The true story of thirteen women who took a risk on an expensive diamond necklace and, in the process, changed not only themselves but a community....
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Sep 07, 2008
Lisa
rated it: 
You can read the full review on my blog.
In Cheryl Jarvis' book, The Necklace, Jonell McClain convinces 11 other women to band together with her to bid on a $37,000 diamond tennis necklace. (The 13th - and most reluctant - member is the jeweler's wife.) They hold regular meetings, they set up guidelines for sharing the necklace (everyone gets it for a month), they talk about where the necklace has been and what they've done while wearing it - everything from trips to the gynecologist More...
In Cheryl Jarvis' book, The Necklace, Jonell McClain convinces 11 other women to band together with her to bid on a $37,000 diamond tennis necklace. (The 13th - and most reluctant - member is the jeweler's wife.) They hold regular meetings, they set up guidelines for sharing the necklace (everyone gets it for a month), they talk about where the necklace has been and what they've done while wearing it - everything from trips to the gynecologist More...
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Nov 28, 2008
David
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Well this was different. A woman talks a dozen friends into chipping in for an expensive diamond bracelet, which they then rotate among themselves, each keeping it for a month at a time. They form a social club and eventually a philanthropic and community service group around it. The book devotes a chapter to each woman's background and her reactions to the project. As one of the other reviewers on Goodreads said, the writing is People magazine-ish, cheerleading for the group and making excu
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Nov 06, 2011
Renee
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This book is about 13 women who bought a diamond necklace together so that they could all experience a little bit of luxury in their life. The 14 chapters in the book each visit one of the women that was involved in the experiment, with the final chapter a reflection of how well things worked. The book stated that this was a political experiment, but personally I think that it fits better as a socio-economic experiment. I thought the best part of this book was being able to see how having a diam
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Sep 25, 2008
L
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I came upon this book while browsing the library's new releases. I was curious about the story; 13 women go together in the purchase of very expensive diamond necklace. So I am thinking "Ok, this is like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants for the baby boomer generation." I was also thinking that even at a little over $1,000 per person this is still a pompous think to do. Very much like "The Sisterhood..." this book promises that "the necklace weaves in and out of each
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Sep 29, 2008
Candy
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After the Traveling Pants idea, my friends & I talked about sharing a piece of jewelry- but never quite followed up on it. So I picked up The Necklace to see how it worked. It's a non-fiction account of 13 California women who jointly purchased & shared a $37,000 diamond necklace, in the process transforming the entire group. By elevating the act of sharing, the women added new depth & meaning to their lives in terms of friendship, charity, kindness & a living expression of the maxim "it's
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Oct 12, 2008
Laurie
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Take a $37,000 diamond necklace, one woman with an idea and lots of energy, and a commitment of twelve others--and you have a unique story. Each woman who buys a share of the necklace, called 'Jewelia', (and they didn't pay full price), does it for different reasons and is affected in different ways. The women of Jewelia as a group have a profound influence on the community of Ventura, California, as they use the necklace for fundraisers, to boost self-esteem, share it for weddings and share i
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Jan 05, 2009
Anna
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This would have worked better as a piece in a magazine that I never came across.
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Sep 26, 2011
Author Groupie
rated it:
While searching for Cheryl Jarvis' The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives in the library, I was surprised to find myself in the non-fiction aisle. The title conjured memories of reading Guy de Maupassant's short story, "The Necklace." Interestingly enough, though, having finished Jarvis' The Necklace, the two works together spark a thoughtful comparison of themes while encompassing two opposing genres.
A literary sap when it comes to More...
A literary sap when it comes to More...
Feb 08, 2011
Helen
rated it:
When Jonell Richardson McLain falls in love with a diamond necklace far outside her price range, she gets the brilliant idea to gather a group of women who, with combined purchasing power, can share the $32,000 necklace. That she could gather thirteen women, all willing to commit to the project is amazing, but she was able to cut a deal with the owner of the jewelry store if she included his wife in the group.
At their first meeting they hadn’t even decided how they would share the ne More...
At their first meeting they hadn’t even decided how they would share the ne More...
Feb 07, 2011
Nesa
rated it:
As we walk through life there are things which we will fall in love with and be able to afford. There will also be things we will fall head over heels in love with and know that we’ll never be able to afford. What do we do then? Here is a tale that offers one possibility.
Imagine that you are walking down the street one day and you pass a jeweller’s store. It’s a route you’ve walked many times. As always you pause to have a look. There in the window is the most beautiful diamond necklac More...
Imagine that you are walking down the street one day and you pass a jeweller’s store. It’s a route you’ve walked many times. As always you pause to have a look. There in the window is the most beautiful diamond necklac More...
Jan 23, 2011
Megan
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Oh...this book. It was just so cheesy to me. I mean, the premise itself is a little flimsy---13 women sharing a diamond necklace, and wonderful transformations occur. I was suprised to hear their story got all the way to the Today show. It's an interesting idea...but come on, worthy of a national show?! But I held out some hope for it. Basically, each chapter introduces each woman & her experience with the necklace. Since there are 13 women, you get to know one, then you move on the next. You ba
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Jun 17, 2010
Elizabeth
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the premise of this book interested me when i saw it at the bookstore a while back.
one woman, jonell, finds a beautiful diamond necklace worht over $22k. she happens upon the necklace in an upscale jewelry store while on her lunch break, but she can't stop thinking about it.
she knows she can't afford it on her own, so she devises the idea that if several women shared the necklace, everyone could benefit from its divineness.
she finds twelve other women to sh More...
one woman, jonell, finds a beautiful diamond necklace worht over $22k. she happens upon the necklace in an upscale jewelry store while on her lunch break, but she can't stop thinking about it.
she knows she can't afford it on her own, so she devises the idea that if several women shared the necklace, everyone could benefit from its divineness.
she finds twelve other women to sh More...
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Nov 18, 2009
Jill
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This was definitely a girl power book, so it was a bit much for me. There were a few funny parts - nothing as charming as the YaYa Sisterhood Books, but then again this was a true story, with some definite embellishments thrown in. Even though the book was written by an accomplished journalist who was written for the WSJ, I felt some of the storytelling was forced and trite, like those trashy novel excerpts they put in women's magazines, with specific details about what one person was listening
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Aug 03, 2009
Heather
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I found this to be a creative, fascinating experiment and was curious about the women who would be willing to fork over more than $1000 a piece to buy a necklace they had to share. These women formed a club around the necklace, getting together each month to discuss everything from insurance issues to sharing rules. They even went as far to bestow upon the necklace a quirky name, Jewelia, and would discuss in depth the different places the necklace was worn during the last month. At times I had
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May 28, 2009
Angela
rated it:
This is a great story of how 13 women from various walks of life came together to purchase an exquisite diamond necklace, to share amongst themselves. The author interviews several of the women, getting their histories and what they did when it was their turn to have the necklace.
An interesting concept that turned out a lot differently than Jonell, the person who originally saw the necklace, thought.
I found the read to be quite enjoyable, the concept something that I don't k More...
An interesting concept that turned out a lot differently than Jonell, the person who originally saw the necklace, thought.
I found the read to be quite enjoyable, the concept something that I don't k More...
Jan 30, 2009
Patty
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I don't know if "transformed" is the correct word for the what happened to the thirteen women who went in together, to bid on, and buy a $37,000 diamond necklace. The women were all from the Ventura, Calif. area. (that is a telling fact) Many didn't know each other, others had known each other since high school. Some were naturally social while others didn't have any women friends.
We all know that thirteen women will have thirteen different personalitie, interests, poli More...
We all know that thirteen women will have thirteen different personalitie, interests, poli More...
Nov 09, 2011
Annette
rated it:
I'm giving it an extra star because it is non-fiction. It's "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" -- except instead of teen girls, it's adult women, and instead of pants, it's a diamond necklace, and instead of fiction, it's a true story. It's jewelry time-share.
Interesting social experiment, I suppose. I don't know why but I found it annoying. I found the idea annoying. I found the people annoying. Maybe it would have floated as a great idea in the greedy 80s, but liv More...
Interesting social experiment, I suppose. I don't know why but I found it annoying. I found the idea annoying. I found the people annoying. Maybe it would have floated as a great idea in the greedy 80s, but liv More...
Jul 11, 2011
Juliette
rated it:
Non-fiction story about 13 women who buy a $30,000ish diamond tennis necklace together.
Sounds a little snooty doesn't it?
In reality, it really wasn't. I was expecting to roll my eyes at the frivolity of the idea, but it turned out to be so much more. This book can be enjoyed on several levels (and I wish I had the book with me, because there is a review that I would quote because it says essentially the same thing), you can enjoy it on the base level of the adventures of the neck More...
Sounds a little snooty doesn't it?
In reality, it really wasn't. I was expecting to roll my eyes at the frivolity of the idea, but it turned out to be so much more. This book can be enjoyed on several levels (and I wish I had the book with me, because there is a review that I would quote because it says essentially the same thing), you can enjoy it on the base level of the adventures of the neck More...
Feb 21, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
It was an okay read. Not very interesting to me, actually. The story had merit, but the way the book was written was kind of choppy and confusing. I wished it was done more of a timeline instead. What really bothered me was that each chapter was titled after each of the women that were involved, however, some chapters barely mentioned the person the chapter was titled after. Instead, she talked more about the other women and barely mentioned the one featured in the title. While other chapt
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Jan 24, 2012
Maren
rated it:
The dust jacket made it sound like this group of women sharing a diamond necklace managed to make something meaningful out of what everyone expected to be materialistic. They did do some meaningful things, but I felt like it wasn't because of the necklace or in spite of the necklace. They were just a bunch of women doing stuff (admittedly some of it really great stuff) with a necklace. I think the only role the necklace played was to commit the women to being part of this group. Pay $1200 du
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Oct 27, 2011
Jackie
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Jonell McLain, a Ventura, CA. real estate agent, decides to 'gift' herself a piece of jewelry for selling a house. She walks into Van Gundy & Sons Jewelry Store and sees a dazzling, exquisite $37,000 dianmond tennis necklace. Wouldn't it be fun, she thought, if she could get other women to buy the necklace with her...as an investment (maybe) and each them have a share in its ownership.
She actually finds 12 other women to share the $1200 pricetag (she negotiated the price down at the More...
She actually finds 12 other women to share the $1200 pricetag (she negotiated the price down at the More...
May 12, 2010
Kristine
rated it:
Whoa. When I realized that my library book group was going to read The Necklace, my mind flashed immediately to the potent classic by Guy de Maupassant, not the intended currently-popular book by Cheryl Jarvis about an obscenely expensive diamond necklace shared by a group of women in Ventura, California. Unfortunately, my momentary mistake, combined with my defective (or, more accurately, totally missing) diamond-jewelry-appreciation gene, has disqualified me from being able to be objective a
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May 14, 2009
Elizabeth
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This was an interesting read, though certainly not a classic of any sort, but it was an honest glimpse at the thoughts, hopes, and fears of several intelligent, vibrant middle-aged women (from their forties to their sixties, I believe) who went together with $1200 each to purchase an exquisite, simple diamond necklace that had been reduced in price from $37,000. The book spends a chapter on each woman, telling about their motives for participating (many will surprise you), their experience inter
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Apr 03, 2009
Kelly
rated it:
I was perusing books and came across this one which sounded interesting so that is why I chose it. I liked learning about the women who chose to share the cost of a $15,000 diamond necklace (original priced at $37,000- I'll let you read how it became so discounted) and about how they chose to take turns sharing it and how this sharing turned them into friends. I don't think the book was exceptionally written. In fact, I found it a bit preachy at times, but I loved the concept of sharing in the j
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Oct 04, 2011
Meredith
rated it:
The basic focus of the story is on 13 different women with differing lives, socioeconomic status, political affiliations and beliefs who pooled together to purchase a $37,000 diamond necklace, but who ended up changing their own lives instead. Fueled by the vision and inspiration of Jonell McLain, these women created not only a revolutionary idea but even more importantly a sisterhood and support group. Throughout the book, it was amazing to me to see how much women need women in order to main
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Jun 10, 2009
Kiwiflora
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Jewelia is the name of the necklace in this book, named after Julia Child, heroine to many. This alone made me snigger into my cup of tea. A true story, the premise behind the book is rather nice I think, a group of women in a Californian city band together to purhcase a beautiful diamond necklace that each has for a month each to wear or lend out or whatever they want to do with it before passing it onto the next person. Much like a book club I guess. Each chapter focuses on a different woman
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Mar 22, 2011
Abigail
rated it:
It was a cute story, and I probably would have rated it higher had it not taken itself so seriously (I just couldn't get past the claim that this necklace was a "social experiment" that "changed the women's lives" No, sorry - choosing to form/be part of the group might have changed their lives, and maybe getting exposed to other opinions and points of view through that group; but it wasn't the necklace). Also, it read like a 100+ page "People" article instead of a
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Dec 18, 2010
I give this one 0 stars. Seriously the worst book I have ever read! Most of the women are either shallow, immature or selfish. The womens DD's seem to be as well. I would not share a necklace with 13 women that have sex while wearing it. I would not invite my OB/GYN to join the group during my pap. I would be appalled if my DD whined about other girls wearing it during their wedding because it should only be worn by DD's of the groups members. One character claims she has no REAL jewelry althoug
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Jun 23, 2010
Terri
rated it:
The first half of this book was compelling. I liked the idea that a group of women would purchase an item that they wouldn't purchase individually. The stories of the various women were insightful. Many were at crossroads. One woman was feeling isolated while grieving for her sister. Another was unhappy with her weight and the lack of intimacy in her marriage. Another was overwhelmed with taking care of her aging mother and her ill husband while another was going through a divorce. There w
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Sep 04, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
I have finally finished this book and hate to say it, but I almost nearly didn't. This is the story of 13 women who go in together to buy a diamond necklace none of them could've owned on her own. They formed a group and worked out a schedule of when they got to have the necklace to wear. It was interesting to learn about each of the women and how the necklace began to change their lives in ways none of them envisioned when they bought it, but after awhile it seemed a little repetitive. I th
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