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The Duchess and the Jeweller - cover

The Duchess and the Jeweller

Virginia Woolf

Publisher: The Ebook Emporium

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Summary

"He was the richest jeweller in England; but his mind was not on his jewels."

Oliver Bacon has climbed from the gutters of London to the pinnacle of luxury. He is the most powerful jeweller in the world, yet he is haunted by a relentless hunger for something money cannot buy: acceptance into the upper echelons of the aristocracy. When the Duchess of Lambourne arrives at his shop with a desperate secret and a string of questionable pearls, a high-stakes psychological game begins—one where the currency is not just gold, but blood, reputation, and the past.

A Masterclass in Modernist Tension: Virginia Woolf uses her signature psychological insight to peel back the layers of her characters' motivations. Oliver is a man of "checks and balances," constantly weighing his humble origins against his present grandeur. The Duchess is a woman of fading glory, willing to trade her family's legacy for the sake of her gambling debts. Their encounter is a clinical study of how the "new money" of the merchant class collides with the "old status" of a crumbling nobility.

The Glittering Surface of Corruption: Through vivid imagery—from the "shining fish" of the jewels to the "rotting meat" of the Duchess's lies—Woolf explores the rot beneath the polished surface of Mayfair society. The Duchess and the Jeweller is a biting, satirical look at a world where everything is for sale, and the ultimate transaction is the soul itself. It remains one of Woolf's most accessible and provocative explorations of greed and the vanity of human wishes.

Discover the dark side of the diamond. Purchase "The Duchess and the Jeweller" today and witness a clash of titans in the heart of London.
Available since: 01/05/2026.
Print length: 12 pages.

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