A jeweller's memoirs

"Every successful life has something of a fairy tale about it. But dig deeper into the details and it's clear that behind the myth there is energy, perseverance, intelligence and courage - and also, unfortunately, a few tragedies. Fred Samuel, more than most, lived in a fantastic world full of emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, chalcedonies and tiger eyes. The walls of his magical caves gleamed with precious gemstones. He engraved thousands of rings, wove thousands of bracelets, created and recreated hundreds of necklaces worthy of a queen. He was a magician, creating animals from enamel, topaz, amethyst and gold." Jean Dutourd