Helen Molesworth has many qualifications to write about gemstones, whether it is her roles with leading auction houses or her academic background as an Oxford-trained classicist, allowing her to read Latin and Greek texts in the original to interpret ancient references to gems.
But it is her mastery and outright obsession with gemstones that makes her latest book a must-read for anyone who wears, buys, or sells jewelry. Released Sept. 17 by Penguin Random House, Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time reads like something David Grann or Erik Larson might write—if they were expert gemologists like Molesworth.
Every gemstone Molesworth chronicles in Precious comes with her personal tales, historical context, and economic relevance for how the rest of the world has interacted with its beauty and value. Molesworth also adds human interest, giving her gemstones cultural significance through some of the greatest celebrity and royal jewelry lovers, including Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
What makes Precious a wonder to read is how very readable it is. Because of her enthusiasm and knowledge, the book is something you can take to the beach or cottage, or carry onto any flight and be completely enthralled. In other words, it’s a book that you cannot put down. Yet it also carries an intellectual weight, making it something any gem lover or writer should keep on their shelves for long-term reference.
Molesworth was a jewelry specialist for 10 years at Sotheby’s and Christie’s in London and Geneva, where she handled sales of global importance, including the private collection of HRH the Princess Margaret. As a gemologist and jewelry historian, she has been professeur d’histoire du bijou in Geneva, managing director of a gem academy in Hong Kong, and most recently senior jewelry curator at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Precious is her first book for general readers.
As a teacher, sharing your love for gems and jewels is career bliss—but writing a book like Precious also is a highlight, Molesworth tells JCK.
“I love sharing something that makes me happy and something that brings me such joy. And if I can share that with others, and it gives them some of that same happiness and appreciation, then I think that’s marvelous,” Molesworth says. “It’s an absolute honor in life to be able to talk and write about something one loves and share that with others.”
Precious came out of her life’s work and her lifelong love for gemstones, Molesworth explains.
“I believe very strongly in understanding history so that you can appreciate the present and hopefully better understand the future. It gives us a context in which to place ourselves today, and the experience to understand patterns to learn better what to expect ahead,” Molesworth says.
“This is true of life but also of gems and jewels: For example, if you know the historic world record prices of emeralds or rubies, you are better placed to know what to expect an important stone might sell for tomorrow,” she adds. “Knowing historic gem and jewelry trends and fashions too also allows us to appreciate the emotional and historical value of items of worth, and see opportunities.
“For example, I explore the history of spinel in Precious. It’s a gem that was prized above all others in some Indian Mughal treasuries but in the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe was completely misunderstood and undervalued for various reasons. Recently new deposits have been discovered, giving the gem a renaissance, and rightly so prices have been rocketing. Knowing how undervalued it has long been, this was never surprising, and was a long time coming.”
Each chapter in Precious chronicles a different gemstone for good reason. Molesworth calls her book’s organization intuitive, as they are certain gems that have very long histories and fascinating stories to tell.
“The first chapter, on emeralds, explores one of the oldest, longest-valued, and most broadly appreciated gem materials in the world, known since the ancient world, and loved in Europe, the Americas, the Middle and Far East, North Africa, with histories ranging across them all,” Molesworth says. “So I think of it as the gem of the ancients. And I found as I was writing these stories and histories that each gem also started developing a personality that often ran through its own entire backstory.
“Ruby is a stone of passion and power, because of the color, and one of very high value, and known as the Leader of Stones. Sapphire is associated with the sky, the gem of European royalty. Pearl is known as the Queen of Gems, a feminine stone that also tells a story of feminism since the 16th century,” Molesworth adds. “I end with jade, the Stone of Heaven, a gem appreciated in the East for thousands of years, and with stories also ranging across South America and Australasia. So, there’s really something for everyone.”
Top: Helen Molesworth’s new book Precious tells stories of gemstones and how they have affected the world around them (photo courtesy of Helen Molesworth).
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