The Argentera and The Tales of the Six Arabesques
A Novel
Linda Kaye-Moses
Publication Year: 2026
A Jewish goldsmith’s journal describing the making of an exquisite enameled necklace has been wandering the world for six hundred years—from Alsace, where it was created, to a back shelf in a used bookstore in upstate New York.
When modern-day goldsmith Miriam Kazofsky discovers the journal, she is drawn into its mysteries and sets out to find the lost jewel. In the process, she connects across time and distance with indomitable women and those who love them, unearthing long-held secrets that forever change her life, along with the lives of those around her.
The Argentera and The Tales of the Six Arabesques spins a spellbinding, generation-spanning story out of deep love and uncompromising determination, shining a light on the dense web of relationships hidden in every object formed by a creative hand.
Linda Kaye-Moses, a graduate of the University of Vermont, is an award-winning studio jeweler. Earlier books include Pure Silver Metal Clay Beads and the memoir Roots Stems and Branches. She lives with her husband in an old farmhouse in western Massachusetts.
Linda Kaye-Moses | About the Author
Linda Kaye-Moses is an uppity, unruly octogenarian author and studio jeweler, living a life amazed by the magic inherent both in writing and in her objets. She graduated from the University of Vermont with unofficial majors in psychology, drama, and ancient history, so, naturally, she has been a studio jeweler for five decades and a writer for even longer.
She is the author of The Argentera and The Tales of the Six Arabesques; Pure Silver Metal Clay Beads; and a self-published memoir, Roots Stems and Branches; A Recollection. Her writing was included in Strong Shoulders and in Writing Fire: An Anthology Celebrating the Power of Women’s Words. She was a Writer’s Digest 2023 Award Winner.
She lives with her husband in an old farmhouse, surrounded by lilacs and the green hills of western Massachusetts.
Praise for The Argentera and The Tales of the Six Arabesques:
“From the first pages to the last I was spellbound….The story, through all its triumphs and adversities, spoke deeply to me as an artist, a historian and as a woman.”
— Brandy Boyd, writer, artist, publisher
“This sweeping novel follows a family and its artifacts across the generations, tracing how legacy can survive in the face of intolerance. Jewish memory weaves three women into a shared tapestry as they wrestle with their spiritual inheritance. Set against the long centuries of dispersal and enforced silence in Europe, this novel reflects how memory, shaped by cultural pressures, binds generations through resilience rooted in creativity.”
— Rabbi Josh Breindel, Congregation Beth El, Sudbury, MA
“Linda Kaye-Moses has combined her extraordinary artistry as a maker of elegant jewelry with her love of words and narrative storytelling in this masterfully crafted journey through time, history, art and life.”
— Jeffrey Borak, theater critic, The Berkshire Eagle
“From the moment the narrator is led to a mysterious journal by her love of old books author Linda Kaye-Moses transports us through centuries until its secrets are finally revealed.”
— Barbara Viniar, author of Little Bird
“Linda Kaye-Moses is an artist with her hands and her words. She transports us through the mysteries of time, weaving stories from the ancient past to the present, with colors and characters so rich, so vivid, you will feel them in your bones. The Argentera and The Tales of the Six Arabesques is a page turner, a story told with great beauty and imagination.”
— Barbara Newman, award-winning author of The Dreamcatcher Codes