Precious

The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time

De: Helen Molesworth

Narrado por: Helen Molesworth

A renowned jewelry expert recounts her career working with nature’s most extraordinary treasures—gemstones—and traces these rare jewels from ancient Egyptian records through the high-stakes auctions of today.

“Engaging and illuminating, Precious is a master class in the history of gems.”—Francesca Cartier Brickell, author of The Cartiers

Helen Molesworth has been captivated by precious stones since early childhood but she struggled to join the gemstone industry, having no connections to the few family-run companies that have dominated the field for centuries. She persevered, and more than two decades later, Molesworth is now an international authority hired to appraise the extraordinary jewelry of such clients as the British royal family. Precious is packed with inside stories about fabulous jewels associated with generations of celebrities, from Cleopatra (emerald) to Catherine, Princess of Wales (sapphire); from Marilyn Monroe (pearl) to Beyoncé (garnet); from Jackie O (pearl) to Lady Gaga (diamond); and from Marie Antoinette (pearl) to Elizabeth Taylor (pearl, ruby, and emerald)!

As Molesworth tells it, the history of gemstones is the history of humanity. And so she journeys the world, navigating African diamond mines, Colombian emerald mines, and the sapphire-rich rivers of Sri Lanka to study gems at their source. She has selected ten of nature’s most dazzling gems, tracing their discovery to when these cut-and-polished masterpieces first adorned empresses and kings.

From the stories of a priceless emerald watch hidden under floorboards for centuries to the common quartz fashioned into world-famous royal jewels, and diamonds selling for multi-millions, Precious is not just a chronicle of archeology and geology, high society and high finance, it’s the story of our timeless ambition to make—and wear—something beautiful.

A passion for gems and beauty

Surprisingly, this turned out to be my favorite book of 2025. Molesworth’s passion for gems and jewelry is rivaled only by her elegance and thoughtfulness in writing about both. I felt an affinity with her childhood love of stones and her appreciation for the historical stories and legends that surround them. The only thing I failed to relate to was her clear predilection for monarchy, but I’m American. I’ve read about gems since I was a small child, and I still learned new things from this book. Molesworth appreciates each gem and does justice to them all from the garnet masterworks of Sutton Hoo to the now-unappreciated spinel and my personal favorites, the emerald and pearl. Famous diamonds and rubies, iconic sapphires, and even the unregarded quartz gemstones come to life through the eyes of one born to love them. I’m so glad I found this book and hope the author will write more. Her rare class, dignity, and intelligence made this such a joy to read, I hated for it to end. Her narration was beautiful as well, and I don’t usually like author narration. I’ve been on audible since 2008 and have only purchased a few hardcover copies of books I listened to, but this will definitely go on the library shelf. I hope you love it too.

A book to read again and again!

What a wonderful history of such precious treasures. I can’t recommend this amazing book enough.