Ramona’s Reviews > Diving for Starfish: The Jeweler, the Actress, the Heiress, and One of the World's Most Alluring Pieces of Jewelry > Status Update

I was hoping as I get further into the book that there would be a more interesting storyline. It was very repetitive, with name dropping, and hopping around that made the story difficult to follow. A chart at the back with the particulars of Starfish, owner, jeweler, time period, etc would have been very helpful.

Cherie is still digging and making contacts that help her learn about the history of the Starfish, the makers, owners, jewelers, and the world they occupy.

The Eiffel Tower was built then. Avant-garde became prominent, fashion magazines published, Impressionism spread, contemporary music was revolutionized by Ravel and Debussy, as D.H. Lawrence modernized literature living in Paris. Jewelry was sought after by the American robber barons with oilfield and railroad fortunes. Jewelry pieces often went through half-dozen hands of specialists at each stage of production.

De Beers, the world's largest diamond merchant created the legendary slogan "A diamond is forever." "Jewelry carries history in its scent." "Paris - a great world stage for theater - set fashions in dress, art, and pleasure - had a wealthy class of people who paid no taxes and didn't really work - a world of great excesses, frivolity, cultivated taste, luxury, and relaxed morals." The Belle Epoque - 1890-1914.

"A large deposit of amethysts found in Brazil in 1902 lowered their price and flooded the gem market." Amethysts are thought to have metaphysical properties - calming, healing, reduction of grief. I had a ring that I was told held an amethyst, but then another jeweler said it was a blue topaz?! A lapidary helps acquire, cut, polish, and set gemstones.

Vintage jewelry is about equal parts craft, style, history, and romance, not gemstone size. It is a piece of art, typically with a story. The fine jewelry-making period of the 1930s, that spawned the starfish is a bygone era..." - Vivienne Becker, author of "The Impossible Collection of Jewelry" - 2013 interview. Rubies are first mentioned in literature about the Northern Silk Road of China in 200 BC.

In 1917, the wife of Renee Boivin took over the salon and hired Juliette Moutard. They broke away from the Art Deco movement and leaned towards flora and fauna designs. Charles Profilet was the fabricator of the Brooch - 4 inches across with dozens of hinges on the back. Colbert bought the first one for her Academy award night, for "It Happened One Night", which I have seen. MFA bought it in 2019.

They become correspondents even though in her world, a shadow business - talk like that was sensitive or controversial - a grenade - a no-no. Cherie's reporting effort would meet with resistance. Many rumors were afloat about the Starfish - the owners - lost -stolen - imitations. I Google to find out what I can about the true story of the brooch. It is in the Boston Fine Arts Museum at this time.

Cherie had written one of Millicent's biographies, and she also lived in New Mexico- Taos. Here is a whole new world that Cherie had never investigated before. Millicent's own jewelry collection was amazing - hundreds of pieces of silver and turquoise, diamond necklaces, gold pieces she had made herself for friends, Cherie hears from Claudine Seroussi in London - Lucas Rarities- they had purchased the Starfish!

Cherie makes a mistake, she regrets often, by not accepting the offer to hold the "pin". Her "moment with the rich and famous" is over. Returning to see the pin, it is gone, and they are not saying where. Cherie is invited to another salon. Salon Siegelson - Sarah Davis, a staffer liked Cherie's book. They ask Cheri if she is able to contact Millicent Roger's family for more jewelry to sell.