Precious

Travelling through moments in history and layers of soil and sediment, this is world history as you have never seen it before.

This is the story of precious gems, from emeralds and rubies, to sapphires and pearls. Explore their history and geology, as well as their famous owners, from Elizabeth 1 to Elizabeth Taylor, Marie Antoinette to Marilyn Monroe, Coco Chanel to Beyonce.

Discover the fragile emerald watch that survived cross-continental journeys and centuries under the floorboards of a London house.

Journey back through the generations of women who wore pearls as a signifier of femininity and marvel at the role these glistening objects have played in changing depictions of feminism.

Learn of the Burmese warriors who believed so strongly in the connection between rubies and lifeblood that they embedded them into their skin before battle to protect them from harm.

In this sumptuous and sweeping history of humanity's love affair with jewels, the V&A’s Senior Jewellery Curator, Helen Molesworth, takes you behind the curtain of museums and auction houses, showcasing some of history's most incredible and iconic jewels and the deeply human stories that lie behind them.

Review

What shines through is Molesworth’s deep love of her subject and the tactile joy of wearing such gems. ― Mail on Sunday

Traces the journeys of different stones from their discovery to their sale … Explores the history, geology and famous wearers of 10 beloved jewels. -- Kate Youde ― Financial Times Published On: 2024-05-10

A magnificent compendium of everything one could ever want to know about jewels: their symbolism, physical construction, worth and history . . . I shall never look at a diamond in the same way again. -- Anne de Courcy ― Spectator Published On: 2024-05-24

This is - fittingly - a gem of a book. Rich descriptions, fascinating histories and, at times, just pure, dazzling bling. A joy to read. -- Tracy Borman, author of Elizabeth’s Women, Thomas Cromwell and The Private Lives of the Tudors

Reading Precious is like opening history's treasure chest, to discover a trove of fascinating information. -- Jane Robinson, author of Trailblazer, Hearts and Minds and Bluestockings

Merging knowledge with fascination she shows us that the preciousness of gems does not lie solely in their sparkle but in their story. ― Clare Hunter, author of Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle

Engaging and illuminating, Precious is a masterclass in the history of gems. It’s also great fun to read - one of those books where the learning is effortless as Helen invites the reader to join her while she visits glittering palaces, explores muddy sapphire mines and values some of the most phenomenal jewels on the planet. -- Francesca Cartier Brickell, author of The Cartiers

Beautifully written and superbly interesting, Helen Molesworth tells a compelling, global story of gems - their unending allure and continuing impact on human history. -- Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum Published On: 2024-02-23

Those who read Precious are in for a treat; I could not put it down until I had read every page. It is a rich and seamless web of gem history, gemmology and personal encounters with jewellery including the author's amazing and fearless journeys to the sources of rare stones, and of handling incredible stones prior to sale. This book is destined to remain a classic.

Precious is part history, part travel memoir, and part declaration of love towards gems. Like an overflowing jewellery box, its pages are bursting with stories of the sumptuous and luxurious, as well the perilous and arduous. -- Serena Dyer ― The Conversation Published On: 2024-06-03

About the Author

Helen Molesworth's career has spanned the global gem and jewellery industry, from roles with leading auction and jewellery houses to academic posts. For ten years she was a jewellery specialist for Sotheby's and Christie's in London and Geneva, where she handled sales of global importance including the private jewellery collection of HRH The Princess Margaret in 2006. She has since held roles She has since held roles as Professeur d'Histoire du Bijoux at the Geneva University of Art and Design, Managing Director of an international gemmological academy and is now the Senior Jewellery Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Precious is her first book for the trade.