France, Europe's most powerful land kingdom, still possessed a rich collection even after many royal jewels vanished during the French Revolution. Later, after Napoleon's plundering, he further filled its already dazzling treasury of jewels.
Even Indian women knew that once they struck it lucky and became the wife of a mountain man—a "free hunter"—they had to dress splendidly for the sake of their husband's purse and trading credit. How could a free hunter's wife dress like those ordinary, dull wives? Give up such pitiful thoughts. Free hunters cared about their identity and status just as much as businessmen did, and that identity and status were reflected in their wives' appearance.
For this trip north, Georgiana had to outshine every other woman and eclipse all the merchants' wives. Thus, the jewels of France's treasury and Bonaparte's private treasury were all opened to her. There were not only jewels once belonging to the kings of France, but also jewels from Italy, supposedly "donations" Bonaparte had collected from Catholic clergy. Jewelers had begun crafting new ornaments for her over a month ago.
In theory, the value of jewelry was determined by the size of its gemstones. Georgiana, however, had no desire to be like Grassini, draping every gemstone over herself and turning herself into a display stand for jewelry.
She sought out Denon, director of the Louvre Museum, and searched Renaissance paintings for the jewelry worn by women in them. She asked the Mailanrui family to reproduce a number of pieces exactly, but what she received in the end were improved versions better suited to nineteenth-century tastes. One bracelet in particular had gold and pearls set into black enamel, along with a square yellow diamond. She loved it so much that Mailanrui made an entire set for her, including a delicate ferronnière chain.