Buried Treasure: Masquerade at 40
Image source: bbc.co.uk
This fantastical gold, ruby, mother-of-pearl and moonstone jewel was created by artist and writer Kit Williams for his stunningly illustrated children’s book ‘Masquerade’.
This spring sees the 40th anniversary of the book, which became a national obsession when it was first printed in 1979. As well as a story, the book was an amazing treasure hunt. Containing a series of riddles, when the puzzle was solved it lead the way to the location of the fabulous jewel. It was found buried in an English field - sadly under dubious circumstances - and later sold into a private collection.
The Bedfordshire town of Ampthill, where the treasure was buried, is holding a series of events to mark the anniversary, including, appropriately, a masquerade ball.