JEWELS: Hope Adams - Adèle Geras
Welcome to the first in a series of guest posts where some of your favourite writers share the secrets behind their most precious jewels and news about their latest books.
Today I'm delighted to welcome Hope Adams, aka Adèle Geras, and the story behind a very beautiful ring ...
My late husband and I were married in August 1967, but earlier that year, we went looking for an engagement ring. We went to an Antiques Supermarket which was underground on Oxford Street somewhere. I remember a huge cavernous space with stalls everywhere. I particularly wanted an antique ring and had a good idea of the kind of thing I was looking for. Norm knew nothing about jewellery and was just there for the ride, really. And to pay, of course. He was a PhD student in those days and money was tight. I was an out -of -work actress, and living on what used to be called the Dole, back in the day.
We wandered round l the stalls. I found the most beautiful ring ever quite quickly. It was a Victorian half -hoop of opals. I fell in love at once. The stall was run by a Polish man who was skeletally thin and very handsome and who also seemed quite old. He had shaky hands, covered with a network of prominent blue veins. I asked the price of the ring and it was far, far more than we could afford. So I said, "Well, opals are supposed to be bad luck for anyone who doesn't have them as a birthstone." I was consoling myself. The stall holder smiled and looked more like a handsome skull than ever. He said, "Well, I have known many, many people who have had terrible luck in their lives.....and no opals!"
We laughed and moved on to another stall. There, I found a very pretty ring: a half-hoop of moonstones, which I loved at once and which was also affordable. The only problem with it was: the claws that held the stones turned out to be weak, and I had to stop wearing the ring for ages and ages. I didn't dare risk the loss of the stones. One of them fell out anyway and I happened to spot its loss and find it on the carpet. That was it. I put the ring in a box and hid it away from about 1972 till 2001.
In 2001, I got a big advance for my first two adult novels. The first thing I did with the money was reset the ring from scratch. The moonstones were now in a modern gold setting. The claws disappeared and all was well....or so I thought. Then, in about 2005 or so, one of the stones fell out and I never found it. I was annoyed. I thought a modern ring would be more secure. So I put it away again, till quite recently.
Last year, I went to a tea party where a very talented young jeweller called Ellen Monaghan was displaying some of her wares. I took along my ring without holding out much hope but when I asked her if she could find me a new stone to replace the old moonstone that had fallen out, she agreed to do that and she found me a really wonderful, flawless gem and set it into the old space where you'd think it had always been. I was thrilled to bits and now keep it very safe. I wear it whenever I go out, but at home, it stays in its velvet box. I never wash up in it, or even keep it on when I'm washing my hands.
I think it's lived in a box for many many more months than it has been on my finger, but I love it and I like knowing that it's there and is now in a state of completeness that it hasn't known for most of its life with me.
I still feel nervous about opals. My mother-in-law gave me a brooch set with five of the milky stones, with red and blue fire at their heart and I remember the Polish man's wise words, but still....I don't wear that brooch. Superstitious? Moi? I guess I must be...
London, 1841.
The Rajah sails for Australia.
On board are 180 women convicted of petty crimes.
Daughters, sisters, mothers - they'll never see home or family again. Despised and damned, they have only one another.
Until the murder.
As the fearful hunt for a killer begins, everyone on board is a suspect . . .
Based on a real-life voyage, Dangerous Women is a sweeping tale of confinement, hope and the terrible things we do to survive.
______
'A fabulous book. The characters keep you entranced . . . I loved it Dinah Jefferies
'An intriguing murder-mystery, skilfully written and bursting with colour and life' Lucy Atkins, author of Magpie Lane
'Dazzling. A captivating story filled with intrigue and dark secrets. An immensely satisfying tale of guilt, innocent and second chances' Emma Rous, author of The Au Pair
'A fabulous, page-turning novel that kept me gripped. It's impossible not to become engaged with these women' Jane Harris, author of The Observations
'This is a locked room mystery to end all locked room mysteries!' Sophie Bennett, author of The Windsor Knot
The Rajah sails for Australia.
On board are 180 women convicted of petty crimes.
Daughters, sisters, mothers - they'll never see home or family again. Despised and damned, they have only one another.
Until the murder.
As the fearful hunt for a killer begins, everyone on board is a suspect . . .
Based on a real-life voyage, Dangerous Women is a sweeping tale of confinement, hope and the terrible things we do to survive.
______
'A fabulous book. The characters keep you entranced . . . I loved it Dinah Jefferies
'An intriguing murder-mystery, skilfully written and bursting with colour and life' Lucy Atkins, author of Magpie Lane
'Dazzling. A captivating story filled with intrigue and dark secrets. An immensely satisfying tale of guilt, innocent and second chances' Emma Rous, author of The Au Pair
'A fabulous, page-turning novel that kept me gripped. It's impossible not to become engaged with these women' Jane Harris, author of The Observations
'This is a locked room mystery to end all locked room mysteries!' Sophie Bennett, author of The Windsor Knot
You can find out more about Adele here and follow her @adelegeras Dangerous Women is available to pre-order now.
