|
History:
From the “Merchant of Venice” by William
Shakespeare, first performed around 1595. In the play, a romantic plot
between Jessica and Lorenzo is played out, from which this tender quote is
taken: “How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here will we sit,
and let the sounds of music creep in our ears: soft stillness and the
night become the touches of sweet harmony.” Louis Braille, founder of our
current Braille system, was born in Coupvray, France, 1809. He himself was
blind from the age of 3, and in 1818 went as a foundling to the Institute
for the Young Blind, in Paris. Showing ability in both science and music,
he became famous in Paris as an organist and cellist. In 1828, Braille
began teaching the blind in the Institute. He conceived the idea of
modifying the Barbier Point Writing System, used for encoded army
messages, to enable the blind to read. Point Writing consisted of embossed
dots and dashes on cardboard. The Braille system was derived from it, and
continues to be used today, in slightly modified form. This piece of
beautiful jewelry is encoded in Braille with Shakespeare’s famous phrase,
“The Touches of Sweet Harmony.” |
60 Day No-Hassle