Nora Roberts donates jewelry to raise money for library

Becky Jones had her eye on the horseshoe diamond pin and the sapphire earrings in the jewelry case at the Inn BoonsBoro Saturday night.

"Those are my picks," Jones said.


But the pieces were part of no ordinary assemblage of sparkle and glitter at the boutique inn owned by world-renowned romance novelist Nora Roberts and Bruce Wilder.

The jewelry actually was from Roberts' personal collection and slated to be sold at auction to benefit the Washington County Free Library and ProLiteracy Worldwide, LLC.

 "When I looked through (my jewelry) for this, it was like 'What pieces haven't you worn in a while, and what could you part with,' but then we started to do it, and we're putting it all together, some of them were a little hard," Roberts said before the auction began.

Wearing a teal Mochino dress and Jimmy Choo platform peeptoe, sling-back shoes and an emerald and diamond necklace, The New York Times best-selling author said she hoped the Read Always & Shine charity event is a success, but was also happy to show off the inn and bring the community together.

"Literacy is my thing," Roberts said. "The fact that we can take all these sparkly, wonderful pieces and this amazing art, and auction it off to raise money for literacy is the best thing ever."

Final tallies of the silent and online auctions are expected to be posted subsequently on Roberts' official website and Facebook page, according to Laura Reeth, the author's personal publicist.

More than 100 people were expected to attend the invitation-only event at the inn.

Free Library board member Vickie Messner said she loved a diamond necklace in the jewelry case.

"I don't know whether I'll get it or not," Messner said, laughing while her husband, George, milled about several feet away. Messner said she also liked photographs by Jonna Mendez.

More than 60 pieces of jewelry from Roberts' collection were available for the online and live auctions.

Roberts said she likes sparkly and shiny pieces, and they must be "wearable."

"I'm like a magpie, if it's shiny I need it for my nest," she said.

Vickie Messner said Roberts was a "huge contributor" to the library.

"We had some very generous donors, but hers was substantial," Messner said.

About 400 million copies of Roberts' books have been sold worldwide. She said she hopes to continue to write.

 "I like to tell stories. It's the best job in the world. It's just what I do every day," Roberts said.

Ticket holders to Saturday's event received a signed copy of Roberts' upcoming release, "The Next Always," the first book in a trilogy set in Boonsboro, according to Reeth.

For Jones, Saturday's event offered her the first opportunity to meet Roberts.

A scene of City Park in Hagerstown painted by her husband, R. Benjamin Jones was part of the silent auction.

"I'm a fan, I've read so many of her books ... it's just a good read for like the beach or something, just a good read."