Author: Tali Nay

Publisher: Tali Nay

ISBN: 978-0-9914986-5-9

                                                A Story About Jewels and Jewellery

The title of this book is very appropriate. It is a saga of the effect of jewels and jewellery on the author’s life and being.

Tali Nay has rewritten the rules for writing a memoir. In her first book, Schooled, she described the effects of all the ways her schooling had made its imprint on her life. In Jeweled, she attempts the same exercise around the theme of precious stones, recounting in detail, all that they have meant to her.

That which makes this style of writing, stand out from the crowd is the non chronological nature of the material. Tali starts by ruminating on the consequences of an impulsive buy of a ring at Tiffany’s, instead of a bracelet which she fancied more and could have afforded. She mentions the various pieces of jewellery which she has either purchased or been gifted with. She recounts the circumstances associated with them, especially the memories of the people who gave her those gifts of jewellery, prominent among them being her father and her Aunt Leah. She talks of the time she spent as a saleswoman at Carlton’s, the local jewellery store, with affectionate nostalgia, and her adventures while working there, her respect and admiration for the proprietor, Steve and her coworkers there, naming them by name. She mentions the rings bought in the family, when her brothers were getting married, and also the story of the ring that her mother was given at her wedding. She talks of her interest in gemmology and the reason why she is taking that particular course. In particular, she reveals her interest in diamonds, her birthstone and many of the incidents connected with them.

Most people would relate easily to the material in “Schooled” since the memories that schooling evokes are usually so very strong. Jewellery, on the other hand, and jewels, especially diamonds, are a very different matter, thus making this book, harder to relate to, for many readers on a personal level (this applies to myself). It affects the book’s readability, which should be high, at least for jewellery enthusiasts. For most people, though, jewellery is a dream commodity, totally impractical for day- to--day living. Yet, for even the most die hard anti- jewellery enthusiasts, this book could be useful, for the pure passion that it propagates as Tali describes her longing for a particular piece of jewellery, is contagious. This book reminds me of a song by the Indian poet- laureate Rabindranath Tagore,

“Whatever you may say, I want a golden deer”

For Tali, the allure of jewellery, in particular, diamonds is a primal attraction, and it is that energy that exudes from this book. Personally, I found it a fun read, as long as I restricted myself to two chapters at each sitting. Do not speed read this book, you will miss out on the juice.

Warmly recommended.