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.
Table of Contents
1 Miriam Kazofsky, Present Day, Manhattan 1
2 Tentari, 472 BCE, Sapt-Sindhava and Shusa 11
3 Asher, 1348 CE, Gartenforst, Alsace 17
4 Rachel, 1349 CE, Gartenforst, Alsace 20
5 Miriam, 2016 CE, Manhattan 27
6 Tentari, 470 BCE, Shusa 30
7 Miriam, 2016 CE, Manhattan 34
8 Salvador, 1919 CE, Venexia 38
9 Tentari, 469 BCE, Shusa 44
10 Rachel, 1349 CE, The Forest of Gartenforst 48
11 Salvador, 1920 CE, Venexia 59
12 Tentari, 468 – 438 BCE, The High Plains of Eastern Europe 62
13 Richa, 1349 – 1350 CE, The Alpis and Milano 65
14 Miriam, 2016 CE, Manhattan and Winterberge Falls 72
15 Salvador, 1938 CE, Winterberge Falls 78
16 Juçef, 1344 – 1349 CE, Turtuxa, Lucca and Milano 81
17 Richa, 1353 CE, Milano 85
18 Marco, 1998 – 2000 CE, Winterberge Falls 89
19 Miriam, 2016 CE, Winterberge Falls 93
20 Marco, 2016 CE, Williamstown 96
21 Miriam, 2016 CE, Williamstown 98
22 Richa, 1355 CE, Milano and Venexia 101
23 Miriam, 2016 CE, Williamstown 106
24 Richa, 1355 – 1361 CE, Venexia 112
25 Miriam, 2016 CE, Williamstown 120
26 Ashiera, 1381 CE, Venexia 125
27 Miriam, 2016 – 2022 CE, Williamstown and Manhattan 128
Epilogue, 2024 CE, Manhattan 137
Acknowledgments 140
Appendices 141
My Process or What on Earth Was I Thinking? 142
Timelines and Personae 145
Locations 148
Glossary 150
Bibliography 154
Discussion Guide 156
About the Author 159
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
“Imagine this: You are a person who likes stories and storytelling, proud of your Jewish heritage, with a sentimental nature that is drawn to the everyday objects of life that hold memories of the people who once handled them. Imagine you are a maker, a person who has the privilege of spending hours in a studio turning ideas into objects. And now imagine a person who combines these qualities, and is in fact a handcrafting jeweler with decades of experience.
Linda Kaye-Moses is just such a person, and if this description intrigues you, I recommend The Argentera and the Tales of the Six Arabesques, her recently published debut novel. The book tells the story of a family line that spans seven centuries and three continents. True to the known history of craft guilds, the skills of metalworking, weaving and other crafts were traditionally passed along family lines, highly respected and closely guarded. All this is revealed through the winding paths of a modern mystery starting with echoes from the past. And in the hands of an imaginative writer, the personalities and personal tragedies can map the universal truths of love, loyalty and remembrance.”
— Tim McCreight, metalsmith, teacher and author
“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
“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