The Jerusalem Diamond

By Noah Gordon

Book Overview

A man travels to Israel to uncover a diamond's remarkable past in this vivid historical saga from the New York Times-bestselling author of The Physician.

A diamond cutter and seller from a long, respected line of precious-gem dealers, New Yorker Harry Hopeman is intrigued by the story of the so-called "Jerusalem Diamond," a magnificent yellow jewel rumored to date back to the biblical time of King Solomon. So when he's asked to broker a deal that will return the legendary gemstone to Israel, he eagerly accepts.

Arriving in the volatile Middle East, Hopeman soon discovers that his assignment will be anything but easy. Representatives of the Holy Land's three major religions--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam--are all laying claim to the priceless jewel that once adorned the miter of Pope Gregory, and they will do anything to possess it.

Partnering with Israeli government agent Tamar Strauss--a beautiful and courageous Yemenite war widow who inspires the visiting American's passion as well as his respect--Hopeman is soon entangled in a web of mystery and intrigue that crosses continents and stretches back thousands of years. As the duo follows the twisting travels of the gem and the bloody conflicts it has ignited throughout its extraordinary past--a history that intertwines with Hopeman's own family saga--the story of a breathtaking land and its people unfolds in all its drama and glory.

International-bestselling author Noah Gordon--whose acclaimed historical novel The Physician was the inspiration for the major motion picture of the same name starring Ben Kingsley-- "has packed a suspense tale with religious, historical and archeological underpinnings, along with fascinating insights into an industry whose conduct is generally shrouded from outside scrutiny" (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0G62RSWRZ
• ISBN13: 9798337202679
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A real gem of a book!

'The Jerusalem Diamond' is a brilliantly written and truly insightful book. The story of the main character's involement with a particular diamond is woven in between flashbacks to the past. This makes the book exciting and historical - combining fact and fiction. A wonderful book.

Not "The Physician"

Harry Hopeman is the main character of "Jerusalem Diamond". Like in other Gordon books, he is a jew. An american jew, very wise, rich, he trades diamonds. His past, or the past of his family is glorious, but even so, it is also misty. In the plot, Hopeman travels to Israel, the jewish nation, to verify the autenticity and, if possible, to buy a historical diamond that arises the interests of the three major religions: christianism, judaism and islamism. Arriving at Jerusalem, Hopeman sees himself pressed by people representing the three religions, that view possession of the diamond as a way to get better over the other two. Hopeman's religious culture is put against his journey in the Land, where people breathe religion mixed with armed fighting; and he gets involved in a love affair with a local woman, widow to an ideal. Despite all these things, he finds a perfect diamond... when what he was looking for was one with a very visible damage. Jerusalem is a precious city to three cultures. And in this city Hopeman finds a diamond... HIS diamond. The plot in the book is very interesting, but the only problem with Noah Gordon's books is that they get pale if compared to his masterpiece, "The physician". In "Jerusalem diamond", the historical chapters seem a little bit undeveloped, and the main plot twists so much that sometimes the reader gets lost. Anyway, a fast book to read, and very pleasant. One won't regret the purchase.