5 comments about Ladies' Vintage Accessories.

1. This book was put together very well, there is so much to see and the pictures are all nice and clear.



2. This book is the generous sharing of Ms.Johnson's passion of 25 years - the collecting of vintage clothing and accessories. With overviews of all of a woman's favorite accessories, the book can easily serve as a basic primer for those with a new-found interest in vintage pieces. The information on documentation, age determination, and worth accessment is both helpful and inspirational. The numerous close-up photos of a wide variety of accessories, along with drawings, illustrations, and ads from old periodicals will delight both new and experienced collectors, as well as those simply interested in the past - for fashion, as always, tells us much about culture. Ladies' Vintage Accessories is written in a personable style and is full of both information and food for thought. Highly Recommended.



3. This book follows the current trend in vintage clothing books, in that it consists of photos of items belonging to one collector, presented as an identification and price guide. There are brief captions and a little explanatory text. The author has photographed her items flat or on stands, thus avoiding the jarring effect created in some other books by the use of very modern-looking live models. Most of the items represent everyday, easily purchasable vintage accessories rather than spectacular or rare collectibles. There are also many black-and-white period advertising pictures, possibly to atone for the relatively small number of pre-1900 items photographed from the collection. The prices (unfortunately!) seem low for the current market, and I found no indication of how they were derived. Unlike some other books, most of the time the author avoids gushing about her collection. However, she does follow the current trend of giving comparatively little practical information on how to restore and use vintage accessories (which many collectors want to do), on the grounds that they are "too precious." In fact, most of the items pictured in her book could be worn and enjoyed without much risk of damage.



4. LaRee Johnson-Burton's book, Ladies Vintage Accessories, is outstanding. The photographs were stunning, and the information imparted about the value and description of the collection was exceedingly valuable. Quite frankly, I feel this book is a must-have, not only for the serious collector of vintage accessories and garments, but for writers of historical fiction, who can use this guide to bring them back in time and make certain that their characters are properly adorned. From cobalt blue Victorian parasols to 1920 gold mesh bags, this is a valuable and beautiful crafted book, packaged impeccably by Collector Books, and written by an author/collector who is clearly knowledgeable and passionate about her field. --Karen Plunkett-Powell, author, Remembering Woolworth's



5. LaRee Johnson Bruton's Ladies' Vintage Accessories ...covers hats, purses, shoes, aprons, shawls and all kinds of vintage accessories, with full-color photos alongside the latest prices. The history is as involving as the color photos of spoons paired with their values.

5 comments about Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry: Identification and Price Guide.

1. Great book! Wonderfully photographed and illustrated. Thank you Maurice Childs for going the extra mile to present beautiful photography. Leigh Leshner does a great job of describing the different types of plastics, identification tests, vintage designers, current modern designers, how to collect, and price guide. There is only one negative that I could possibly say about this book. I wish they had put more history included with the photographs such as the designer and manufacturer (if known), year made, and any other pertinent information. I especially liked knowing more about Judy Clarke, Jim Foltz, Ester & Ron Shultz, Karen & Howard Kronimus, Jackie Weeks, and others. A must have for your library!



2. This book is a must if you are into collecting Art Plastic Jewellery including plastic ,celluloid , bakelite and lucite.There are beautiful large coloured photographs on every page with descriptions and a price guide. Lots of chunky bracelets, dog brooches, mah-jong bracelets, animal pins, fruit jewellery etc. Very useful if you are into collecting vintage and modern plastic jewellery but also just a lovely book to look at!



3. Leigh Leshner's "Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry" is a fascinating look at today's plastics artisans. Modern designers like Jackie Weeks, Judith Evans, Jim Foltz and Judy Clarke--excluded from other bakelite and plastic jewelry guides--are well-represented in this clear and interesting book. There are sections on vintage pieces, history and types of plastics as well as the requisite price guide (which seemed more accurate than other guides for this current market...), but it is the photographs and the info on the new generation of artisans that make this book a winner. A must for the serious and the casual collector.



4. I own all the books in Leigh Leshner's series and cannot fault Leigh for showing off great photos, great jewels and intense information. Leigh has done an excellent job with all of her books. Cannot wait to see what she has next in her jeweled magic hat. I hightly recommend all of Leigh Leshner's books. She gears them for various types of collections and you surely won't be disappointed.



5. "Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry: Identification and Price Guide" by Leigh Leshner is informative for the novice as well as seasoned collector. The author seems to convey a keen balance between old and new plastics to give the reader ample knowledge of both. I particularly liked the price guide; it is a good gauge for individuals new to the market. I thought the photos were very well done. Thank you, Leigh.

5 comments about Pocket Ed. Jackson's Hallmarks.

1. There are two books on English silver hallmarks available on Amazon, the other being English Silver Hallmarks, and although both are excellent books, in my opinion, this is the lesser of the two. Both books are almost identical in content: both provide illustrations of English, Irish and Scottish silver, gold and platinum hallmarks, and illustrations of the more important makers marks, which allow for the dating of silver, gold and platinum items. However, this book omits Sheffield plate marks, which are included in "English Silver Hallmarks", and it is harder to find what you are looking for in this book.
   
   The periods of time covered by these two books are slightly different. This book gives hallmarks for the period from 1300 to 1991, whereas "English Silver Hallmarks" covers the period from 1554 to 2004. If you are wishing to date very early pieces of silver, then, clearly, this is the book to buy. However, as I have never had any need to date items made prior to 1554, and most of the items that I have dated have been more recent items, I find the period of time covered by "English Silver Hallmarks" to be the most appropriate for my needs.
   
   Although both books are very useful and both are likely to satisfy the requirements of the average silver collector, if you are only going to buy one of these books, then "English Silver Hallmarks" is probably the book to buy.



2. Unless you are extremely experienced with Silver and Gold items and what / where their origin may be, this book is probably not for you. The chances of being able to find what you are looking for reminds me of looking for a needle in a haystack. The marks are illustrated in VERY SMALL 1/4" black and white diagrams, column after column, put in tables with time period or comment in print that is even smaller than the diagram. Several (bordering on too many) of the marks look very much the same and after looking at 170 pgs of extremely small and not necessarily clear diagrams and images, I feel I should of spent my money elsewhere for info on silver ID.



3. Not easy for any beginner to use. Unless you knew exactly what kind of silver you were trying to identify i.e. English, Scottish, Irish... etc, it was a bit confusing. Marks are black & white, some not showing very good clarity and everything is in extremely in small print. If you just want to sort through tons of marks and dates, this may be for you. If you want information about your piece, pass it up.



4. This is a great little book!
   Easy to use to look up maker's marks while out antiquing, or at auctions, or what-have-you.
   I just wish there was a section of Russian Silversmiths Marks. But other than that... A+!



5. This is a great little book to take antiquing with you if you collect English silver. Although not exactly pocket size it can still fit in your bag or you can hold on to it without it getting cumbersome. Unlike many of the other silver ID books the hallmarks shown in this book are large and clear enough that you don't need your glasses to decipher them. A nice plus is that it reviews selected makers of Georgian through 20th Century silver and offers a little comment on their work.

No comments about Bejewelled by Tiffany 1837-1987.

2 comments about Fabulous Fakes: A Passion for Vintage.

1. A very pleasant well presented book, with great attention to the details of good paper and clear colourful photos. The printed information is interesting and the colour photographs inspiring. I liked the book very much as a frivolous delightful dip into the world of bling.



2. FABULOUS FAKES: A PASSION FOR VINTAGE COSTUME JEWELRY is much more than just another identification or pricing guide: it captures and shares the author's own enthusiasm for the history and background of costume jewelry, offering chapters spiced with numerous color photos. Her pieces accompany a running history of vintage costume jewelry from Victorian to modern times, offering excellent and vivid insights into show-stopping pieces. A 'must' for any serious collecting library, especially those covering costume jewelry.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

2 comments about Mokume Gane.

1. The book covers the process of creating mokume-gane from start to finish in a clear, informative manner. Having never used this technique before, I used this book as a guide and was very successful the first time. In addition to information on fusion/diffusion, forging, patterning and patination, the photographs of finished pieces and samples are helpful in displaying the effects of various materials, patterns and finishing techniques (some quite surprising). Details about different material combinations and their working properties are also included. I have no experience with other books on this topic to compare to, but for now this book seems to be the only one I will need to continue using this technique. My only criticism is that the chapter order could have a better arrangement.



2. Covers a number of topics that are only briefly alluded to in Midgett's book. Dr Ferguson also uses a different process than the ones covered in Midgett's book. He includes a detailed schematic of the kiln and press apparatus. Using this process, he is able to combine a number of materials not readily available to people just using the common processes.
   
   Short and concise, for the most part. The section of pagination is worth the cost of the book itself. Covers a lot of material that is usually not all available in one place. The color plates in the appendices really show the range and variation possible.

5 comments about Answers to Questions About Old Jewelry: Covers 1840-1950 (Answers to Questions About Old Jewelry).

1. Another GREAT book from this author! Wonderful pictures and information. This book has already helped me to buy and sell on eBay and has paid for itself. I have lots of jewelry books and this one is not a re-hash of other old books, as so many out there are. I am a very satisified and happy customer.



2. Yet another excellent jewellery book by C. Jeanenne Bell. This book is primarily a pictorial pricing guide to jewellery dating from 1840-1950, but the photos are interspersed with detailed pieces of information on topics such as jewellery makers, precious metals, imitation gemstones and the historical context of the jewellery, all of which are likely to be of value to most jewellery collectors.
   
   The main criticism I have of this book is that it is extremely cheaply produced. With the exception of two sets of color plates, the majority of the pictures in this book are in black and white. Furthermore, even though I always handle my books with extreme care, and my copy of this book is only about a year old, the color plates have started to come adrift from the binding. The index is also very brief and not detailed enough for my liking.
   
   This is an excellent book and would be a valuable addition to any jewellery library, but make sure you handle it with care.



3. Book was not put together very good. It was also very boring in alot of areas. The middle section that has pictures...fell completely out of the book and into my hands. Very bad binding job and cheaply made book. Would not recommend this book to anyone.



4. Didn't provide the type of information I was looking for but had some helpful hints.



5. I have serveral of J. Bell's books and I enjoy them all. This one is informative and I love the quality pictures.

5 comments about Costume Jewelry (DK Collector's Guides).

1. "Costume Jewelry" is a full-colour pictorial guide to the main (American) makers and designers of costume jewellery. For each designer, a brief history is given, which is them followed by numerous colour pictures and 2003 values. A brief appendix of makers marks is included at the end, to allow readers to identify pieces of jewellery which they may own, as is a comprehensive index.
   
   This book is aimed squarely at novice jewellery collectors. It gives the reader a good idea of the different styles of costume jewellery available and is a wonderful book for fueling dreams. However, it lacks much of the information that more advanced collectors may be looking for, such as detailed information on dating jewellery and advice on which are the best pieces to collect.
   
   There are a lot of similarities between this book and Collecting Costume Jewelry 101: The Basics of Starting, Building & Upgrading (Collecting Costume Jewelry 101). Both are visual guides to American costume jewellery makers, although I, personally, prefer "Collecting Costume Jewelery 101". It contains more advice on collecting than this book does. Nevertheless, both books are very good and if you are a beginner and you can afford it, I would recommend that you buy both.



2. This book is definitely out of date when it comes to the suggested price range of pieces, however it is simply one of the most opulent and lovely books on Costume Jewelry. 1500 high quality images that will leave you drooling. This is a brilliant book for anyone loving beautiful jewellery or as an inspiration book for jewellers. Very happy with this purchase.



3. Judith Miller has done it again with her glossy pictures and informative data on all the main designers in vintage jewelry. This book gives a great synapsises on all the jewelry greats.
   This book is wonderful and easy to read for a quick reference. I would recommend this book along with the Miriam Haskell book for any jewelry collector.
   This book has taught me so much, just as her others. Thanks again for another great book!



4. This book is a good one to have in your costume jewelry library. It begins with interesting background on costume jewelry through the ages followed by twenty in-depth designer profiles with example pieces. An interesting feature of these first designer profiles is the "Good, Better, Best" designations for examples of the same type of piece, such as necklaces or pins. The third section is entitled the "A-Z of Designers and Makers," which includes less in-depth information on the company or designer with photos of pieces. Interspersed among the A-Z designers are sections entitled "Hot Collecting Field," which deal with topics such as Christmas tree pins, Scottish agate jewelry, Bakelite, Coro duettes, etc. It took me a while to figure out this interruption in the A-Z organization. One surprise in the A-Z designers is that DeLizza & Elster (Juliana) is not included. The book concludes with a "Gallery of Unsigned Pieces" with some rather hodgepodge categories, such as "Miscellaneous Pins." The index is good but alphabetized by designer last name in contrast to other sections of the book which may be alphabetized by designer first name. The jewelry included in this book definitely leans toward the high end. In addition, values seem to me to be inflated in relation to eBay averages. The photography is beautiful. I would recommend buying a used copy for your costume jewelry library.



5. I really like this book because the is alot if information on alot of different makers. The pictures are clear.There are alot of designers I have never heard of so this is great for me. I'm far from an expert and not a beginner so this book is good for me!
   Buy it!

1 comments about One Hundred Years of Collectible Jewelry: 1850-1950.

1. Lillian Baker's "100 Years of Collectible Jewelry" might help you to find your way, but only barely. The small opening section, with a brief history of jewelry, may be helpful to the novice...but is by no means complete or even truly interesting to the seasoned collector. It will give you an overview of jewelry styles and some of the historic events that prompted them, but will leave you wanting more. (Much more.) The photographs in the book are clear, but very small; not wildly exciting nor representative of all periods and jewelry styles. However Ms. Baker does go into areas not generally covered...hair combs, hat pins and beaded purse are investigated although in a flash in the pan sort of way. Possibly the major advantage of the book is the Glossary of Terms. If you are brand spanking new to collecting jewelry, this may be the most helpful and informative portion of the book. Overall I would recommend the book for it's reasonable price and easy to chew small bites of information, but if you are interested in a compelling, in-depth view of the history of jewelry, this book is not for you.

2 comments about Designing Jewelry: Brooches, Bracelets, Necklaces and Accessories.

1. This is my second book by the same people who drew and painted those necklaces and bracelets in the book. One of the person in the book was also a professor of mine at FIT(Fashion Institute of Technology,NYC). He was a wonderful teacher and his works are just amazing.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who is starting out in something like mechanical drafting or jewelry design. Which is what I am in now. It helps alot. If you need to know how to render a bracelet or a necklace, just look up the book and follow. Its simple enough. It also shows you all varieties of bracelets and necklaces that you can get inspirations and ideas out of if you have problems thinking of your designs.
   
   It helps to have this book at hand because it shows you the techniques and everything.



2. This book guides you through the art of jewelry designing. A must have for aspiring jewelry designers. Full of pictures of designs and finished pieces