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Jewelry In The Book 'Stoned' By Aja Raden

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Jewelry has always sparked the imagination and fancy of people. A new book by Aja Raden called “Stoned” explores several noteworthy pieces that have, quite literally, changed the world. Each of them has a story to tell. Here are a few to get your imagination going.

Mary's Diamond

The New York Post noted that Mary's Diamond could be the very reason diamonds hold such a high place in human regard. Princess Mary of Burgundy is the first person to ever receive an engagement ring and it is by her example that diamond company De Beers, 3 centuries after Mary's time, spun the spectacle into a global phenomenon.

Mary's diamond is an M-shaped ring with diamonds all around. It was presented to her by the Archduke Maximillian who would later become the Holy Roman Emperor. The ring, apparently, was made to impress Mary's father using the latest …show more content…

Ayer and Son to make sure this love story would capture the hearts and wallets of couples from all over. With a tag line “a diamond is forever,” De Beers' monopoly of the not-so-rare diamond was sealed.

Elizabeth's Pearl

La Peregrina or “The Wanderer” is arguably the world's most famous pearl. It was once owned by Elizabeth Taylor as a Valentine's gift from Richard Burton. Raden describes it as a “perfectly pear shaped natural white pearl.”

La Peregrina, however, used to be the stuff of war. Previously owned by Mary of England as a gift from King Philip of Spain to make her agree to marry him, it projected a message of wealth, power, and global dominance.

When Mary the virgin queen died, Philip quickly proposed to her despised younger sister Elizabeth I. She refused the marriage but wanted La Peregrina, something which Philip naturally did not give. When this happened, pirates pillaged Spanish ships and Elizabeth turned a blind eye. Infuriated, Philip sent the Spanish Armada to take England. The fall of the Spanish navy ushered in England's Golden Age.

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