David Lelait-Helo

Women and Their Jewels

'The jewels of 15 famous women - including royals, movie stars and other celebrities, such as Marie Antoinette, Elizabeth Taylor and the socialite Barbara Hutton - are the subject of a new book delving into the stories behind these often iconic, sometimes mysterious collections.' The New York Times 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; Joséphine 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 Eugénie 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