1 comments about The Art of Silver Jewellery: From the Minorities of China, The Golden Triangle, Mongolia and Tibet.

1. An excellent overview of the silver jewelry of the minority tribes of China, it also addresses clothing and textiles. The photos are superb, with some elements shown larger than actual size. This book would be of interest to both collectors and artisans. The items depicted are from the Rene van der Star Collection. That is the same collection showcased in the book Ethnic Jewellery from Africa, Asia and Pacific Islands. As with the latter book, a number of experts on ethnic jewelry contributed to the total effort, each writing in his particular area of expertise.

3 comments about Illustrated Guide to Jewelry Appraising, 3rd Edition: Antique, Period, and Modern.

1. Maybe you think the fine art of jewelry appraising is one of determining value alone - but there's so much more to the skill, as Registered Master Valuer and jewelry historian Anna Miller reveals in Illustrated Guide To Jewelry Appraising 3rd Edition: Antique, Period & Modern. Her updated, expanded new third edition combines case studies and typical valuation challenges with key documents to aid in the pricing process, instructions on how to do a narrative jewelry description, a methodology for research, and much more. Loaded with practical, technical data, Illustrated Guide To Jewelry Appraising should not be missed by any serious jewelry collector.



2. As advertised, no problems whatsoever!



3. Anna Miller, in her recently updated version (9-99) of "The Illustrated Guide to Jewelry Appraising", gives a novice or a professional some expert information in this edition. The concepts and principles section alone is worth the price of the book, but her book also covers everthing from making the "correct identification" to tips on the appraisal document itself. Also included is supplemental info. on antique jewelry, estimating values and appraisal narrative, plus weight estimation formulas for unusual diamond cuts. I would suggest her book to anyone with an interest in appraising or anyone who has the need to understand the process of jewelry evaluation.

3 comments about Collecting Victorian Jewelry: Identification And Price Guide.

1. Yet another book by prolific jewellery writer C. Jeanenne Bell. In this book, Bell deals exclusively with Victorian jewellery, that is jewellery produced in England, America and France during the period from 1837 to 1901. This book is primarily a catalogue of Victorian jewellery, with full color photos and prices at the time of publication, interspersed with text that attempts to place the jewellery in a historical context with respect to events and fashions. Unlike some books, which only show the jewelley of royalty, this book shows items which would suit a range of budgets.
   
   This book is primarily aimed at dealers and those wishing to collect jewellery from the Victorian era. However, with over 700 full colour photos (according to the back cover), this is also a great coffee table book for those wanting to look at beautiful things and dream.



2. It was intersting reading. More on style, than on collecting. Interesting if you like history. Lots to learn. And a true collector neds to learn alot.



3. Gemologist C. Jeanenne Bell presents Collecting Victorian Jewelry: Identification And Price Guide, a full-color showcase of the distinctive jewelry of the Victorian era. Vintage photographs and artwork as well as close-up detailed of pieces, extensive price information, tips on discerning real pieces from imitation and general background information on gemstones and fashion of the time fill this lavish volume. A "must-have" for antique jewelry collectors, and recommended for anyone interested in seeing these wondrous works of art and adornment up close.

5 comments about New Directions In Jewellery.

1. This is not jewellery for the masses. It's art jewellery, featuring alternative materials, strange forms, and with no guarantee of wearability. Think: 'contemporary body adornment' rather than anything you could buy in a store. Sure, a lot of it is highly impractical - it's art, it's not supposed to be practical. If you're interested in seeing where jewellery's been headed for the past decade, this will get you up to speed, and the small essays about each artist give valuable background information, as well as starting points for future research. A definite yes for jewellery students, or anyone interested in contemporary art.



2. As the title says, this book is about "New Directions", which loosely translates to High End, Over the top designs. If you are into contemporary designs, a student of Jewellery design (high end not a bead stringer!), then you will love this book, it is inspirational with at least 80% of the book. The other 20% is just plain silly. It is not jewellery, it is more a garment or sculpture. Probably only 50% of the pieces shown could be worn in every day use, the rest is destined for a catwalk exhibition or gallery. If you are not in the above category you will hate this book, plain and simple and probably wish you had purchased something else.



3. Over 80 jewelry makers who are creating radical new designs, blending textiles with sculpture, are changing the way jewelry is made and presented, and NEW DIRECTIONS IN JEWELLERY discusses these changes in essays which profile artists and their approaches. Distinguishing design paths, examples of various designs which defy the usual geometric and material choices, and commentary on artist and fashion statements make NEW DIRECTIONS IN JEWELLERY an excellent survey of the latest trends in style and jewelry creation. Informed and informative, NEW DIRECTIONS IN JEWELLERY is a 'must' for any college-level or professional reference collection strong in modern art and jewelry.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. I am a BFA student majoring in Metalsmithing and Jewelry and I really found this book helpful. The essays in the beginning are very clear, inspiring, and have given me a new understanding and appreciation for jewelry as a fine art practice. This book is not for the reader interested in jewelry as the mass produced, shiny, practical or trendily designed piece, or for the reader who is interested in metalsmithing techniques, but for the reader who is an artist interested in jewelry as an avenue for creativity and personal development. The book contains many contemporary pieces, their descriptions, and artist biographies in the back with a good balance of the different directions art jewelry is heading today. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Metalsmithing and Jewelry as a major, anyone currently in that major, or any artist interested in jewelry.



5. I am a jewelry designer myself and it often inspires me when I see interesting jewelry by other artists. My work is sometimes considered to be a bit out there, but definitely wearable. So photos are important to me, not prose. The first part of this book is essays which may please others but not me. The rest of the book is indeed photos, but most of the work isn't wearable and much of it isn't interesting to me. Much of it is more art, less jewelry. Lots of it was tacky-looking, in my opinion. I often get inspiration from all kinds of non-jewelry things; nature, fabrics, clothing, shapes, materials. These pieces didn't do anything for me. I was really disappointed.

No comments about Jewellery of Tibet and the Himalayas.

5 comments about Engagement & Wedding Rings: The Definitive Buying Guide for People in Love.

1. This is a great reference book if all you know about engagement rings is what the four "c's" stand for. The tables were the most helpful references and it is written so you can reference areas you want most to learn about. There is more than enough information, including a lot of history and information on other stones other than diamonds. It even gave me a dollar range to expect, which was the biggest unknown for me.



2. Excellent book. A must for anyone purchasing an engagement or wedding ring.



3. I purchased this book along with the book Diamond Ring buying guide by Renee Newman. This book only contained B/W diagram drawings and described the 'flaw's that diamonds have. Hello? dianmonds are not B/W diagram drawings, that little dot on the drawing tells me nothing!
   The book seems to ramble and drone on and on about diamonds, like a good old high school history book. Of all the 14 pages of color photos, there are 6 pages dedicated to 'designer rings' and the rest are just photos of different styles of jewelery. What does a yellow diamond look like? What about a diamond that was cut incorrectly? A simple line drawing does not help at all.
   I found Newman's book much more detailed and well written than this book. Newman has many photos, practically the entire book is made up of color photos of diamonds and flawed diamonds (so you know that to look for).
   If you have a lot of time on your hands and don't mind a boring book, then buy this book, other wise Newman has condensed this 300 page book into just a mere 150 pages or so into hers.



4. This book was really helpful in making me feel comfortable shopping for a ring for my girlfriend.

   I also used howtoproposemarriage. com to come up with a proposal that knocked her socks off.




5. After reading quite a few books in this category; I found Matlins book informative but not practical in the real world. The book was in my opinion too generalized and wasn't what I needed, i.e. expert advise on how to buy a top quality diamond from a reputable jeweler at the best price. If you want to learn about the history of the diamond the book might pass but won't tell you what you need to know if your out shopping for one.

2 comments about Grand Complications: High Quality Watchmaking - Volume II (Grand Complications).

1. This is the third or fourth large format watch book I have bought and read cover to cover. This one has the least amount of text, and the largest pictures. The other books of this type tell you about the companies and the people running them, as well as an overview of the models they make. This book concentrates on the stars of this world, not the people. It has a large, high quality picture on each page of a stellar example watch, with a small amount of description of the watch and what it does besides tell time. I pulled out my magnifying glass and learned a lot about how the different makers present the complications. The book is divided into types of complications, and all the top brands'top models are grouped together by type of complication. I loved it when I was learning by looking close and comparing instead of reading a lot of words. I recommend this book for visual appreciation of high craftmanship.



2. If you want your favorite watch enthusiast to love you forever, buy this book! You may be subjected to discussions about tourbillons, chronographs, repeaters, etc., but your amateur (or professional) horologist will be in seventh heaven just viewing these works of art for the wrist. While not a catalog, it really doesn't matter to a serious collector and they will spend many happy hours perusing their favorite jewels. Makes Timex look like a kiddy toy.

5 comments about Art Clay Silver and Gold: 18 Unique Jewelry Pieces to Make in a Day.

1. Like Jackie's later book Metal Clay: The Complete Guide, she totally ignores the fact that there is more than one metal clay product on the market. Why? Because Jackie does not distribute Precious Metal Clay® (PMC) made by Japan's Mitsubishi Materials Corporation; she runs Art Clay® World, USA, Inc, distributing Art Clay®, a metal clay product made by Aida Chemical Industries, Ltd. At the very least, she might have discussed the pros and cons of the two companies' products. To ignore PMC® altogether seems too mercenary an approach to writing a project book. I said my peace when panning Jackie's book Metal Clay.
   
   The projects shown are somewhat inspirational but the "faux raku" project stands out as just plain economically silly. For "faux raku," Art Clay® Silver paste is applied over terra cotta then, after firing, liver of sulfur is applied for a raku-like patina. It occurred to me that it would be a whole lot less expensive to actually make raku pottery than to make "faux raku" with jewelry-grade silver. Yes, you can do it with Art Clay® but why would you?



2. The instructions were good and I found the advice great. I am just starting to apply my self to PMC. This book is just what I need.
   Thanks



3. Great book. Easy to use. Great ideas for projects. Taught me things that I did not learn in a class I took



4. This art clay (trade name) book covers what everyone should know that is going to use the Art Clay brand metal clay. The first sections/chapters get the basic stuff down so one can move on to the fun parts making the projects. The pictures are of a good size with large numbers to correspond to the descriptive blurbs. They are of the close up type with little background of the work surface visible. (I do hate it when they show more work surface than the item they are making.) The material lists are well thought out in their content. The glossary and the gemstone characteristic chart is a nice touch. the chart really important in selecting stones to bake with the clay. I own it



5. This book is a good starting point for those begining to work with metal clay.

3 comments about American Jewelry Manufacturers.

1. One has to assume when one utilitizes a volume clearly setting forth its intentions of representing facts that one can trust the accuracy of the information included. Why else would one use the source much less purchase it? I bought this book because I had acquired a pair of cufflinks on eBay . . . touted as having been manufactured by Tiffany & Co. whose marks I know well simply from personal experience. The mark was clearly not one of theirs, and a knowledgeable friend (a dealer in fine jewelry) recommended I buy it. I quickly found the precise mark from my cufflinks and identified the manufacturer. However, I happen to be related to the owners of another firm and swiftly searched for their name and mark. The information was erroneous. The authors had switched the name of the president of the firm (my long since departed uncle) to the name of the company itself. Anyone looking for this very prestigious (their pieces have become collector items) manufacterer would have searched in vain. How many other mistakes are contained in this volume? Can I trust the information I gleaned initially? Were this a source for brain surgeons, there would be an explosion of complaints. Does not accuracy apply to all fields? I think so.



2. This is a great ref book for Jewelry Companies that are long gone, their marks and company background. However it is missing some well known companies from the 50's and 60's but to it's credit there are also marks that ARE included that belong to little known companies. The layout could be improved as sometimes companies marked with a logo, and not the name, finding the logo means you have to search the whole book if you don't know who it was made by. That being said the book is a must have for all jewelry collectors as the info contained within is NOT the opinion of the author, it is taken from actual historical books, and vintage Trade guides etc.



3. If you collect jewelery fine or costume this book is a must. Those little marks that you need your 10X loupe for are deciphered! This is not an exhaustive list because there are new treasures found every day but it will really help the collector figure out just who made that lovely item! Get this one now.........

5 comments about Collectible Beads: A Universal Aesthetic (Beadwork Books).

1. This book is really great, I enjoy each page of it. It is informative, and contents breathtaking photos. I love beads and want to learn more about my hobby, this book is a great resource, for interested people like me, jewelry making persons and the collector. I would buy it again. Together with "The History of Beads" I have a complete guide and learned a lot.



2. A wonderful and very desciptive history of beads. Excellent quality photos, this book can used to help the novice or the serious bead collector.



3. Although the photos of beads are excellent, I found this book far too much like a PhD dissertation, with the feel of a synthesis, having substance but written in a format which was difficult to read. Bibliographic references imbedded in the text just add to the unreadable style. The text is painfully lacking in the kind of information I appreciate, such as dating, geography, and clear references to the individual beads presented in the photos. And references to values of beads in dollars has no relevant meaning unless there is a time reference. As a reference book I would rate it of minimal worth. As a coffee table amusement it is acceptable, but would need far more photos to make it useful for that purpose.



4. This is a beautifully written, beautifully illustrated book, however, it is definitely for the advanced bead collector. Its main focus is on beads the average person could not find or afford. I am a beginner in the bead collecting world and needed a book that was more of an identifying guide. The chances of me running across a bead that was illegally excavated from an archeological dig in a foreign country are slim..and I wouldn't know what to do with it anyway. I'm returning the book and continuing the search.



5. This is a work of immense proportions. Robert Liu is both a scholar and an artist. This is a work which draws on both sets of skills, and the result is wonderful. For bead lovers it's a definative work. As a scholarly piece, it likely has material of interest to those interested in art history and world culture as well. It's an important book and one that would be sorely missed if it ever went out of print--I say this as one who's passed on books like this, only to search the world over for them when they were no longer available...get this one now. You won't regret it.