UK RELEASE:
May 2025, Penguin (Paperback)
May 2024, Penguin (Hardback)
Precious (UK edition)
‘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
‘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
From the V&A's Senior Jewellery Curator comes an immersive history of the world through the gems that have forged empires, created cultures and built the modern world.
In this sumptuous and sweeping history of humanity's love affair with jewels, Helen Molesworth takes you behind the curtain of what you see in a museum or fetching vast sums on the auction floor, illuminating the deeply human stories that lie behind them.
‘A brightly entertaining natural and cultural history of gemstones and the worlds they contain… An overstuffed, endlessly interesting treat for anyone interested in any aspect of jewels.’
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Reviews
‘Helen Molesworth has produced a magnificent history of gemstones–their symbolism, provenance, and the legends surrounding the best ones.’
The Spectator
US RELEASE: September 2024, Ballantine