The word ‘jewel’ derives from the Old French word joiel, a word that finds its roots in the words for playing, joy, and enjoyment, proof that jewellery is intimately tied to notions of pleasure and happiness.

For some, it is the pleasure of love, for others, an obsessive passion. For Wallis Simpson, after the throne had passed her by, her jewelled treasures were her solace. As for Maria Callas, the soprano amassed diamonds and rubies to ward off the poverty of her childhood, and to spark the jealousy of a mother she hated. Barbara Hutton, America’s most famous poor little rich girl, went around wearing a tiara, demanding to be called a princess. And they have been the cause of so much drama, Marie-Antoinette, whose diamond necklace identified her and sent her to the guillotine; Josephine de Beauharnais, who was also embroiled in a necklace affair involving Marie-Antoinette’s pearls; Begum Om Habibeh, Miss France 1930, and wife of the Aga Khan, who was robbed of her royal jewellery in the middle of the street…

In this gloriously illustrated book, novelist and jewellery expert David Lelait-Helo stares into the jewellery boxes of these illustrious women to discover their hearts and their minds.

The women featured are:

Ava Gardner

Barbara Hutton

Brooke Astor

Elizabeth II

Elizabeth Taylor

Eugenie de Montijo

Grace Kelly

Helena Rubinstein

Jackie Kennedy

Diana, Princess of Wales

Maria Callas

Marie-Antoinette

Princess Soraya

Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor

Begum Om Habibeh

Author Biography

David Lelait-Helo is a novelist, essay writer, and biographer whose childhood dream was to become a jeweller. With little plastic pearls and pieces of aluminium foil, he would create entire collections of finery. In 2011, he was given the wonderful opportunity to admire the jewellery box of Liz Taylor, and the history of jewellery became one of his greatest passions.

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