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The individual stories collected and retold here are stories about beautiful things and the men and women who desired them. They are stories of need and possession, longing and greed. But Stoned is more than a book about pretty things. It's an attempt to understand history through the lens of desire, and a look at the surprising consequences of the economics of scarcity and demand. Stoned is about the rippling effect that a rare and coveted piece of jewelry can have over the course of an individual lifetime and over the course of history. Pieces of jewelry have spawned cultural movements, launched political dynasties, and even started wars, or at least, been major contributing causes of political and military conflict.
