Richard W Wise Follow

Richard W. Wise is a Graduate Gemologist and an international gem dealer. The French Blue, a historical novel, is the second of Mr. Wise's four books. The novel won a 2011 International Book Award in Historical Fiction. Set in the 17th-century gem trade, The French Blue (the name of the original 112-carat gem) tells the true backstory of the notorious Hope Diamond and the true-life adventures and loves of the 17th-century gem merchant Jean Baptiste Tavernier, his six voyages to India, and his pursuit of the beautiful Madelaine de Goisse, the daughter of a French courtesan and a Persian king. The book was described as "a fine piece of historical fiction" in a 5-star review by the Midwest Book Review.