Helen Molesworth's first non-fiction book Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time is an encyclopaedia of jewellery and gemstones in the form of a lyrically written memoir.
Senior Curator of Jewellery at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Helen Molesworth, has released her new book Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time: The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time«. The book tells the stories, myths and legends of 10 gemstones. It revolves around the usual suspects: diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, but also quartz, garnet and spinel.
In this semi-autobiographical book, each chapter is dedicated to a different gemstone. But we also learn about Molesworth's adventurous visits to mines.
The penultimate two chapters, entitled «Diamonds», and «Colored Diamonds», cover historical diamonds. They delve deep into the science behind these rare beauties of Mother Nature.
The chapter on natural diamonds begins with one of the most famous diamonds and a visit to the place where it was discovered: the Cullinan mine. Having visited the mine myself, Molesworth's words reminded me exactly what I remembered of the quirky and picturesque village.
The village is filled with purple-pink jacaranda petals. It was built over a hundred years ago, during the early years of the mine. This mine produced the largest diamond ever extracted, the Cullinan diamond.
The diamond was given to Edward VII by the President of South Africa and was cut by the Asscher family of Amsterdam into nine distinguished diamonds. Some of these made an appearance at the coronation of King Charles III in 2023.
Molesworth has been following the journey of the 3,106-carat rough diamond in detail. From its origins in South Africa, where it has been for hundreds of millions of years, to London. There where it was presented to the King and Queen at Sandringham during the 1908 Christmas holiday.
It describes the early life of the diamond as if it were current news rather than historical documentation of events that occurred before any of us were born. Such as the moment the diamond was presented to the King, the cutting process and how it was placed in the most important of British Crown Jewels.
While the Cullinan diamond originated in South Africa, the diamond trade in India predates the discovery of diamonds in Africa by 2,000 years. Molesworth dives deep into the natural diamond trail. From the first recorded discoveries in India to the British royal family's collection and the modernisation of the industry.
In the next chapter, Molesworth tells the stories of famous fancy coloured diamonds. She also explores the dark odyssey of the Hope diamond and rumors of its connection to bad luck. Compounded by the misfortune that befell its various famous owners.
Another blue diamond, the 35.56-carat Wittelsbach, was bought by Laurence Graff at Christie's for £16.4 million. That's before he revealed he re-cut the historic diamond, cutting 4.45 carats to improve the colour and clarity grades. Various experts were outraged, accusing Graff of destroying history. It turns out that the diamond later sold for more than three times its original price. Molesworth describes holding the exquisite blue diamond for the first time.
«No other stone had ever caused me or left me with that feeling. As if I had lost something in the process of falling under its spell,» she recalls.
The science behind coloured diamonds is what makes them simply exceptional as well as rare. The many ways of carefully cutting these natural phenomena can cause variations in the hue prescribed several billion years ago.
Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time is for those fascinated by diamonds and gemstones. A must-read where Molesworth affirms that the history of gems is the history of humanity.
Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time, published by Ballantine in the USA and Doubleday in Europe.
Source: naturaldiamonds.com
