3 comments about Bedazzled: 5000 Years of Jewelry--The Walters Art Museum.

1. I received the item on time and in wonderful condition but was very disappointed by the book itself. Its VERY small and all the 5000 years of jewelry was just from one private collector. I thought there would be more information and definitely more of a history. I would not recommend this book to anyone. But not the fault of Amazon :)



2. This is a nice little book, and by little I mean 7 inches on a side square.
   At 64 pages it holds a lot of high quality images with full page shots and many closeups.
   The text is informative without being pompous and overly wordy like many historical jewelery books written by endlessly blabbery art historians trying to flex their hyper inflated vocabularies and fill their quota of space.
   There is even a short glossary at the end with many useful terms for the novice jewelry historian.
   Despite it's demure appearance this delightful book fulfills it's promise of an informative and detailed review of some of the highlights of the Walters Collection.
   Buy this book for your library and you probably have a friend who would like it too, so maybe buy another for them.



3. Bedazzled is a small book with high quality photos of distinct and beautiful pieces of jewellery held by the Walters Art Museum that covers prominent periods of jewellery design. I was very impressed as I have not seen these pieces in any other books on jewellery history. It is a gem don't be deceived by the size as it is well worth owning.

1 comments about Gemstones: Understanding, Identifying, Buying.

1. If you need a book on Gemstones, this is the one. Awesome pictures and great detail on discribing the many different gems around the world. If you are a collector of gemstones, this is a MUST HAVE!"

5 comments about Jewels: A Secret History.

1. Very interesting book that's well-written. I bought another of Ms. Finlay's books, "Color" because I liked this one so much. I like how she's organized the 'chapters' on the Moh scale of hardness, and the stories of her adventures in discovering each of the gems are just wonderful. A great, informative, enjoyable read.



2. This book is similar to the other one by the author on Colors. I enjoy the history and the facts. I am sometimes bothered by her style that is often too emotional and overly emotional for my taste.



3. This book gave the history, stories, and myths about each stone. I loved this book. A very quick read.



4. With this book - which is effectively a sequel to her book on colour - Victoria Finlay investigates the history, myth and reality of the jewels we often place so much status on. She starts with Amber the softest of the semi-precious jewels and works her way through to Diamonds, which are much more common and not as indestructible as the jewellers and marketers would have us believe.
   
   This is an interesting read, and while not exhaustive, will still manage to tell some new stories about gemstones even if you have read many other books on the subject. A combination of travel diary, history and general knowledge this book is educational and may make some readers view the stones in their jewel box in a new light. And as for "birth stones" - read the appendix at the end, it may open your eyes on one of the great marketing hoaxes.



5. For anyone who is interested in the fascinating story of some of the worlds most popular types of jewels, this book is for you. For anyone who is interested in visiting little know and remote parts of our planet, this book is for you. For anyone who is interested in better understanding why people are mesmerized by beautiful objects and why other people undertake dangerous jobs to find them, this book is for you.
   
   The author not only shares the fascinating history of how these jewels have been used throughout history but she tells the even more fascinating story of those who make their livings finding and selling them. Ms Finlay has not let distance or danger inhibit her desire to see first hand where the gems come from and to speak with those who spend, and often risk, their lives in their pursuit. Their stories are as interesting and varied as the stones themselves. Like Patrick Leigh Femor and other top travel writers, this author seems to be able to put almost anyone at ease and entice them to tell her their stories with amazing candor. She has then been able to blend historical facts and current circumstances into a really fascinating read.
   
   For me, her quest was really to better understand why jewels which, while beautiful, are basically useless command so much time, effort and even in some cases human lives in their production. After reading this book I believe that each person will be able to form their own answer to this question.

5 comments about 500 Brooches: Inspiring Adornments for the Body (500 Series).

1. Lark has a series of books presenting well photographed, contemporary fine crafts. This book is a good survey of what is being created in brooches (compared to the bracelet book, which is not at all complete or even a small survey of contemporary work and should have been a gallery brochure). If you are teaching in art history or fine crafts areas, this is an important resource for students, collectors, museums, and libraries.



2. Amazing examples of all kind of imaginable brooches. You will start creating your own.



3. This book, as all others in this series, is put together very well. But...the brooches are the poorest examples of exemplary contemporary artwork I have seen. In my opinion, 98% of the entries are unprofessional in their initial design and completion. Most are unwearable and impractical as brooches and are the farthest stretch of someone's artistic imagination in regards to fine artwork. Putting it bluntly, the bulk of the "artwok" in this book is rubbish. Embarrassing.



4. Looking through this book, one cannot help wonder at the creativity of the human mind. How can there be such a diversity and invention in an object as small as a brooch? This book is a great snapshot of where contemporary jewellery (brooches) is at in the early 2000. The pictures are beautiful, there is just enough text to understand what you are seeing and know about the creator, and the way the pieces are put together (curated?) is excellent.
   For the jewellery designer this is a fantastic resource book, and for anyone else, it is a great introduction to an artform not always known or appreciated and to the discovery that jewellery can be far more a craft.
   The only thing against it: it is perhaps too heavily weighted towards American creators: I would have liked to see more Japanese, Australian, New Zealand creators.



5. After looking through 1000 Rings, I was a bit disappointed in this sequal. Although the photography is excellent, it doesn't represent the same range and variety of styles. I did enjoy this book however, and will use it as a source of inspiration - it just didn't provide as much benefit as I'd hoped for.

3 comments about Tiffany Colored Gems.

1. As always, John Loring does a smash-up job with his new book on the colored gems of Tiffany. Gorgeous photos,great history and a perfect accompanment to "Tiffany Pearls".
   Highly recommended for the jeweler or jewelry fanatic.
   Aurea Jewels



2. Very good book, but not as great as Loring's other book "Tiffany Diamonds."
   A little heavy on Paloma Picasso's jewelry, but she did do some great stuff for Tiffany.



3. This is an excellent book for people who love gemstone jewelery. The introduction provides a great historical recap of some notable gemstones. Then there are sections arranged by the color of the gemstones (ie. Purple: Amethyst & Kunzite and Blue: Saphires, Aquamarine,etc.). Each section provides some of the most beautiful photographs and drawings of modern and antique gemstone jewelry. All photos and drawings are in brilliant color and clear, crisp detail. There is also a glossary with the definitions and description of the gemstones. The Gem Index provides the Moh's harness scale of each gem. I highly recommend this book if you love jewelry. It is a great coffee table book / eye candy book / wish book / jewelry reference book.

2 comments about The Art of Juliana Jewelry.

1. This book is truly amazing! The photographs are outstanding, not to mention the wonderful information provided on Juliana jewelry. It was wonderful to see a book that displayed this jewelry so beautifully. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves the gorgeous glitzy jewelry made by DeLizza & Elster. Thank you so much, Ms. Musetti, this will be one of my most treasured jewelry books that I know I will use over and over again!



2. What a gorgeous book! It is simply spectacular. The color photographs of incredilble Juliana jewels are enough to turn anyone into a collector. I had a difficult time picking a favorite because they were all so beautiful. Ms. Musetti clearly knows her subject and the information included in this book is comprehensive and well organized. There are 21 chapters in this book including how to identify Juliana jewelry, dating, repair and restoration, the history of the designers, and storage and care. But it is the pictures which will delight the casual and serious collector. The quality of the photographs is excellent. The cover is an eye-popping pink to die for. Photographs of women wearing the actual jewlery, including Ms. Musetti and Renata Tebaldi in perfomance, are a special treat. I highly recommend this book; it is a book you will open again and again.

No comments about Southwestern Indian Jewelry: Crafting New Traditions.

5 comments about Jewels of the Tsars: The Romanovs and Imperial Russia.

1. This is an excellent look at the jewels and other fine objects of the Tsars and their families. The quality of the paper and the feel of the book is rich too. A pleasure to read and enjoy.



2. I have not seen the book but wanted to comment on the editorial comments.
   Prince Michael's Grandmother was Queen Olga of Greece, born a Grand Duchess of Russia but she was not a sister of Nicholas II. Olga's father and Nicholas II's grandfather were brothers. Thus Olga was a cousin to Nicholas II's father, Alexander III and therefore Olga and Nicholas II were second cousins. Prince Michael is a Prince of Greece and Denmark as his grandfather, King George I of Greece (Olga's husband) was born in Denmark as the second son of King Christian IX of Denmark and was elected King of Greece in March of 1863, thus becoming the King of Greece as a 17 year old prior to his father becoming King of Denmark in November of the same year, 1863. The Great Powers of Europe were looking for a new King for Greece when Vilhelm (his Danish name) was noticed at the March 1863 wedding of his older sister, Alexandra, when she married the Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria, and later King Edward VII. King George also had a sister (born Dagmar in Denmark) who married Alexander III of Russia, and were the parents of Nicholas II. This Michael's father Christopher was a first cousin to King George as well, making Michael a second cousin to Tsar Nicholas II through his father. Obviously one needs a "score card" to keep track of European Royalty as most of them are related to each other one way or another as in the past royalty was only allowed to marry royalty. Fortunately that has changed over the last several generations and it would appear that ALL of the heirs to the crowns of Europe have indeed married for love, and almost all of them have married commoners.



3. This book wasn't very expensive but it wasn't that good either. If you collect jewelry books like me you will already have all the pictures. If you are buying other books at this price it may be worth an add on but dont expect to much. The photos are of medium quality and the text is poor.



4. The Romanov ladies, dressed for a court function, dripped precious gemstones from top to toe, each Grand Duchess trying to outdo another in grandeur. Most of that jewelry has been lost, sold, the stones removed. Those who escaped the Revolution were lucky if they managed to take a small collection of their jewels with the, and most had to sell what they brought into exile to support themselves -- after they had written and sold their memoirs, that is. The memoirs of those who saw the Russian court in all its splendour, however, make it clear that the jewelry shown in this book doesn't begin to give one an idea of what the jewelry of the Romanov court ladies was like, though it tries admirably. I, too, would love to see a book on all the jewels of the Romanov ladies -- it might be impossible to find the information now, but the Soviet government apparently does still have some of the pieces left behind.



5. The pictures are, of course, beautiful, and show fabulous jewelry. However, what I enjoyed the most was the background information that the author was able to give. Since he is related to most of the royal families of europe, he has unusual access to jewelry, paintings, historical records and inside information. For anyone interested in the time of Imperial Russia, this book does not disappoint. At least one of my friends has also bought this book on my recommendation. I would also suggest this author's book "The Crown Jewels of Europe. If you can find it.

5 comments about Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones.

1. This book is packed with useful information. Anyone interested in gemstones will learn a lot of things you don't typically find in other books on this topic. I'm glad I got it.



2. With wonderfully good information and great images, the writer introduces a wide reaching and vast amount of valuable information through a fascinating, personalized journey. However this otherwise excellent treatise could be made infinitely better by a more professional publishing house. The typography, layout, and copy editing are awful, albeit I absolutely love the riveting cover.



3. This excellent book goes deep into the specifics of how to correctly identify gemstones. Also has accounts of the authors travels around the world searching for such stones. Highly recommended.



4. This could be the book that pushes me to follow my dream of becoming a gemologist...



5. This book has lots of interesting and little known facts. It is a great read.

3 comments about Cartier.

1. A history and analysis of Cartier : jewels in modern time. The world impact of Cartier's creators. Images of the best neclaces, tiaras, rings and horloges. A piece of art in itself. Very well written. manoel barros da motta



2. This is in my modest opinion the best book about Cartier. Amazing photos with fine text. Much more than the classic coffee table book. Offers insight into the most important periods of Cartier, the designs and the artistic talents of their creators. Biographies of the artists of the famous jewelry house, recent history, famous clients and how the businesses got started. The photos are wonderful; I only wish there were more of them. A MUST!



3. I think that this book is a great resource for anyone who is a jewelry student or just in love with very fine jewelry. While the book does focus more on the lives of the three Cartier brothers, there are many great pictures of their jewelry as well. I think this book is well worth the money.