No comments about Sarah Coventry Jewelry (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about Joyeria Artesanal (Artes & Oficios) (Artes & Oficios).

5 comments about Vintage Ladies Compacts: Identification & Value Guide.

1. I learned so much from reading this book. I highly recommend for anyone who want to get into to collecting vintage compacts.



2. From the opening page to almost the middle of the book is absolutely wonderful! The photographs are exquisitely done in color, the descriptions are complete & there are usually no more than 4-6 photos per page. Suddenly, it stops and the reader is left with pages filled with very small, black & white photos and wondering "What the heck happened??" The smaller compacts should have been the ones in the larger pictures and they are screaming for color! As for the educational & reference content, this book is hard to beat and will make an excellent tool for reading about the mechanisms of vintage compacts. Plus, the variety of compacts is mind-boggling! Recommended purchase but don't expect 100% satisfaction with the photographs & layouts.



3. Gerson knows her compacts--she is an absolute authority, and this book gives many fine examples of compacts from all periods of time as well as good information about collecting. The color photos are a joy to look at. However, I don't like the way the book is organized--it's difficult to find what your looking for because things aren't arranged in logical order. In addition, I think it's a shame to have black and white photos--the majority of compacts really can't be appreciated unless they are seen in color, hence my 4-star rating. Mueller's two books are arranged better, with color photos for every compact, and Gerson should have tried to emulate that while making the book her own. But this book complements Mueller's, and for a rabid compact collector, this book is a welcome addition to the other books out there.



4. This book is simply beautiful. It is full of every kind of example of vintage compacts made, the photography of the compacts is stunning and many are in color. Plus it includes useful information for compact collectors on the history of compacts, helpful hints in collecting , vintage advertisments of compacts and how to identify and determine exact date compacts were made through patten numbers which Gerson includes at the end of the book. I got my copy of this book from Gerson herself through the Compacts collector club which she is the president of, autographed for me by her and although this particular edition of her book is out of print I would highly recommend her new one vintage and vogue ladys compacts as well. For all those fellow compact collectors these books are a must.



5. Brand new, year 2001, outstanding 2nd edition of this guide to ladies' compacts. The beautiful 368 page hardbound volume with laminated covers features more than 2,000 large, full color photos of the highest quality. Major topics include History of Compacts, Guide for the Collector, Inventions, Designs, Tips for cCllectors, and much more. Each of the super photos includes plenty of descriptive text, along with values. Some trade materials are also provided. A must-have volume for fans of this popular collectible. Add it to your library.

1 comments about A Silversmith's Manual.

1. This is THE guide for the beginner silversmith! Of all the books out there, you'll definitely need this one! Bernard Cuzner writes in an easy-to-read manner and includes in-depth information to make silversmithing easier. If you don't have it, get it!

No comments about Costume Jewelry: The Fun of Collecting.

1 comments about Cuff Links.

1. I didn't find this book helpful. Few photos and limited info. May be a nice read if you just want to learn about cuff links. Not useful as a reference.

3 comments about Forever Brilliant : The Aurora Collection of Colored Diamonds.

1. This book is affectively an extract from Collecting and Classifying Coloured Diamonds by the same author, concentrating just on the collection itself, and as such is an affordable alternative. We bought both!



2. This is a rather thin, over-sized, hardcover book. My first impression was "This is it? This is all there is?" The text is intersting but I was looking for good photos of the individual or groups of diamonds. What you get are pages of uninspired face-on photos (256 in all, I think) of the diamonds in the collection, cropped to the shapes of the stones, with nothing else to make them look remotely interesting. Next to each small (less than an inch) photo is a brief description. The book is mainly a catalog color names with an occasional colorful description or story about a particular diamond. Two stars because it is somewhat interesting to read and the pictures and descriptions are somewhat informative. But if you are looking for nice photos, look elsewhere.



3. Mr. Hofer's book is wonderful to read or actually wonderful to look at. The photos are absolutely stunning and the text of this catalogue is fairly easy to read (compared to his masterpiece "Collecting and Classifying Coloured Diamonds"). The so-called "common names" for the coloured diamonds are sometimes quite funny and I wonder whether they are recognised the gemworld over. But the book/catalogue is superbly written and a big compliment to the photographer, who has done a fantastic job! (it explains in great detail how the diamonds were photographed). All in all, a gem of a book!!!!

5 comments about Collecting Rhinestone & Colored Jewelry.

1. This book has lots of great information and does a good job with mark's. I would like to see more color pictures. If you are selling a book on colored jewelry it makes sense to have pictures that show the colors! Otherwise is a good reference book.



2. As a collector, I'm always trying to find books that catalogue maker's marks for jewelry and the thing I like most about this book is that it has an extensive section on marks that I haven't found in other books on the subject. Definitely a MUST for collectors that are trying to identify the markings on their latest finds!



3. I'm a first time buyer of Maryanne Dolan's books,and she has a lot of information in this book. The trademarks are very helpful and also each piece has a lot of information about it. I feel her price ranges seem to be a little high and would love to know my jewelry is worth what she quotes. I really wanted a book with colored pictures, not black and white. There are only 16 pages of colored pictures in this book. The color of the jewelry really helps in identifing it for me. Hope to find a book with more color pictures to help me identify my jewelry.

   she certainly has a lot of knowledge about rhinestone jewelry and hopefully I'll find a book of hers in color.




4. I have found this book to invaluable in my research for preparing my information for publication.I am an avid collector and dealer of costume,vintage and antique jewelry and have used both previous and current editions of this book.I find this publication to be accurate - both in historical content and valuation - and use it extensively for my own research.It is a definative benchmark for identificaton and market information,especially when used in conjunction with the previous edition.I recommend this book to any serious collector and dealer.



5. 400 pages of information of great value to rhinestone jewelry collectors. Features a complete history of the collectables and detailed data about the manufacturers, the process, care and keeping of rhinestones, sets and accessories. An interesting feature is the more than 700 manufacturer trademarks pictured, along with the dates they were first used. The jewelry with estimated values is shown in sharp black and white photos, with a few in color. An interesting brief history of each major manufacturer is included. This is the 4th edition of the popular volume. Highly recommended.

4 comments about Mexican Jewelry.

1. Most books on Mexican jewelry focus on contemporary silver jewelry or vintage jewelry made in Taxco, the strength of this book is that it also covers less well known Mexican jewelry making traditions. There is information about jewelry made in Patzcuaro, Oaxaca, Toluca, Chiapas, Guerrero etc as well as information about pre-columbian jewelry and European / Spanish inspired jewelry from 16th to 18th centuries. There is also an entire chapter devoted to religious jewelry as well. Unfortunately, the illustrations are in black and white - however, given the sparseness of information about most regional Mexican jewelry, any reproductions are valuable to those interested in this topic.



2. This is a great book if you're looking to read up on the history of Mexican jewelry. But if you're looking for photos of Mexican jewelry or their markings, this is not the book you're looking for.



3. Though this book is slightly dated and lacks the lavish illustrations of some newer coffee-table treatises, it provides a good, basic overview of Taxco silverwork and traditional Mexican jewelry. (It is interesting to note that these authors are often quoted and cited in the newer works.) The book was written in the early '60's, just at the apogee of Taxco's productivity.

   As a youngster, I spent many hours in Taxco, particularly in the talleres (workshops) of Hector Aguilar (Taller Borda) and the Castillo family, and have always been attracted to the diverse traditions of Mexican silver jewelry- from Michoacan, Oaxaca and elsewhere, including Taxco, which was extremely important in the renaissance of contemporary Mexican silver jewelry. The era of large talleres is largely over, with a very few still in existence. Much jewelry in Taxco today is made in tiny home workshops on contract, resulting in a decline of design and variety, not to mention the average workmanship.

   This book is an excellent introduction, readable and intelligently written and illustrated, if limited in its scope and size due to the lack of supporting audience when it was written. I highly recommend it to those with an interest in Mexican jewelry and its traditions...




4. The authors wrote this before the move to collect became as advanced as at present. There photos are b & w and they are plentiful for this reprint - i have not seen the original; and the text is short and to the point about a few artists. The preamble about Mexican silver antedating the Taxco movment is enlightening and very nicely done. Once can never have enough photos to have an appreciation and this little book adds to one's library of Taller and Taxco and is most welcome even if not a giant or in color.

No comments about Jewelry By Architects.