Cuts of a Diamond reviewed

What does a half Asian Jamaican male blogging businessman and a Cuban former supermodel jewelry designer mother of two have in common? The answer turns out to be everything and nothing at all! Sandra Rodriguez Bicknell’s first book titled ‘Cuts of a Diamond’ is one part autobiography and the other part self-help. The book details her rollercoaster life of ups and downs from randomly becoming a supermodel to moving to Jamaica during early adulthood to creating her own line of jewelry. Moreso we are giving a deep introspection into some of her relationships in her pursuit of companionship. Sandra makes no qualms about it, she loves love! Whilst this is the overarching surface theme of the book the bigger picture is to ‘turn even your most heartbreaking experience into a thing of beauty’ which happens to be the mantra of the book.
Even though I happened to grow up in uptown Jamaica where the majority of Sandra’s book takes place, the world she describes is somewhat foreign to me. I grew up in uptown Jamaica, but somehow was never really a part of uptown Jamaica. Yet there are things that are all too familiar in the small town mentality, which is that for whatever reason everybody wants to know your business and chat you. Given the social climate, its all the more courageous that Sandra has stood up and stood out in a crowd that would rather stay seated with popcorn. Not only has she written down her life story, full of lessons that we all can appreciate and learn from, but she did this with authenticity and vulnerability, never shying away what could be deemed as embarrassing or difficult to admit. Her style is matter of fact and ‘Cuts of a Diamond’ is easily digestible.
Though I don’t know Sandra personally (as I won’t count meeting her at her book launch) the qualities she displays both in and out of the book happen to be in line with those of my favorite people: kind, genuine, courageous and a positive mindset despite life’s various obstacles. We all at some point in our lives can relate to heartache and heartbreak and Sandra’s book details how having a positive mindset can shift one’s perspective and by default change your life.
My personal favorite takeaway from ‘Cuts of a Diamond’ is Sandra’s belief in purpose arising from her spirituality. There are no coincidences she describes over and over in the book, and nothing happens before its time. Coming off a high from a personal experience of mine a few months ago I was beginning to feel a bit doubtful of the direction I was headed in. Previously, I was feeling strong and confident in my next step but recently I was starting to feel a bit fearful and insecure. Then randomly, I get the invite to attend a book launch the very next day? Sandra speaks to energy and aura which is infectious and I can attest to the power of positive energy vibrating within me. It turns out a book launch on a random Wednesday night was exactly the kind of charge that my soul needed to push forward. As she preaches, there are no coincidences and nothing happens before its time.