The French Blue by Richard W. Wise

The very real world traveler and renowned gem dealer Jean-Baptiste Tavernier made six perilous journeys to Persia and India in the seventeenth century in search of fine jewels; his adventures are recounted in The French Blue, a first novel by Richard W. Wise.

On such trips (taken between 1631 and 1669 and often lasting several years), Tavernier encountered an array of colorful characters, from spies, soldiers, courtiers, and aristocrats to sultans, pearl divers, turquoise miners, and courtesans. On his final voyage, Tavernier acquired an enormous one-hundred-and-sixteen-carat diamond, which he brought back to Europe and sold to Louis XIV for a fortune. Called the French Blue for three hundred years, it is now known as the Hope Diamond.

Wise, a goldsmith, gemologist, and international gem dealer who owns an eponymous shop in Lenox, Massachusetts, also is the author of the nonfiction Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Precious Gemstones. With The French Blue, Wise has crafted a fascinating trip back through time for any dedicated armchair traveler.

THE GOODS

The French Blue
By Richard W. Wise
Brunswick House Press