The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives (Hardcover)

by Cheryl Jarvis (Author)
Key Phrases: dia mond necklace, Tom Van Gundy, Mary Karrh, Mary Osborn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Inspirational . . . The best way to honor the book’s principles is to share your copy with a friend.”—New York Times

“The Necklace is a fascinating journey into thirteen women’s lives. Sweet and touching, it also manages to make you think about what really matters in life.”—Kathie Lee Gifford

“Original and beautifully crafted . . . How this piece of jewelry transformed the lives of the participants is the subject of a highly readable book that is part memoir, part metaphor and all charm.”—Tucson Citizen

“This moving book profiles a remarkable social experiment, where friendships and beliefs are uncovered and found to be just as strong as the stones being passed from neck to neck.”—Redbook

“[A] must-have book . . . The Necklace could as easily have been titled The Sisterhood of the Traveling Diamonds.”—New York Daily News

“A feel-good and thought-provoking book.”—BookPage

“A gem of a story sparkles under The Necklace.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch



From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product Description
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.

Four years ago, in Ventura, California, Jonell McLain saw a diamond necklace in a local jewelry store display window. The necklace aroused desire first, then a provocative question: Why are personal luxuries so plentiful yet accessible to so few? What if we shared what we desired? Several weeks, dozens of phone calls, and a leap of faith later, Jonell bought the necklace with twelve other women, with the goal of sharing it.

Part charm, part metaphor, part mirror, the necklace weaves in and out of each woman’s life, reflecting her past, defining her present, making promises for her future. Lending sparkle in surprising and unexpected ways, the necklace comes to mean something dramatically different to each of the thirteen women.
With vastly dissimilar histories and lives, the women show us how they transcended their individual personalities and politics to join together in an uncommon journey. What started as a quirky social experiment became something far richer and deeper, as the women transformed a symbol of exclusivity into a symbol of inclusiveness. They discovered that sharing the necklace among themselves was only the beginning; The more they shared with others, the more profound this experience–and experiment–became.

Original, resonant, and beautifully told, this book is an inspiring story about a necklace that became greater than the sum of its links, and about thirteen ordinary women who understood the power of possibility, who touched the lives of a community, and who together created one extraordinary experience.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345500717
• ISBN-13: 978-0345500717
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,989 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful True Story!, September 9, 2008

By	Mint910 (USA) - See all my reviews

The Necklace: thirteen women and the experiment that transformed their lives is the true story of a group of women that joined together to purchase and share a beautiful and expensive diamond necklace. For the most part they all realized it was about more then a necklace. It was about a group friendship, sharing experiences and helping one another. The necklace rotated from month to month between the women with exceptions for special events as well.

This was not always an easy experience, the women went through arguments and disagreements about the necklace and how it should be used in several cases. But the necklace really did bring these women together and in the process helped their community.

I really enjoyed this book. I can't help compare it to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book series in the fact that a group of women/girls share an object that brings them closer together. I also liked the idea that women that were almost polar opposites could come together and set aside differences to be part of the group.

For the most part I like how the book worked, featuring one women for each chapter, mini biographies of their lives and how they interacted with the group. I just wish each chapter was written more from each of their points of view more so than quotes sprinkled into a narration about them. I think it would have been more powerful it it all came right from their mouths. I do realize to link all the women together and keep the story moving their had to be a higher narration though.

I really liked Priscilla Van Gundy, who only joined because her husband asked that the women allow her to join when they bought the necklace from him. She didn't want to at first and then eventually realized she should give it a try and had a most wonderful experience. I really liked seeing how all the women knew each other and how they ended up being in the group.

I also was very pleased to see they did more with the necklace than just wear it, they had several fundraising events and also got great joy out of sharing the necklace with people they encountered in their everyday life. The people that got the chance to wear it were so excited and there are even testimonials of their experiences with the necklace!

This is a wonderful feel-good book about women that enhanced each others lives and helped their community in the process. I'm less than half their age but I still enjoyed it and could identify with it.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Necklace, September 18, 2008

By	zibilee "eclectic reader" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews

The story told in The Necklace is both humbling and uplifting. After seeing a very expensive diamond necklace in the window of a local jewelery shop, Jonnell McLain convinces 12 other women to split the cost and share the ownership if it with her. What happens to the group of women and the community that surrounds them is as unexpected as it is interesting. The women are an unlikely bunch ranging from a shopaholic to a motorcycle riding, gun toting girl Friday, a farmer, and an interior designer. At first,the women have little in common other than the ownership of the necklace. Though from very different backgrounds and social classes, they begin to hold meetings once a month. The first meetings are designed to outline sharing guidelines and inconsequentialities such as the name for the necklace, but soon they become planning sessions for fund raisers and a place for the women to muster support for each other. When the community gets wind of the experiment, the diamonds take on a life of their own, and become not only a local conversation piece but a way for the women to share the glamour of the jewels with those who would never normally experience them. From barristas to homeless women, coworkers to brides, the diamonds become a symbol of sharing and goodwill from woman to woman, a sumptuous experience that reaches well beyond the original investors. As expected, sometimes tensions run high in the group and there are misunderstandings, but the women are able to see beyond those experiences and keep the experiment alive. Using the necklace, the women are able to champion social causes and aid many charities, including domestic violence centers, drug rehabilitation programs and specific assistance to the homeless. Among the group, the diamond necklace prompts questions of materialism, consumerism, social responsibility and the collectivism of women's society. The necklace ultimately transcends the boundaries of lavish expenditure and becomes the symbol and mascot for a great group of caring women.

I went into this book with many reservations. How, I asked myself, can anyone believe that in these harsh economic times believe that a diamond necklace can be the answer to some of our biggest problems? When people are losing their houses and can't afford gas or food, you want me to care about diamonds? I fully expected this book to be about privileged women and their proclivities for the high life. And indeed the first few chapters didn't skew my beliefs. In the first sections the women were described as unexceptionally beautiful, reasonably wealthy and of an almost elite social class. Who could really relate with that? I saw the arrangement to purchase the necklace as a one woman's way to have something that was financially unfeasible, using her friends' investments as a monetary platform to reach beyond her grasp and obtain a lavish treat for herself. I was a little angry that I was expected to care about this foolishness, and that this was supposed to be a meaningful book. Then I read on, and discovered that that some of the women in this project were not so wonderfully well off and solvent: some were just scraping by, some were spiritually bereft, and some were lonely. The necklace for them became a way to make friends, something to share in a life that had become overwhelming and complicated. I began to revise my opinion. When the women began to reach out and support social causes, using the necklace to raise great amounts of money for their community, I revised again. But what really made me see the light of this book were the testimonials of random women who were gifted with the wearing of the necklace for hours, or even minutes. They spoke of feeling loved and appreciated, of being part of a group and feeling that their sacrifices in life were recognized by this one small act. Many primped and preened with the diamonds around their neck, but most just displayed a sense of awe that the diamonds had come their way. These women cherished this experience, and it made them feel loved and valued. Now, I don't necessarily think I would feel the same way, or get that thrilled about a string of diamonds around my neck, but obviously these women did. The necklace seemed to have a distinctive excitement surrounding it, and it touched everyone who came in contact with it. Though I find it a little far-fetched that a piece of jewelry can garner this type of reaction from so many people, I don't belittle them for their reaction. On the contrary, maybe in today's world we might all need something to get excited about and connect with. Maybe every community needs an experiment like The Necklace.

This is definitely a good book for book groups, because it seems to engender conversations regarding women and their friendships, and a picture of what women can do when they join together as a group. Although this is a moving read, I found the language to be a little simplistic, and the author's voice lacking in verve and poignancy. It does detract a bit from the story, but not in a way that mars the implications and realities of the book or the experiment. I didn't have much hope for this story initially, but once things started rolling and the author got past what made these women so elite and special, I found a very moving and inspiring story lurking inside these pages.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sharing takes on a whole new meaning, September 13, 2008

By	Kathleen Wagner "*Mitakuye Oyasin or We are A... (SWPA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is not a literary work of art. It is a work of art all the same. Thirteen women whose lives were changed because of what began as a simple leap of faith and what might seem to be a frivolity.

Each woman has a chapter that describes who she was, and who she has become due to her commitment to be more. A commitment that began with the necklace and moved forward because of a strength it ingited within them. An unspoken agreement that came as part a parcel of the investment in a piece of fine jewelry.

As I read through each chapter I was filled more and more with admiration and hope born of this sisterhood. I felt my own part in it simply as a woman who has reached maturity and a certain contentment and wisdom . These women took what they had of that, shared it, and then they soared.

The women who owned Jewelia became more than friends, They became a force. A force for rising above, and for doing good. A force for taking small positive steps and making a big difference. This is a book that women of all ages need to read, share and read again.