The Master Jeweler: A Novel

by Weina Dai Randel

Overview

From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Night Angels comes the epic story of a brilliant young woman’s dangerous rise to fame in the perilous world of jewelry in 1920s Shanghai—and the power of love and friendship.

Harbin, China, 1925. Fifteen-year-old Anyu Zhang discovers a priceless Fabergé egg in the snow and returns it to the owner, Isaac Mandelburg, a fugitive and former master jeweler for Russia’s imperial palace. In gratitude, he leaves her his address in Shanghai and a promise of hospitality, forever altering her fate.

A dazzling world of jewelry shrouded in secrecy and greed awaits, when later Anyu arrives at Mandelburg’s jewelry shop as an orphan. Single-minded and relentless, Anyu will stop at nothing until she masters the craft of jewelry making. But she soon finds herself entangled in the treacherous underbelly of the city, where violent gangsters stalk the streets, vicious rivals seek to exploit her, and obsessive collectors conspire to destroy the people she loves.

From snow-crowned land to diamond-sparkling showrooms to a pristine island on the brink of war, The Master Jeweler chronicles an exciting journey of a bold prodigy artisan—including her losses and triumphs—in a glamorous yet perilous world of treasure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781662522536
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	06/24/2025
Pages:	351
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Weina Dai Randel is the acclaimed author of five historical novels, including the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Last Rose of Shanghai; Night Angels, long-listed for the Massachusetts Book Awards; and the Empress of Bright Moon duology. She is the winner of the RWA RITA Award, a National Jewish Book Awards finalist, and a two-time Goodreads Choice Awards Best Historical Fiction nominee. Her novels have been translated into seventeen languages, including German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, and Hebrew. Weina was born in China and now lives in Boston with her family. For more information visit weinarandel.com.

Editorial Reviews

Randel brings 1930s Shanghai to vivid life in this fast-paced story of beauty and courage in the face of violence.” —Booklist

“Filled with incandescent prose that matches the luster of the gems being burnished for jewels, this novel will pull readers into Anyu's story…Highly recommended for all readers…” —Historical Novels Review (Editors’ Choice)

“Weina Dai Randel carves out a glittering historical fable as dazzling and dangerous as the enchanted diamond at its heart. On the remote snowy border between China and Russia, fifteen-year-old Anyu collides with a master jeweler and the priceless Fabergé egg in his care, setting into motion a chain of events that will propel her to untold heights and unimaginable dangers. Anyu remakes herself in Shanghai as a jeweler in her own right, but her success is shadowed by three men (a loving mentor, a shadowy gangster, a jealous rival) and three enemies (a secret society, a mad princess with twisted dreams of power, and the rising threat of war). Watching the clever Anyu negotiate her way through bomb-torn streets and gold-dusted workshops alike with nothing more than the skill in her fingers and a mysterious lucky diamond around her neck is a true delight. The Master Jeweler is a real gem!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Briar Club

“The Master Jeweler is Weina Dai Randel’s best book yet. An unforgettable heroine, a relentless plot among the criminal rings of 1920s Shanghai, and prose that shines like a cut gem make this novel impossible to put down.” —Olivia Hawker, bestselling author of October in the Earth

“Once again, Randel brings together cultures and magnifies a slice of history, vividly portraying Shanghai’s competitive jewelry industry and the darkness beneath the glamour. This is an engrossing story about ambition, friendship, betrayal, and overcoming differences to redefine what it means to be a family. It will have you hooked from the beginning!” —Eve J. Chung, USA Today bestselling author of Daughters of Shandong

“I loved this gritty, Dickensian rags-to-riches story! It’s brimming with hope and aspiration. I white-knuckled the pages, rooting for the plucky Anyu as she made her way through the glamour and intrigue of 1930s Shanghai, so reminiscent of the world of Gatsby. Imagine if Charles Dickens and F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a book together. The Master Jeweler has it all—haunting prose, thrilling pace, and richly drawn characters with tender, heart-bursting moments. Randel’s finest work yet!” —Dianna Rostad, USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of You Belong Here Now

“From 1920s Shanghai to 1940s Japanese-occupied Hong Kong, this extraordinary and immersive story of an orphaned girl with a preternatural gift for crafting masterpieces left me holding my breath until the last page. Blending untamed hope and bold female ambition with fascinating little-known details of war, Randel has penned a glittering tale, with writing as dazzling and opulent as the jewels her characters strive to create.” —Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

“The Master Jeweler is a brilliant tale of resistance and courage set against the glittering backdrop of the world of jewelry making and all its lurking dangers. Weina Dai Randel’s meticulous research and vivid storytelling leap off every page, from Harbin to Shanghai to Japanese-occupied Hong Kong, immersing readers in a rich, evocative world. Anyu’s bravery and determination will have you cheering for her with every twist and turn. A masterful novel that sparkles with depth, heart, and unforgettable suspense.” —Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Booklover’s Library

“Weina Dai Randel’s The Master Jeweler is a perfect, glittering, gorgeous jewel of a novel. You will be more than riveted; you will be transported. You will be utterly and wholly consumed. Delicious, decadent, and dripping with detail, this book is historical fiction at its best, at its most powerful and heartbreaking and beautiful, telling the story of one astounding young woman’s ascent in a profession both unspeakably elite and punishingly difficult. It is a stunning tale of yearning, passion, betrayal, and sacrifice, spanning Shanghai’s golden age to the turbulent years of the Japanese occupation and beyond. Reading The Master Jeweler felt like holding a Fabergé egg in my hands; I was in such awe. I absolutely loved it.” —Kristen Loesch, author of The Last Russian Doll

From the Publisher