Precious

The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time

De: Helen Molesworth

Narrado por: Helen Molesworth

A renowned jewelry expert recounts her career working with nature’s most extraordinary treasures—gemstones—and traces these rare jewels from ancient Egyptian records through the high-stakes auctions of today.

“Engaging and illuminating, Precious is a master class in the history of gems.”—Francesca Cartier Brickell, author of The Cartiers

Helen Molesworth has been captivated by precious stones since early childhood but she struggled to join the gemstone industry, having no connections to the few family-run companies that have dominated the field for centuries. She persevered, and more than two decades later, Molesworth is now an international authority hired to appraise the extraordinary jewelry of such clients as the British royal family. Precious is packed with inside stories about fabulous jewels associated with generations of celebrities, from Cleopatra (emerald) to Catherine, Princess of Wales (sapphire); from Marilyn Monroe (pearl) to Beyoncé (garnet); from Jackie O (pearl) to Lady Gaga (diamond); and from Marie Antoinette (pearl) to Elizabeth Taylor (pearl, ruby, and emerald)!

As Molesworth tells it, the history of gemstones is the history of humanity. And so she journeys the world, navigating African diamond mines, Colombian emerald mines, and the sapphire-rich rivers of Sri Lanka to study gems at their source. She has selected ten of nature’s most dazzling gems, tracing their discovery to when these cut-and-polished masterpieces first adorned empresses and kings.

From the stories of a priceless emerald watch hidden under floorboards for centuries to the common quartz fashioned into world-famous royal jewels, and diamonds selling for multi-millions, Precious is not just a chronicle of archeology and geology, high society and high finance, it’s the story of our timeless ambition to make—and wear—something beautiful.

©2024 Helen Molesworth (P)2024 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Helen Molesworth has produced a magnificent history of gemstones–their symbolism, provenance, and the legends surrounding the best ones.”—The Spectator

“To turn the pages of Precious is to open an extraordinary treasure trove of stories. Travelling through moments in history and layers of soil and sediment, this is the glittering history of our world through a totally new lens.”—Waterstones

“Precious is part history, part travel memoir, and part declaration of love towards gems. Like an overflowing jewelry box, its pages are bursting with stories of the sumptuous and luxurious, as well the perilous and arduous.”—The Conversation

A book to read again and again!

What a wonderful history of such precious treasures. I can’t recommend this amazing book enough.