Madame de
Louise de Vilmorin
由Louise de Vilmorin撰写并于1951年出版的《Madame de》，是《Dédale》系列的第四部作品。此系列由L'ÉCOLE珠宝艺术学院与意大利出版社Franco Maria Riccis联合发行，收录了一些文学巨著以及鲜为人知的罕见文献，全部皆与珠宝、珍贵宝石以及整个艺术世界有着紧密联系。
HK$ 220
L’ÉCOLE珠宝艺术学院与意大利出版社Franco Maria Ricci共同呈献《Dédale》系列。别树一帜的《Dédale》系列收录了多部文学巨著以及一些鲜为人知或罕见的文献，全部皆与珠宝、珍贵宝石以及整个艺术世界有着紧密联系。每本书均配有丰富插图，以系列宣言开篇，随后附有特邀作者的序言，以及由L’ÉCOLE珠宝艺术学院专家撰写的主题导论。此系列每年推出一本新作。每部作品皆提供经典版与收藏版两种版本。
「她心想，轻率地处置一件传家之宝或大量平价珠宝实非明智之举，因为难以解释它们为何消失不见；于是，在仔细审视所有珠宝盒后，她决定出售一对镶嵌两颗心形切割绝美钻石的耳环。那是她丈夫在婚礼翌日送给她的一份瑰丽臻礼。她亲自造访她的珠宝商。这位珠宝商极其稳重可靠；在许多重要客户的家中，他早已超脱了珠宝商的身份，更像是交情深厚的好友。她要他郑重承诺保密，言谈间意有所指，让他误以为丈夫对此事知情。珠宝商揣测先生有些私人财务困难，他想帮忙，却又不想让夫人察觉到自己的猜疑，便委婉地询问：
『可是，夫人，你要如何向先生解释呢？』
『噢，』她回答道：『我会告诉他我把耳环弄丢了。』
『夫人如此迷人，无论你说什么，相信大家都会深信不疑。』珠宝商如此说，然后买下了那对耳环。
夫人偿清了债务，摆脱愁云后美貌更胜往昔，比以往任何时候更加光彩照人。」
“It would be unwise, she thought, to get rid of an heirloom, or of a large number of jewels of inferior value, owing to the difficulty of accounting for their disappearance; so she decided, when she had gone through her jewel case, to sell a pair of earrings made of two superb diamonds, cut in the shape of hearts. It had been a splendid present which Monsieur de had given her on the day after their marriage. She called on her jeweller. He was a thoroughly reliable man; in the houses of many of his most important customers he was as much a friend as a jeweller. She swore him to secrecy, and spoke to him in such a way that he received the impression that Monsieur de was aware of what his wife was doing. The jeweller assumed that Monsieur de had some private money troubles, and wishing to help him without letting Madame de realise what he suspected, he tactfully asked:
“But, Madame, what will you say to Monsieur de ?”
“Oh,” she answered, “I shall tell him I’ve lost them.”
“You are so charming that I am sure people always believe whatever you say,” said the jeweller, and he bought the earrings.
Madame de paid her debts, and her beauty, free of care, shone brighter than ever.”
