You know which exhibit has the longest line at the Smithsonian for Natural History? It isn’t the T-Rex. No, sir. It’s the rocks, baby. Ice, bling, call them whatever you want, the jewels are the biggest draw and it isn’t just the ladies who are queuing up to gape at the Hope diamond. The fellas are there too, drawn in by the flash and status of those sparkly bits.
I’m just as much a sucker for those shiny, pretty things as the next girl. In writing my current release, The Naked Detective, I knew that something would be stolen and my hero and heroine would be tasked with getting it back again. The stakes needed to be high, but it had to be something that could be hidden just about anywhere.
The answer was obvious. Diamonds, darling. But diamonds are everywhere these days, aren’t they? Manufactured, even. What’s even more rare? Ah, rubies. And not just any ruby, but an invaluable heirloom necklace.
In the name of research, I poured over photos of gajillion dollar baubles. (The things we must suffer for our art, eh?) And I found this pretty little number. The Heart of the Kingdom necklace. This real necklace retails in the range of 14 million, but I wanted the kind of dollar amounts that would make major governments sit up and take notice, so I beefed up the karats to fictional levels and adjusted the price tag to match.
But still, something was missing. Sentimental value. That one thing that makes an expensive necklace into a truly irreplaceable treasure.
I know when most people think diamonds, they probably think of Marilyn Monroe, but for me it’s always been Grace Kelly. I can’t help thinking of her in To Catch a Thief, teasing Cary Grant – a known jewel thief in the film – by stroking the necklace at her throat and murmuring throatily about the temptation of diamonds when we all know it isn’t the necklace she’s offering him. God, I love that scene.
So I decided, in honor of Princess Grace, my priceless necklace would be hers, stolen from the Royal Family of Monaco. I called it the Heart of Monaco, had my bad guys steal it, and sent my psychic finder Ciara and a hunky member of the FBI’s Jewelry and Gemstone division after it. (Did you know the FBI had a JAG group? How cool is that?)
Of course, since it’s a Karmic Consultant novella, chaos, hilarity and romance ensue. Ciara & Nate’s story is on sale today and will hopefully bring readers a few treasured laughs along with dreams of the sparkly variety.
Do you have a favorite famous jewel? Are you a diamond lover or does ice leave you cold? Have you ever stood in line to look at Royal Jewels (not those kind, jeez) or expensive gem exhibits?
~Vivi Andrews
www.viviandrews.com
While I’m more of a sedimentary rock kinda girl myself (cross strata and fossils, anyone?), my favorite gemstone has always been the Star of India. It is the only gemstone at NYC’s Museum of Natural History that, as a child and adult, I found as equally fascinating as the 30-ton meteorites outside the hall of gems. It reflects a near perfect asterism, and while not exactly a multi-million dollar rock, has an interesting burglary story of its own.
In the 1960s, the Star of India was among three gems stolen from the Museum, and because the battery on the alarm had died, none was triggered. The thief, a famous surfer, was caught and sentenced to three years in prison. However, the Star of India was not insured by the museum (having been donated by JP Morgan), so the museum was at a loss. Several of the gems were never seen again, but the Star of India reappeared in a Miami bus station locker some months later.
(Thanks, Wikipedia!)
Oh, I love a good heist story. Thanks for the dirt on the Star of India, Renee. A surfer/burglar, you say? Very interesting.