The word 'jewel' derives from the Old French word joiel, a word that finds its roots in the words for playing, joy, and enjoyment, proof that jewellery is intimately tied to notions of pleasure and happiness.

For some, it is the pleasure of love, for others, an obsessive passion. For Wallis Simpson, after the throne had passed her by, her jewelled treasures were her solace. As for Maria Callas, the soprano amassed diamonds and rubies to ward off the poverty of her childhood, and to spark the jealousy of a mother she hated.

Barbara Hutton, America's most famous poor little rich girl, went around wearing a tiara, demanding to be called a princess. And they have been the cause of so much drama, Marie-Antoinette, whose diamond necklace identified her and sent her to the guillotine; Joséphine de Beauharnais, who was also embroiled in a necklace affair involving Marie-Antoinette's pearls; Begum Om Habibeh, Miss France 1930, and wife of the Aga Khan, who was robbed of her royal jewellery in the middle of the street.

In this gloriously illustrated book, novelist and jewellery expert David Lelait-Helo stares into the jewellery boxes of these illustrious women to discover their hearts and their minds.

The women featured are:

Ava Gardner
Barbara Hutton
Brooke Astor
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth Taylor
Eugénie de Montijo
Grace Kelly
Helena Rubinstein
Jackie Kennedy
Diana, Princess of Wales
Maria Callas
Marie-Antoinette
Princess Soraya
Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor
Begum Om Habibeh