Here's the thing of it. You've met a lovely young thing and she has invited you over for dinner. What to bring? A bottle of wine. Yeah ... but also no. You want to make an impression. Flowers would be nice. But what kind?

One has to be cautious here. Bring flowers into her house that are out of season ... and bad luck will pervade the premises. This is a no no on a first dinner date. Trust me.
Also ... as an aside ... flowers should always be given in an uneven number for the same reasons as given above.

Okay. How about an in-season mix of red and white somethings. Well ... that would be fine if you don't mind her dropping dead on you in the middle of her soufflé. Another no no my friends.

No agrimony folks. These blooms are said to produce sleep. Needless to say ... sleep at an inopportune moment can be a tad awkward.

Lilies are good. They produce wakefulness. No coffee around? Sniff a lily.

Depending on the ultimate goal of the evening ... roses are believed to cure infertility. Verbena will excite love. Mix 'em together and you can skip the oysters.

Anemone ... refusal. Apricot ... timidity and doubt.  Bramble ... envy. Gardenia ... secret love. Let's hope it's you. Straw ... she wants to be your slave. Think this one over carefully ... the repercussions may be unexpected. However ... here's a good one. Bring a flower to the dinner table ... then wipe your lips with it after drinking wine and then present it to her ... and she's yours forever. Be careful with this one too. Forever can sometimes be a tad oppressive.

So what are you going to bring her? Let me tell you about a jeweler named Louis-David Duval. Born in Geneva ... he starts his career as a silversmith in London and then moves to Russia in 1753 where he opens his own workshop. He becomes a court jeweler to Catherine II.

And then comes the late 1750's. I extrapolate here and surmise that Louis is invited for dinner at a pretty young thing's house. He probably goes to the local florist. Nothing. Mundane crap.  Anemone ... apricot ... bramble ... and on and on. So I'm guessing he goes home and gathers about him his gemstones. Amethysts. Diamonds. Emeralds.  Rubies. Topaz. Pyropes. Spinel. Aquamarine. Turquoise. The collection is endless.

And he makes a bouquet. Don't ask me how dinner worked out. Was it a success? Was it a failure? Go look at his bouquet of gems in a glass vessel and tell me how you think he fared that fateful night.

And so here it is ... represented on our pages ... a bouquet of gems in a glass vessel by Louis-David Duval.