The colours of silk carried from China along the ancient trade routes, bold and rich in one colourway, soft and feline in the other. Silk was the most coveted cargo on the road, worn in the courts of emperors and caliphs, draped on the dancers who performed there, sensuous and alive with movement. Tourmaline, mined from the mountainous regions of Afghanistan and traded for centuries, a chameleon stone often mistaken for ruby, emerald or sapphire.
