tells me that since you have been at Malmaison you have no longer any courage. Yet that place is full of our happy memories, which can and ought never to change, at least on my side. I want badly to see you, but I must have some assurance that you are strong and not weak; I too am rather like you, and it makes me frightfully wretched. Adieu, Josephine; good-night. If you doubted me, you would be very ungrateful." Napoleon advocated for Josephine to retain her rank and position in the French Courts, and he continued providing for her financially. They maintained their habit of writing letters, and Napoleon continued to shower her with gifts and affection from his heart. Josephine kept the engagement ring he gave to her in their first months together, passing it on to her daughter Hortense, who passed it on to her son, Napoleon III and his wife Empress Eugenie.  It has remained in the family for many generations, finally making its way to the auction house this year, where an anonymous buyer took it to parts unknown. Bibliography 1. ANI. "Napoleon's engagement ring to Josephine set to fetch $20k at auction." New Karala. March 24, 2013. Accessed March 29, 2013. 2. Carey, Agnes. Empress Eugenie in Exile. New York: The Century Co., 1920. 3. DeMarco, Anthony. "Napoleon's Engagement Ring To Josephine Fetches $948,000 At Auction." Forbes. March 24, 2013. Accessed March 29, 2013. 4. Jovanovic, Dragana. "Napoleon and Josephine's Engagement Ring Sells for $949,000." ABC World News. March 24, 2013. Accessed March 29, 2013. 5. Napoleon I (Emperor of the French). Napoleon's letters to Josephine, 1796-1812. London: J. M. Dent & Co., 1901. 6. Napoleon.org. "Napoleon's Divorce." Last modified December 2009. http://www.napoleon.org/en/Template/chronologie.asp?idpage=475701&onglet=1. 7. Ng, David. "Napoleon's engagement ring for Josephine fetches $948,000." Los Angeles Times. March 25, 2013. Accessed March 29, 2013. 8. Osenaut. "Lot 82: Historique et emouvante bague de fiancailles." Last modified March 24, 2013. http://www.osenat.auction.fr/FR/vente_peintures_arts_graphiques/v21043_osenat/l4046060_historique_et_emouvante_bague_de_fiancailles.html. 9. PTI. "Napoleon's engagement ring to Josephine up for auction." The Economic Times. March 24, 2013. Accessed March 29, 2013. 10. Sergeant, Philip Walsingham. The Empress Josephine: Napoleon's Enchantress, Volume 1. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1909.