Victoria Finlay

The author has travelled the globe in search of the oddities of nature, prized so highly for jewellery and adornment. And why, when we can now manufacture synthetic gems, do jewels still hold such appeal?

On a journey that takes her from Afghanistan to the Australian outback; from China to the saffron harvest in Spain, the author discovers the history of colour. From the efforts of artists and artisans to reproduce the rainbow, to the impact of their work on the world.