The False Gems

by Guy de Maupassant

A selection of Guy de Maupassant's "The Jewelry" from the anthology book The Norton Introduction to Literature, Eleventh Edition. "The Jewelry" is a short tale of a poor man whose beloved wife abruptly passes away, who finds himself with several thousand francs worth of her jewelry on his hands.

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, School, Read For School, France

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1883

About the author

Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story. A protege of Flaubert, Maupassant's short stories are characterized by their economy of style and their efficient effortless dénouement. He also wrote six short novels. A number of his stories often denote the futility of war and the innocent civilians who get crushed in it - many are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s.

Reviews

[Zehra Rizvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

gosh i am loving these ap lit readings so far they're so DRAMATIC. like mrs lantin really seemed super cool and her "love" for theatre was relatable like gosh i wanted to be like her and see plays every day too. when she died i was literally so sad and shocked cuz there was no buildup to it it was like when 2nd graders end stories with "and then she died" LOL. anyways when i found out where she got the jewelry from....femme fatale archetype fr. like THAT was the business that kept the Lantin family afloat??? anyways i felt really bad for her husband but it was crazy how even though he was heartbroken when he found out about the money he kinda gaslit himself into being happy. especially when he kept increasing the amount by 100k every time like bro dont go rampaging the streets and quitting your job cuz your prostitute wife left you some inheritance. and it was so ironic how he spent time with prostitutes after he got the money like gosh 😭 too ironic. anyways yeah great story loved it cant wait to learn more about the naturalist movement :)

[Preri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short story. Depicts the desires and the different things that make humans happy. Money isn't always everything, and materialistic greed is not the option.

Beautifully written. You can really analyze several qualities.

[Zohaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book what an amazing start to ap lit I just loved the vibe it has HOWEVER I do think it's like one of those reads that people love to make it seem something rly philosophical. Like it was just so cute BUT ALSO WHY DID HE SUDDENLY DROP IT ON US THAT THE WIFE DIED LIKE I WAS JUST STARTED TO GET OBSESSED WITH HER and then boom it was like "she got back from her nightly theater with a cold. She then proceeded to cough. And now she's dead from pneumonia" ????? So long mrs lantin gone too soon
I hope I learn about this story from a new lens from the discussions so yeah

[Darcel Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guy de Maupassant's "The False Gems" is a short story about not knowing all about someone really close to you and their secrets.

Story in short- A husband soon finds out something strange about his wife's cheap jewelry.


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Monsieur Lantin had met the young girl at a reception at the house of the second head of his department, and had fallen head over heels in love with her. She was the daughter of a provincial tax collector, who had been dead several years. She and her mother came to live in Paris, where the latter, who made the acquaintance of some of the families in her
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neighborhood, hoped to find a husband for her daughter. They had very moderate means, and were honorable, gentle, and quiet. The young girl was a perfect type of the virtuous woman in whose hands every sensible young man dreams of one day intrusting his happiness. Her simple beauty had the charm of angelic modesty, and the imperceptible smile which constantly hovered about the lips seemed to be the reflection of a pure and lovely soul. Her praises resounded on every side. People never tired of repeating: “Happy the man who wins her love! He could not find a better wife.” Monsieur Lantin, then chief clerk in the Department of the Interior, enjoyed a snug little salary of three thousand five hundred francs, and he proposed to this model young girl, and was accepted. He was unspeakably happy with her. She governed his household with such clever economy that they seemed to live in luxury. She lavished the most delicate attentions


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Monsieur Lantin finds out that his virtuous wife is not truly so and seems to have had lovers to help fiance their lives, and the cheap gems are in fact real. After his wife's death, he finds this out after finding it hard to cope without her and her budgeting, that her gems are indeed real and that they were not stolen. He quits his job and enjoys life but is he being hard on his wife, maybe she had money all along in a trust? He remarried a truly virtuous woman who makes his life unhapoy, where he had known happiness before, yet he was duped.

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on her husband, coaxed and fondled him; and so great was her charm that six years after their marriage, Monsieur Lantin discovered that he loved his wife even more than during the first days of their honeymoon. He found fault with only two of her tastes: Her love for the theatre, and her taste for imitation jewelry. Her friends (the wives of some petty officials) frequently procured for her a box at the theatre, often for the first representations of the new plays; and her husband was obliged to accompany her, whether he wished it or not, to these entertainments which bored him excessively after his day’s work at the office. After a time, Monsieur Lantin begged his wife to request some lady of her acquaintance to accompany her, and to bring her home after the theatre. She opposed this arrangement, at first; but, after much persuasion, finally consented, to the infinite delight of her husband. Now, with her love for the theatre, came also the desire for ornaments. Her costumes remained as before, simple, in good taste, and always modest; but she soon began to adorn her ears with huge rhinestones, which glittered and sparkled like real diamonds. Around her neck she wore strings of false pearls, on her arms bracelets of imitation gold, and combs set with glass jewels. Her husband frequently remonstrated with her, saying: “My dear, as you cannot afford to buy real jewelry, you ought to appear adorned with your beauty and
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modesty alone, which are the rarest ornaments of your sex.” But she would smile sweetly, and say: “What can I do? I am so fond of jewelry. It is my only weakness. We cannot change our nature.” Then she would wind the pearl necklace round her fingers, make the facets of the crystal gems sparkle, and say: “Look! are they not lovely? One would swear they were real.” Monsieur Lantin would then answer, smilingly:
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“You have bohemian tastes, my dear.” Sometimes, of an evening, when they were enjoying a tete-a-tote by the fireside, she would place on the tea table the morocco leather box containing the “trash,” as Monsieur Lantin called it. She would examine the false gems with a passionate attention, as though they imparted some deep and secret joy; and she often persisted in passing a necklace around her husband’s neck, and, laughing heartily, would exclaim: “How droll you look!” Then
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she would throw herself into his arms, and kiss him affectionately. One evening, in winter, she had been to the opera, and returned home chilled through and through. The next morning she coughed, and eight days later she died of inflammation of the lungs. Monsieur Lantin’s despair was so great that his hair became white in one month. He wept unceasingly; his heart was broken as he remembered her smile, her voice, every charm of his dead wife.
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Time did not assuage his grief. Often, during office hours, while his colleagues were discussing the topics of the day, his eyes would suddenly fill with tears, and he would give vent to his grief in heartrending sobs. Everything in his wife’s room remained as it was during her lifetime; all her furniture, even her clothing, being left as it was on the day of her death. Here he was wont to seclude himself daily and think of her who had been his treasure- the joy of his existence.
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But life soon became a struggle. His income, which, in the hands of his wife, covered all household expenses, was now no longer sufficient for his own immediate wants; and he wondered how she could have managed to buy such excellent wine and the rare delicacies which he could no longer procure with his modest resources. He incurred some debts, and was soon reduced to absolute poverty. One morning, finding himself without a cent in his pocket, he resolved to sell something, and immediately

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the thought occurred to him of disposing of his wife’s paste jewels, for he cherished in his heart a sort of rancor against these “deceptions,” which had always irritated him in the past. The very sight of them spoiled, somewhat, the memory of his lost darling.
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The man took the necklace, examined it, called his clerk, and made some remarks in an undertone; he then put the ornament back on the counter, and looked at it from a distance to judge of the effect. Monsieur Lantin, annoyed at all these ceremonies, was on the point of saying: “Oh! I know well ‘enough it is not worth anything,” when the jeweler said: “Sir, that necklace is worth from twelve to fifteen thousand francs; but I could not buy it, unless you can tell me exactly where it came from.”
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The widower opened his eyes wide and remained gaping, not comprehending the merchant’s meaning. Finally he stammered: “You say — are you sure?” The other replied, drily: “You can try elsewhere and see if any one will offer you more. I consider it worth fifteen thousand at the most. Come back; here, if you cannot do better.” Monsieur Lantin, beside himself with astonishment, took up the necklace and left the store. He wished time for reflection.
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Once outside, he felt inclined to laugh, and said to himself: “The fool! Oh, the fool! Had I only taken him at his word! That jeweler cannot distinguish real diamonds from the imitation article.” A few minutes after, he entered another store, in the Rue de la Paix. As soon as the proprietor glanced at the necklace, he cried out: “Ah, parbleu! I know it well; it was bought here.” Monsieur Lantin, greatly disturbed, asked: “How much is it worth?”
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“Well, I sold it for twenty thousand francs. I am willing to take it back for eighteen thousand, when you inform me, according to our legal formality, how it came to be in your possession.” This time, Monsieur Lantin was dumfounded. He replied: “But — but — examine it well. Until this moment I was under the impression that it was imitation.” The jeweler asked: “What is your name, sir?”
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“Lantin — I am in the employ of the Minister of the Interior. I live at number sixteen Rue des Martyrs.” The merchant looked through his books, found the entry, and said: “That necklace was sent to Madame Lantin’s address, sixteen Rue des Martyrs, July 20, 1876.” The two men looked into each other’s eyes — the widower speechless with astonishment; the jeweler scenting a thief. The latter broke the silence.

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“Will you leave this necklace here for twenty-four hours?” said he; “I will give you a receipt.” Monsieur Lantin answered hastily: “Yes, certainly.” Then, putting the ticket in his pocket, he left the store. He wandered aimlessly through the streets, his mind in a state of dreadful confusion. He tried to reason, to understand. His wife could not afford to purchase such a costly ornament. Certainly not.
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But, then, it must have been a present! — a present! — a present, from whom? Why was it given her? He stopped, and remained standing in the middle of the street. A horrible doubt entered his mind — She? Then, all the other jewels must have been presents, too! The earth seemed to tremble beneath him — the tree before him to be falling; he threw up his arms, and fell to the ground, unconscious. He recovered his senses in a pharmacy, into which the passers-by had borne him. He asked to be taken home,
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and, when he reached the house, he shut himself up in his room, and wept until nightfall. Finally, overcome with fatigue, he went to bed and fell into a heavy sleep.
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It was a lovely day; a clear, blue sky smiled on the busy city below. Men of leisure were strolling about with their hands in their pockets. Monsieur Lantin, observing them, said to himself: “The rich, indeed, are happy. With money it is possible to forget even the deepest sorrow. One can go where one pleases, and in travel find that distraction which is the surest cure for grief. Oh if I were only rich!” He perceived that he was hungry, but his pocket was empty. He again remembered the necklace. Eighteen
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thousand francs! Eighteen thousand francs! What a sum! He soon arrived in the Rue de la Paix, opposite the jeweler’s. Eighteen thousand francs! Twenty times he resolved to go in, but shame kept him back. He was hungry, however — very hungry — and not a cent in his pocket. He decided quickly, ran across the street, in order not to have time for reflection, and rushed into the store. The proprietor immediately came forward, and politely offered him
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a chair; the clerks glanced at him knowingly. “I have made inquiries, Monsieur Lantin,” said the jeweler, “and if you are still resolved to dispose of the gems, I am ready to pay you the price I offered.” “Certainly, sir,” stammered Monsieur Lantin. Whereupon the proprietor took from a drawer eighteen large bills, counted, and handed them to Monsieur Lantin, who signed a receipt; and, with trembling hand, put the money into his pocket.

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As he was about to leave the store, he turned toward the merchant, who still wore the same knowing smile, and lowering his eyes, said: “I have — I have other gems, which came from the same source. Will you buy them, also?” The merchant bowed: “Certainly, sir.” Monsieur Lantin said gravely: “I will bring them to you.” An hour later, he returned with the gems.
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The jeweler remarked, jokingly: “There was a person who invested all her savings in precious stones.” Monsieur Lantin replied, seriously: “It is only another way of investing one’s money.” That day he lunched at Voisin’s, and drank wine worth twenty
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francs a bottle. Then he hired a carriage and made a tour of the Bois. He gazed at the various turnouts with a kind of disdain, and could hardly refrain from crying out to the occupants: “I, too, am rich! — I am worth two hundred thousand francs.” Suddenly he thought of his employer. He drove up to the bureau, and entered gaily, saying: “Sir, I have come to resign my position. I have just inherited three hundred thousand francs.”
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He shook hands with his former colleagues, and confided to them some of his projects for the future; he then went off to dine at the Cafe Anglais. He seated himself beside a gentleman of aristocratic bearing; and, during the meal, informed the latter confidentially that he had just inherited a fortune of four hundred thousand francs. For the first time in his life, he was not bored at the theatre, and spent the remainder of the night in a gay frolic.
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Six months afterward, he married again. His second wife was a very virtuous woman; but had a violent temper. She caused him much sorrow.

[kiwi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in full French, not with a translation, but whatever.
Close enough.

[Mila Rossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty entertaining and intriguing. Loved the unexpected elements in it, but wish it was a bit longer.

[AzulClarito · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh? Meh....

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐

AKA: The Jewels; The Jewlery; Les bijoux

Mr. Lantin is a young civil servant on a modest salary who meets a lovely pretty young girl at a reception and they fall in love and marry. She very efficiently runs the household and effectively manages their moderate finances. After being married for six years Mr. Lantin has found that his wife does has two small failings one is her love of the theater and the other is her mania for collecting costume jewelry. One evening after returning from the opera it is found that his wife has caught a chill which turns into pneumonia. She dies soon after. When Mr. Lantin finds himself in need of cash he decides to sell his wife's false jewelry. In bringing the jewelry to a jeweler to get an estimate he soon discovers an enormous shocking surprise in what might be called the secret life of Mrs. Lantin.

[Yuleidy Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short story itself was really entertaining. Not everything in life( for instance, money) will make you the happiest in the world, you might need food but at the end of the day if you are unhappy there you know that money does not buy happiness. Also at the end it’s stayed “For the first time in his life he was not bored at the theater, and he spent the night with some prostitut**” I am not sure if he realizes or not what was his wife doing every day in the theater but it made me feel like as she was a sex worker and that’s why she had all those pearls and expensive jewelry(that were presents maybe as the jeweler said).

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Short story read in Norton Introduction to Literature fifth edition]

A man with a perfect wife - the only issue is she wears so much tacky fake jewelry and goes to shows too much for his tastes. after she dies its revealed that the jewelery is quite real! And worth a pretty penny, enough for his retirement! But he remarries into a bad marriage. A fun twist

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit disappointed with the story but can't determine why? Was his wife both affectionate to the story main character but also a woman of ill repute (2b tasteful). There's no mention, except that she kept the household well provided on her husbands salary (which alone he could not make do). I don't like stories which leave me to answer Qs.

[Elmin Ağahəsənli · Rating 3 out of 5]

" Daş-qaş "hekayəsi.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agréable, des rebondissements, mais quelques pages de plus auraient été les bienvenues.

[Forked Radish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was he blind as well as stupid?

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[mellohibench · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was interesting

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

he got played pretty badly in this hm.

[Gagandeep Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read with twists and turn in every paragraph. You can't predict what's going to happen next.

[Prerana (Tithi) · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved the writing obv but this one isnt as good as "the necklace".

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather good and humorous story about a man who married a lady who loved the theatre and theatre jewellery. The wife passed away which became an interesting turn of events for the husband.

[nini · Rating 5 out of 5]

read it for class. loved it!

[irl blue sargent · Rating 3 out of 5]

never trust a man

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story = short review

[dundun (studying) · Rating 3 out of 5]

kinda disappointed that goodreads doesn’t have the arabic edition of this story since that’s the one i read but whatever 🤷‍♀️ anyways i read a small part of this story in my arabic textbook a while ago and then decided to willingly look up the whole story since i found it very interesting and yeah… it’s a short story (like 2 pages long) but still not bad

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story satirizing French society during the author's time. I enjoyed the difference in his relationship between the first wife and second wife.

[Rachel Nicole Wagner Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
Sometimes a person's flaws aren't really flaws at all..

[Mateo R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Ambientes: Teatro, urbano.
* Figuras recurrentes: Nuevo/a rico/a.
* Enfermedad: Edema pulmonar.

[maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

what a cute and funny story