Discover the fragile emerald watch that survived cross-continental journeys and centuries under the floorboards of a London house, uncovered in 1912 by workmen who might have destroyed it with one wrong placement of a pick axe. Unearth the immense ritualistic significance of jade to ancient cultures across China, Central America and the Pacific, where it has been considered a symbol of life and a bridge to the afterlife for thousands of years. Learn of the Burmese warriors who believed so strongly in the connection between rubies and lifeblood that they embedded them into their skin before battle to protect them from harm. Journey back through the generations of women who wore pearls as a signifier of femininity and marvel at the role these glistening objects have played in changing depictions of feminism - from Marie Antoinette to Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor to Coco Chanel.