About the event:

Jewelry historian, gemologist, and author Anna Rasche shares an inside look at her research into medieval lore and gemstones, research that inspired her debut novel about a magical healer in  14th century Florence! Anna will share stories of her journey through New York City’s libraries and museums and centuries-old sites in Italy where she unearthed manuscripts and artifacts the later became part of the novel. Join us for a magical evening!

About The Stone Witch of Florence:
1348. As the Black Plague ravages Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile. Ginevra has a gift—harnessing the hidden powers of gemstones, she can heal the sick. But when word spread of her unusual abilities, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now, the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return.

Ginevra obliges, assuming the city’s leaders are finally ready to accept her unorthodox cures amid a pandemic. But upon arrival, she is tasked with a much different mission: she must use her collection of jewels to track down a ruthless thief who is ransacking Florence’s churches for priceless relics—the city’s only hope for protection. If she succeeds, she’ll be a recognized physician and never accused of witchcraft again.

But as her investigation progresses, Ginevra discovers she’s merely a pawn in a much larger scheme than the one she’s been hired to solve. And the dangerous men behind this conspiracy won’t think twice about killing a stone witch to get what they want…

About Anna Rasche:
Anna Rasche is an author, gemologist, and jewelry historian who has previously worked in the jewelry collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as for many private dealers and individuals in New York City’s diamond district. When she is not writing or evaluating old jewelry, Anna develops cultural programming dedicated to presenting history in a manner accessible to all. She has collaborated with the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Historical Society, New York City Jewelry Week, and quite a number of very fun bars. More formally, she teaches jewelry history at the graduate level at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Originally from Maine, she currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband, baby daughter, and two cats that look exactly the same. For more information, visit www.annarasche.com!

Attendees will receive a link to join the webinar after completing the registration.