Rococo style monogram, from the book A New Book of Cyphers, More Compleat & Regular, (1765), by S. Sympson. Floral border and attached bail, cut out and laid on a floral background.

Monogram: CC

Size: 65 x 61 mm

Weight: 71.3 grams

A Learned Affection

Cynthia was excited to visit London for the season.  She had made arrangements to have a silversmith create a pendant made to wear to the opening ball and would pick it up upon arrival in the city.  The pendant was to contain the monogram of her namesake, her Great-Grandmother Cynthia. While looking through her father’s library the previous year, she had stumbled across a volume of monograms and was stunned to see her great-grandmother’s monogram in the book.  She had always been drawn to her great-grandmother’s story, not only because they shared the same name, but also because she was the rock that held this family and estate together in difficult times. It was the late 1700s, and Great-Grandmother Cynthia found herself in an arranged marriage.  She was not overly excited about the prospect as she only knew her intended by name and reputation. He was by no means a cruel or unattractive man, but they had no basis on which to build their marriage. After the wedding, they had fallen into a routine of fulfilling their duties to the estate, but no real friendship or bond existed.  At the beginning of their second year of marriage, her husband had fallen deathly ill. Great-Grandmother Cynthia stayed by his bedside day and night nursing him personally. For the first time, there was respect. During his convalescence, their talks grew into friendship. Later, their friendship turned into love. Great-Grandfather always said that it was Great-Grandmother Cynthia that saved him, their marriage and the estate by helping love grow.