Offerte per: Brilliant jewelry

As entertaining as it is incisive, Stoned is a raucous journey through the history of human desire for what is rare, and therefore precious. What makes a stone a jewel? What makes a jewel priceless? And why do we covet beautiful things? In this brilliant account of how eight jewels shaped the course of history, jeweler and scientist Aja Raden tells an original and often startling story about our unshakeable addiction to beauty and the darker side of human desire. What moves the world is what moves each of us: desire. Jewelry-which has long served as a stand-in for wealth and power, glamor and success-has birthed cultural movements, launched political dynasties, and started wars. Masterfully weaving together pop science and history, Stoned breaks history into three categories-Want, Take, and Have-and explains what the diamond on your finger has to do with the GI Bill, why green-tinted jewelry has been exalted by so many cultures, why the glass beads that bought Manhattan for the Dutch were initially considered a fair trade, and how the French Revolution started over a coveted necklace.\nStudded with lively personalities and fascinating details, Stoned tells the remarkable story of our abiding desire for the rare and extraordinary.

As entertaining as it is incisive, Stoned is a raucous journey through the history of human desire for what is rare, and therefore precious. What makes a stone a jewel? What makes a jewel priceless? And why do we covet beautiful things? In this brilliant account of how eight jewels shaped the course of history, jeweler and scientist Aja Raden tells an original and often startling story about our unshakeable addiction to beauty and the darker side of human desire. What moves the world is what moves each of us: desire. Jewelry-which has long served as a stand-in for wealth and power, glamor and success-has birthed cultural movements, launched political dynasties, and started wars. Masterfully weaving together pop science and history, Stoned breaks history into three categories-Want, Take, and Have-and explains what the diamond on your finger has to do with the GI Bill, why green-tinted jewelry has been exalted by so many cultures, why the glass beads that bought Manhattan for the Dutch were initially considered a fair trade, and how the French Revolution started over a coveted necklace.\nStudded with lively personalities and fascinating details, Stoned tells the remarkable story of our abiding desire for the rare and extraordinary.

Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian is a brilliant and enigmatic British jewelry appraiser. Seigi Nakata is a young college student. Their worlds are as different as can be, but when a chance encounter leads Seigi to hire Richard to appraise a family heirloom, it sparks a partnership that goes well beyond that one job. Together, the duo investigate jewelry-related cases and solve mysteries, finding the secret messages hidden in the hearts of precious stones - and the hearts of those who possess them.

When Seigi Nakata rescued a handsome young jewelry appraiser from a group of drunken assailants, he got more than he bargained for! The appraiser is Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian, a brilliant and mysterious British jewelry expert. Seigi hires him to appraise a family heirloom...and that is just the beginning. Together, they unlock the secret messages hidden in the hearts of precious stones-and those who possess them.

When Seigi Nakata rescued a handsome young jewelry appraiser from a group of drunken assailants, he got more than he bargained for! The appraiser is Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian, a brilliant and mysterious British jewelry expert. Seigi hires him to appraise a family heirloom...and that is just the beginning. Together, they unlock the secret messages hidden in the hearts of precious stones-and those who possess them.

When Seigi Nakata rescued a handsome young jewelry appraiser from a group of drunken assailants, he got more than he bargained for! The appraiser is Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian, a brilliant and mysterious British jewelry expert. Seigi hires him to appraise a family heirloom...and that is just the beginning. Together, they unlock the secret messages hidden in the hearts of precious stones-and those who possess them.

When Seigi Nakata rescued a handsome young jewelry appraiser from a group of drunken assailants, he got more than he bargained for! The appraiser is Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian, a brilliant and mysterious British jewelry expert. Seigi hires him to appraise a family heirloom...and that is just the beginning. Together, they unlock the secret messages hidden in the hearts of precious stones-and those who possess them.

When Seigi Nakata rescued a handsome young jewelry appraiser from a group of drunken assailants, he got more than he bargained for! The appraiser is Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian, a brilliant and mysterious British jewelry expert. Seigi hires him to appraise a family heirloom...and that is just the beginning. Together, they unlock the secret messages hidden in the hearts of precious stones-and those who possess them.

Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian is a brilliant and enigmatic British jewelry appraiser. Seigi Nakata is a young college student. Their worlds are as different as can be, but when a chance encounter leads Seigi to hire Richard to appraise a family heirloom, it sparks a partnership that goes well beyond that one job. Together, the duo investigate jewelry-related cases and solve mysteries, finding the secret messages hidden in the hearts of precious stones - and the hearts of those who possess them.

When Seigi Nakata rescued a handsome young jewelry appraiser from a group of drunken assailants, he got more than he bargained for! The appraiser is Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian, a brilliant and mysterious British jewelry expert. Seigi hires him to appraise a family heirloom...and that is just the beginning. Together, they unlock the secret messages hidden in the hearts of precious stones-and those who possess them.