Under a Sapphire Sky

by Susannah Bates

Talented Marianne and gregarious Gabby have been friends since college. It feels natural to go into business together, selling Marianne's unique jewelry designs, and their family ties become closer when Marianne falls in love with charismatic stone-dealer, Jay, Gaby's half-brother. But as their company takes off, Gabby's contribution becomes more questionable, and while she remains single, troubled and fragile, Marianne is blossoming at work and in her private life and she is expecting Jay's baby.

Then her ex-boyfriend Paul walks back into her life in search of an engagement ring for his homely new fiancée and sets off a train of events none of them could have imagined. Marianne discovers to her cost that, like the beautiful stones she works with, relationships too can hold fatal hidden flaws and there are unexpected fault-lines in her world. In the tropical heat of southern Sri Lanka, she begins to see that the finest quality often lies buried in unlikely places, and to realize that someone she once easily dismissed might be the only person who can save her...

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Prerna]

Story of conflicting emotions and the choices that one makes in life which can have far reaching effects. At times i felt the story is moving as a monologue, like one person making, remaking opinion about people around. Approving at the same time disapproving them.
It is though set in the fancy glamorous background of jewelry designing also briefly touching on the truth behind the sourcing of those precious stones. I cannot stop myself from researching on Padparadscha :)

[Jaffareadstoo]

Set in the fascinating world of jewellery design, this is the story of the discovery, in Sri Lanka, of a magnificent pink/orange sapphire, known as a padparadscha. Whilst on holiday in Sri Lanka, newly engaged Paul and Sophie enlist the help of a local trader to purchase this unusual stone. On their return to London, Paul commissions his ex fiancée Marianne, a jewellery designer, to design the setting of the stone into a unique engagement ring for Sophie. Although Marianne is in another relationship, Paul finds himself increasingly attracted to his ex - fiancée.
The narrative develops at a quick pace, and though on a superficial level it is the story of a disparate group of people brought together by the significance of a rare gemstone. On a deeper level it is a story about love and loss, and how the choices we make can have far reaching results. Overall, I enjoyed the story, particularly the aspects of jewellery design, and the complexity of gemstones, so much so, I was tempted to investigate padparadscha for myself. They are indeed stunning gemstones.