RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. When Napoleon Bonaparte proposed to Josephine, he gave her an engagement ring: a diamond and sapphire set side by side, both tear-shaped. Josephine shed many tears when her beloved annulled the marriage so he could produce an heir. Still, the story goes, on his death bed, Napoleon's last word was Josephine. Now that ring is up for auction, and, despite the romance, the French auction house is unimpressed, calling the ring a very ordinary one. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.