What does the cryptic crossword clue "Eastern writer and artist left diamonds and precious stone (7)" mean?

The definition is "precious stone". The wordplay uses a charade (building blocks). E (abbreviation="Eastern") + ME (synonym="writer") + RA (abbreviation="artist") + L (abbreviation="left") + D (abbreviation="diamonds") = EMERALD; definition: "precious stone" The answer is EMERALD.

Eastern writer and artist left diamonds and precious stone (7)

Daily Mail Cryptic #17446 | 6 Down | 2024-09-16 flower

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