July’s Birthstone Plays Pivotal Role in Author Lynn Franklin’s Second Gemstone Mystery, ‘The Pirate’s Ruby’
July 3rd, 2014
Lynn Franklin and her jeweler grandfather enjoyed a special bond. As a child, she would often accompany him on local buying trips through the grungy streets of Pittsburgh. Franklin vividly remembers how he carried a battered briefcase filled with precious diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires, and how her imagination would run wild, as she searched the shadows for thugs, thieves and spies.
Now a certified gem dealer and author, Franklin’s life-long love for gemstones bubbles over in her new novel, The Pirate’s Ruby, the second in her series of Jeweler's Gemstone Mysteries. The book currently has a five-star rating on Amazon.com.
In the prologue, we learn that the main character, Kimberley West, is a rebellious fifth grader whose family has deep roots in the jewelry business.
Her grandfather was a Swiss jeweler and her aunts are named Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire. Her cousins are named Tiffany, Opal, Amber and Pearl. When challenged by a snotty classmate about why her name is not a gemstone, she clarifies that she’s actually named for the famous Kimberley Mine in South Africa, the “most spectacular formation of diamonds in the world.”
For the next 33 chapters, Kimberley relies on her guile to unravel a mystery that features an ancient ruby amulet worn by a famous pirate, a looming hurricane, a missing child and a crumbling cliff-top.
Always fascinated with gemstone history and lore, Franklin selected ruby, the July birthstone, as the focus of her second book because she finds the mystique surrounding the precious red gem to be among the most interesting.
Fellow author Karen Harbert called The Pirate’s Ruby a “jewel” of a book. Writes Harbert: “The author educates us in her family gemstone background while Kim confronts a childhood nemesis and races to find the real thief and killer before her best friend is charged with the crimes. Kim follows the twisting trail of clues while teaching us the difference between bright, shiny baubles.”
The first book in Franklin’s series, which also chronicles the adventures of Kimberley West, is called the The Blue Diamond. Both books are available on Amazon.com.
Leave a comment