Car Boot Diamond

By Debra Goddard

This book is about a true story of heartache. Betrayal in the worst possible way. A young girl to an adult woman's disrespect for her mother because of being put in care. Lessons that had to be learnt the hard way. Of true love for her mum which came through more heartache, her mum losing her life savings, family and health, more than anyone could deal with.

The author and her family did deal with it and discovered true love before it was too late. Only then did they discover a diamond after having it in her possession for over 32 years, bought for only 10 and sold for over 540,000. A 26.27-carat diamond. A diamond that went on to sell at Sotheby's top lot. A real-life Only Fools and Horses story. A true fairytale gift of fate and karma, but most of all, love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781528962070

Debra Goddard

The author of this book is a lady that comes from a background of violence and self anger. She has given an honest account of her life growing up, her relationship with her mother and her family. She is someone that has always cared about young people with problems because of her life and empathy for feelings of loneliness. This author tells of lessons learnt the hard way and finding love and inner peace. Fate, karma and a unbelievable gift.

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About the Author

Debra Goddard comes from a background of violence and self-loathing. She gives an honest account of her life growing up, her relationship with her mother and with her family. She is someone who has always cared about young people facing challenges due to her own experiences and empathy for those who feel loneliness. This author describes lessons learnt the hard way, finding love and inner peace. Fate, karma and an unbelievable gift – a stone that was bought for £10 over 30 years ago that turned out to be a rare, valuable diamond.

Supporting End Youth Homelessness

Some of the proceeds of the sale of this book will go to supporting:

Charity Number 292411

End Youth Homelessness is a UK-wide network of local charities that have joined forces to tackle youth homelessness together. It provides a national platform to raise awareness, share experience and generate voluntary income.

The funds we raise help our members to increase capacity, services and sustainability in extremely challenging times. Our member charities house and support over 30,000 young people facing homelessness.

Dedication

To Lee, my mum, family and friends, and especially all the teenagers over the years who have touched my heart.

Copyright Information

Copyright © Debra Goddard (2019)

The right of Debra Goddard to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528917827 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781528917834 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781528917841 (Kindle e-book)

ISBN 9781528962070 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2019)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5LQ

Acknowledgements

First of all, a big thanks to the jeweller who was so honest and told me that I had a diamond – a very honest man indeed. I would like to acknowledge the missing people that gave me a chance to do volunteer work, which began to help me heal emotionally. I also want to acknowledge all the young people who came into my life and gave me the gift of kind words and love at different times over the years; it really has touched my heart. My good friends who have been there for me in the bad times and the good. For my cousins who were a constant throughout my life. My family, for forgiving me. My nan; I wish she was still here to share in our good fortune. I do not thank the ‘rat’ family because what they did was disgusting, but without them, being the ‘rats’ they are, I would never have found the deep love that I have for my mum now. Every cloud has a silver lining and you need to find the light in the darkness. Mum, for helping me lose my attitude of disrespect and replacing it with joy and love. I am proud of you, Mum. Last, but not the least, my partner for being emotionally supportive throughout a time of heartache and drama, for seeing something in me that few people have, for showing me how to love and have fun. I couldn’t have made it without you.

Preface

This is my story. It is a story involving, what I believed to be, a piece of costume jewellery that I bought for £10 at a car boot sale over 30 years ago. One day, I noticed how the stone caught the light, and out of curiosity, took it to a jeweller for an appraisal. I was astonished to discover that the stone I kept in a tarnished silver box for all those years, was a rare diamond, too big for the jeweller to measure himself. The diamond became known as ‘The Car Boot Diamond’, and it sold at Sotheby’s for a staggering £540,000 hammer price.

The story broke internationally, in newspapers, magazines and television. ‘The Car Boot Diamond’ featured on just about every news channel, including News at Ten, BBC, CNN and many more. It was on every radio station. The story went viral within 15 minutes. If you Google ‘Car Boot Diamond’, there are at least 22 pages about it. There are over 190,000 hits on YouTube’s official site (at the time of writing this book) as well as several thousand on other sites. It was completely overwhelming, but at that time, I chose to remain anonymous to protect myself and my family.

You may be wondering why I have finally decided to come forward and write a book about my experiences. This book is not just about ‘The Car Boot Diamond’; It is also a story about my life before the diamond was discovered. A real- life, ‘Only Fools and Horses’ story. This is a story of years of heartache and severe incidences of domestic violence. It is about the relationship between me, my family and my mum. This story is about betrayal, but most importantly, it is a story about finding true love and happiness. Discovering that I possessed something so valuable was amazing, especially given the length of time I had it, but also, because it only revealed itself to us as a family when we found love. I am not sure if it was fate or unbelievable luck that this 26.27 carat diamond found its way into my life and became a part of my story, but I will forever be grateful that it did.

Diamonds, myths and legends, throughout history, have captivated mankind with beauty and supernatural beliefs in all cultures across the world. They were considered a magical intermediary between men and the unseen forces of nature that governed their fate. They represent the sun – a symbol of power, courage and truth. Diamonds are considered to be miracle stones with exceptional healing properties. There are countless spiritual and cultural beliefs surrounding diamonds.

I truly believe that this diamond, since its formation in the heat and pressure of the earth millions of years ago, was mined from the ground and set upon a path for my family and I. I also believe that we had to survive intense heartache and learn many difficult lessons before we could receive this precious gift from the gods.

To this day, I still frequent the car boot sales, which are everywhere. I encourage people from all backgrounds to visit, discover bargains and maybe even your own piece of hidden treasure.

Debbie,

The Car Boot Diamond.

Chapter 1: Diamonds, Myths and Legends

Throughout recorded history, diamonds, myths and legends,