Precious

Drawing on twenty years' unparalled experience handling precious stones and following their journey from mine to workshop, from trader to jeweller, auction room to owner, Helen Molesworth reveals the remarkable lives of the world's most legendary stones. From the Emerald Cheapside Hoard watch, fashioned from an exceptional stone mined in Columbia, brought to Europe by 17th century Spanish traders, and then lost for centuries until a London workman uncovered a buried treasure trove, to the Wittlesbach diamond, famously auctioned for a record-breaking $23.4 million, she tells stories of survival that have seen some treasures preserved for centuries, and shows how beliefs around their meaning and magic have persisted for millennia - retaining the same power today.Gemstones are stitched into the fabric of human history, their own stories revealing much about commerce, nation-building, conflict and culture through time. A sweeping exploration of nature's most dazzling jewels, from their first recorded history in ancient Egypt through to the auction houses of the modern day, Precious illuminates their enduring value, hidden meaning and timeless attraction.