Gabriele Burgsmüller was born in Frankfurt/Oder in 1943 and grew up in Bavaria after the war. After training as a sound engineer, she switched to NDR television after a few years as an editorial assistant. From 1974 she worked as a freelancer and author at Radio Bremen. She wrote socio-critical commentaries and feuilletonistic articles for various editorial offices, both for Radio Bremen and for NDR Kiel.
The author follows in the footsteps of the great diamonds through history. Greed, avarice, envy and murder were often the result when it came to the great gems. In her book, Gabriele Burgsmüller describes in detail the fascination that these jewels evoke and the fateful role they often played in the lives of their owners.