Acknowledgments

This book has been a long time in the making, spanning nearly twenty-five years of marvelous moments in an extraordinary industry. I will forever be thankful to those who shared this world with me from the beginning, especially Kieran McCarthy at Wartski (who opened the first jewelry safe to me on Bond Street many moons ago and still discusses Fabergé, and more, with me today), Keith Penton, who introduced me to the auction industry from the outset, and my other colleagues at Christie’s—especially Raymond Sancroft-Baker and David Warren—whose knowledge and sense of humor inspired many memorable moments. I am indebted to François Curiel, who gave me the opportunity of a lifetime in working on the Princess Margaret sale, and also to Lord Snowdon.

Early on, there were a couple of very special people who helped set me out on this path in the first place: Martin Henig, who introduced me to and mentored me on ancient gems, and David Miller, whose inspirational teaching of Classics has ultimately resulted in my ability to read and translate firsthand the ancient Latin and Greek lapidaries, a useful skill indeed.

Many gem experts and historians have helped me with research, advice, and brainstorming. My thanks in particular to: Jack Ogden, Ken Scarratt, and Eddie Cleveland for helping me unravel some of the spinel story; Laurent Cartier, Annemarie Jordan Gschwend, and Martin Travis for their expertise on pearls; Olivier Baroin for his knowledge of Suzanne Belperron; Bernhard Berger for the story of the Patiala ruby choker; Bruce Bridges for sharing his family history; Mark Cullinan for his take on the Cullinan Diamond; and Richard Hughes for all his inspiring gem research. A fun thanks to David Shara and Josh Cohn at Optimum Diamonds for showing me the Baby Blue Hope and regularly teasing me about my reaction.

Other illustrious friends and colleagues who have given me input, advice, and much-appreciated support include Vivienne Becker, Beatriz Chadour-Sampson, Richard Edgcumbe, Charlotte Gere, and Amanda Triossi. Among these are two very special grands remerciements to Cynthia Unninayer, who kindly proofread the first full manuscript, and Jeffery Bergman: both kept me going with their kind encouragement as much as their intellectual input.

I put together the greater part of Precious during my first year as Senior Curator at the V&A, juggling a new environment and diverse responsibilities. The two in tandem could not have been possible without the unerring support of my kind and brilliant Keeper, James Robinson, our Director, Tristram Hunt, and a department full of very empathetic colleagues. I’m grateful to our entire Metalwork and DAS team for their understanding and patience, and my close team of Jessica Rosenthal Mcgrath, Clare Phillips, and Judith Crouch in particular, for much-needed moments of help and kindness.

Other museum and collections colleagues who shared ideas and information include Sue Stronge at the V&A, Sue Brunning at the British Museum, Hazel Forsyth at the Museum of London (who had also shown me the Cheapside Hoard in person), Caroline de Guitaut at the Royal Collection Trust, Violette Petite and César Imbert at the Cartier Archives, and Pascale Lepeu at the Cartier Collection.

I owe huge thanks to all those who have taken me on their journeys as well as those who have come on mine, including: Vincent Pardieu (my first field trip to Thailand with the original field gemmologist himself), Hpone Phyo Kan Nyunt and Kyaw Thu (my Burmese guides with a sense of humor as large as their gemmological knowledge), Keith Barron (whose Rock Creek sapphires will always be close to my heart), and, above all, Armil, Sarrah, and Savi Sammoon (my Sri Lankan friends and family, and the heart of all my stays in their country). The kindness and help Dinesh offered in helping me trace my grandfather’s steps in Sri Lanka will never be forgotten, and we all miss him greatly. Also to those who have come on my field trips—students who have become friends and taught me as much about the world as the trips themselves, including Eurosia (my colleague and right hand), Joanne, Angie, Elena, Peter, and many more. And to all my students from my teaching days in Geneva, Zurich, Lucerne, Hong Kong, and Shanghai—I know that you came to my classes, but you all taught me more than you will ever know.

I am enormously grateful to everyone at Transworld who has made this dream a reality: the wonderful Katherine Cowdrey who helped obtain all our beautiful images and more, Milly Reid, Hannah Winter, Richard Mason, Holly McElroy, Barbara Thompson, Katrina Whone, Phil Lord, Bobby Birchall, and Irene Martinez. And, above all, Susanna Wadeson, the best editor I could ever have hoped for, whose brilliance, kindness, experience, and understanding kept me excited, focused, and sane. Thanks as well to my American editor, Susanna Porter, her assistant Anusha Khan, and the terrific team at Ballantine.

A special thanks to my agent, Adam Gauntlett, who came to me with the idea of Precious, and persuaded me into this exciting project.

To my great friends who have been there at the right time, with various forms of help and encouragement, humor, food, and photocopies: Andrew, Anthea, Duncan, Genevieve, Nadine and James, Parthiv, Philip, Pedro, Ralph, Wyndham, and my very dear friend Stéphanie. I am especially grateful to Charles and Angela and all my friends at Rousham for the many happy summer hours spent writing there.

But most of all I want to thank my parents, who put me up and put up with me through several intense months of working and reworking drafts back home. They allowed me to babble and brainstorm about bling incessantly, proofread every version of every chapter, and let me bore them senseless with minutiae without ever showing it. Instead, they offered constant encouragement, as they have always done. None of this could have happened without them. And lastly (and least), to Dudu dog, who kept me entertained and distracted just when I needed it most.