Alnwick Castle, ancestral seat of the Earls of Northumberland-the House of Percy-was built as a border fortress against the Scots in the twelfth century, if not earlier. Substantially enlarged in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and remaining in Percy family hands to this day, it stands now as a prime example of robust stone defensive architecture. Much visited and admired for its impressive exterior and interior, this dramatic stronghold and stately home is the setting for one of the most distinguished assemblages of gems in Great Britain still in private hands. The Beverley...

A gloriously illustrated social history of diamond jewelry, told through the stories of the European rulers and socialites who commissioned and wore them.