Why would someone bury a bucket of precious jewels and gemstones and never return? From the bestselling author of The Jade Lily comes a thrilling modern-day treasure hunt brimming with family secrets.
The world’s greatest collection of Elizabethan and early Stuart jewellery was discovered in 1912 by workmen demolishing a building in Cheapside, London. Known as the Cheapside Hoard, this collection of jewellery is now on display at the Museum of London, with a few select pieces at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum. But it wasn’t always so…
Present Day. When respected American jewellery historian, Kate Kirby, receives a call about the Cheapside jewels, she knows she’s on the brink of the experience of a lifetime.
But the trip to London forces Kate to explore secrets that have long been buried by her own family. Back in Boston, Kate has uncovered a series of sketches in her great-grandmother’s papers linking her suffragette great-grandmother Essie to the Cheapside collection. Could these sketches hold the key to Essie’s secret life in Edwardian London?
In the summer of 1912, impoverished Irish immigrant Essie Murphy happens to be visiting her brother when a workman’s pickaxe strikes through the floor of an old tenement house in Cheapside, near St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The workmen uncover a stash of treasure—from Ottoman pendants to Elizabethan and Jacobean gems—and then the finds disappear again! Could these jewels—one in particular—change the fortunes of Essie and her sisters?
Together with photographer Marcus Holt, Kate Kirby chases the history of the Cheapside gems and jewels, especially the story of a small diamond champlevé enamel ring. Soon, everything Kate believes about her family, gemology, and herself will be threatened.
The Lost Jewels is a riveting historical fiction novel that will captivate readers from the beginning to the unforgettable, surprising end. Kirsty Manning tells an incredible tale of thievery, sacrifice and hope through the generations of one family.
Kirsty has taken a fascinating true story, and brought it to life in vivid, rich detail. The research in this book is exceptional, especially the descriptions of gems and jewellery. Set in three different eras – the present day, 1912 and the mid 1600s, each time period shines. And don’t forget to read the authors notes at the end. If you’re anything like me, you’ll then while away a couple of hours researching the true story behind this wonderful novel.
All the characters are interesting, especially modern-day Kate, and her grandmother Essie. Mystery, adventure, romance and a hoard of stunning jewellery makes for a delightful weekend. Schedule this in for the coming one – I guarantee you’ll be pleased you did.
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