Constantin Wild (*1964) comes from a gemstone family: he runs the family enterprise Constantin Wild GmbH & Co. KG, founded in 1847, and represents the fourth generation of that family in doing so.

Wild lets the reader look into his safe and narrates the history of some very special gems. There are episodes from his life as a gemstone merchant, and stories of his family and his home town Idar-Oberstein, Germany’s ‘gemstone metropolis’. The qualified gemmologist tells of experiences involving all aspects of these coveted coloured gems, shows his favourites and explains the fine art of gemstone cutting. And he takes the reader with him on his journeys all over the world, which have but a single goal: that of finding even more beautiful, better and more valuable gemstones.

‘The Value of Colours’ is a very personal (picture) book. The author is an enthusiast, a man whose profession is also his favourite hobby: a man who is ‘wild about gems’.