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"No," she said. She unlocked the cabinet and reached inside, retrieving a small, hexagonal paperweight. It wasn't crystal, but a smooth, river-washed stone, capped with silver filigree. "You buy her something that acknowledges that things break. And that you are willing to hold the pieces."

The use of a female figure to represent France dates back to the French Revolution (1789–1799), replacing the male figure of the "king." Revolutionaries adopted the image of a strong woman to symbolize the new Republic, drawing from classical figures of Liberty (Roman goddess Libertas) and Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. marainne