3 comments about Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing.

1. This is the same 1998 book with a different cover. No new information since the 1998 edition.



2. Back in print is Hopi Silver: The History And Hallmarks Of Hopi Silversmithing, a revised classic covering the history and hallmarks of Hopi silversmithing. This classic appeared over twenty years ago and was updated in 1998 to include 80 new artisans: it not only reveals the history of past and contemporary Hopi silversmithers, but it provides an important reference of unique hallmarks used by other 300 Hopi silversmiths, including designs, silversmith name and clan, and years he or she began their work. Add color photos and you have a memorable coverage.



3. For anyone who admires or collects Hopi jewelry, this guide will only serve to deepen your appreciation of this beautiful artwork. After setting the stage geographically, Wright starts at the beginning with a history of Hopi crafts and culture, and early silversmiths. Of particular interest was the role played by Mary-Russell Colter of the Museum of Northern Arizona in encouraging the Hopi artists to create a design style that was uniquely Hopi, distinguishable from other Native American jewelry, and therefore profitable. The color plates of traditional and modern Hopi jewelry designs are stunning. The book closes with an index of the hallmarks of more than 300 Hopi silversmiths-- arranged chronologically and by type of symbol, with brief information about each artist. An invaluable reference for serious or casual collectors!

5 comments about Costume Jewelry: A Practical Handbook & Value Guide.

1. This book has a wealth of good information and is well arranged. I use it a lot. My only wish is that the pictures of the jewelry had been photographed on much lighter backgrounds as the black just sucks the sparkle out of the jewelry.



2. I was very pleased with this book!! It covered many jewelry manufacturers that had not been mentioned in any other books. It's very useful to me. I sell vintage, high-quality costume jewelry. The only draw-back, and it is small, is that some of the black jewelry doesn't show as well as it would have on a lighter background. Great Job!!!
   Laura
   City Scavenger Vintage



3. Of all my jewelry reference books I own, I use this one the most. It has a wide range, good photos, practical information on the manufacture. I wish I could find one like it with current prices. It's great!



4. This book is one of the bes t for covering the different makers and I especially enjoyed the charts and guidelines for buyers.



5. This book provides a short introductory section on cleaning buying selling etc and then write ups on different jewelry companies. The introduction is good for people with little information about caring for jewelry: displaying, cleaning, storing and repairing. It is sometimes humorous, as when Rezazadeh describes the meticulous procedure he goes through to clean his jewelry and then recalls discovering that his wife cleaned her jewelry by scrubbing it with a tooth brush and then blow drying it. There is also a bit about apraising and the supply and demand at work. I doubt that this is a book for dealers, because they presumably already have good resources and knowledge.
   
   The body of the book has short entries on different jewelry companies. About a page is dedicated to each, but there are sometimes two to a page and sometimes four or five pages to a widely spread company. Each company gets a short write up and photo of some jewelry pieces. The photos are good, but obviously not full page. They are enough to oo and ah over. Each photo has a caption describing the jewelry and giving an estimate for price it would cost. Companies are grouped into European and imported depending on where they were located. There are also sections on unmarked jewelry. These are grouped by how they are made (enamel, Austrian crystal, plastic, etc.). Since there is no company these sections have more pictures to text.
   
   If you are into vintage including jewelry then this could be a fun book. Also if you design jewelry then the multitude of pictures here can be a good resource for ideas and inspiration. The pictures are the highlight of this book.

3 comments about Southwestern Silver Jewelry.

1. Southwestern Silver Jewelry is a fascinating overview of the development of Native American silver jewelry in the Southwest. The many historical, social, and economic influences are beautifully researched and carefully described in a logical, chronological progression. The materials, tools, and techniques used to create this jewelry in the different eras are well described. The gorgeous, clear pictures accurately illustrate the points discussed.
   
   Experts and novices alike will find new information and develop greater insight into the history and artistry of this remarkable jewelry-making tradition. This book deserves a place in every jewelry collectors' bookshelf. If you buy only one book about Southwest Indian jewelry, make it this one!



2. This book is a visual feast and factual whopper! With vintage Indian Jewelry gaining popularity, this 200 page hardback book is a 'must read' if, for no other reason than to enjoy the pictures . . . fabulous! Also, much credit is deservedly given to artisans; it was refreshing to see the old timers names alive once again. The price guide is nice but very wide ranging. I spotted one or two factual errors but in a book of this scope, they are minor. I am always concerned about 'back scratching' when a high volume of the photo credits go to such a limited number of sources (owners/collectors/sellers), which is prevalent in this volume; otherwise, I believe you can rely on the very well written facts and figures. The historical overview is excellent and detailed. But most important, if you have any old Indian jewelry similar to those found in these pages, you have something of significance and value. You can bet online auctions will be replete with references to this beautifully illustrated book. Like I said, must read . . . even more . . . must own!



3. I like this book.I have other books by Paula Baxter, and I new that this one was going to be just as good. I make Indian jewelry and I'm always looking for picture books on the old Indian jewelry and this book is "chuck full of pictures of old jewelry and tools that were used to make the jewelry". The pictures are clear,clean,and big. If you like the way the indian jewelry looked back in the early part of the 1900's this is the book for you. Paula, did a vary nice job and I wish to thank her for this book.

5 comments about The Book of Old Silver: English * American * Foreign.

1. The photography in this book is minimal, black and white and grainy. Extensive and interesting background information, though (126 pages worth). VERY extensive coverage of maker's marks for all countries. Some marks are so small as to need a magnifying glass, however. (Hence the four stars)



2. The book was in or above the condition described and is the product I was looking for. I was glad that it was readily available through Amazon.



3. I bought this one, along withe another (Sterling Flatware Identification & Value Guide) for my mom and she uses it a lot. I think she uses the other one more but she always has both on hand. It has a lot of good info on how to id a piece, great pictures of hallmarks etc.



4. This book is a must have if you collect antique English silver. If you only want one book on the subject this is it. If you collect American or European silver, this book would not be my first choice. You can't get more info on antique English silver including hallmarks, history, and the different pieces of flatware and holloware that were made with any other Silver book I have ever read.



5. Talk, talk, talk. So much information about city hallmarks and nothing about purity marks. No way to really identfy general items that a novice collector would have. Is it real or not? Talks about fakes and again nothing about standards of silver and what they are. High brow attitude toward the subject with little or no information on Continental European silver in detail. Too little to late!

5 comments about The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession.

1. Recently, I have noticed a decline in the value of the dollar in the market and great increase of gold. Even the gold went over one thousand dollar at one point. Then, I came to thinking: what if we might be heading to some kind of economy collapse in our near future where our dollars in the banks will disappear overnight and we will be left penniless and head into a great debt without much a warning. Then, it would be likely that gold and silver might return to being as values/standards of money for survival purposes in the event of economy collapse. At least, that is my understanding of using gold.
   
   Before this year, I rarely take notice of gold and often thought of it as just piece of metal. And, I often wondered why gold would be such a big deal or why would gold became a driving motivation behind every nation's growth. Again, I thought, "they are pieces of metals, nothing more...geez, it sounds like everyone is obsessed with such illusion. Why do we even bother?" Then, I was recommended to this book by Peter Bernstein.
   
   "The Power of Gold: The History of Obsession" is very intriguing and easy to read, with only twenty chapters and roughly four hundred pages. It is certainly a book that I could not put down because it answered some of my questions on the subject, or at least to my understanding. I really liked reading about the histories of gold from the ancient times to present, including the stories of Lydian and Greek as well of Johann Sutter in the time of California gold rush. Also, it was interesting to acquire an understanding about the attitude of the people towards gold in the aftermath of The Black Death during the mid-fourteenth century.
   
   I most certainly agreed with the author when he said the following:
   "Those who believed that gold was a hedge against the uncertainties of life failed to understand that the pursuit of eternity is not to be satisfied by gold, or by anything else we choose to replace gold - dollars, euros, whatever. Gold and its surrogates make sense only as a means to an end: to beautify, to adorn, to exchange for what we need and really want." (p. 372)
   
   After reading this book, I have gained a better understanding about gold itself: how it was viewed, how it was and is being used, and why were/are people obsessed with gold. Gold may be a piece of metal, but it seems to serve mult-purposes.
   
   I am no economist or trader, but I found this book to be an enlightening read and very informative about the gold's nature, its history, and its relationship with humanity.



2. The older edition (Aug 30, 2000) has more pages (448 instead of 304) but costs more ($39.00). Comparing the table of contents between the 2 editions, it appears that the first 14 chapters and 207 pages are identical between the two editions but the new 2004 illustrated edition may have discarded or condensed some of the later chapters. The older 2000 edition is still available from Amazon if you look further down in search results for this title.



3. Peter Bernstein's "The Power of Gold" is an interesting read. It begins with a series of anecdotes on the history of hold - from the Israelites to King Midas to Crassus to Pizarro and everything in between.
   
   Suddenly, the anecdotes stop and instead the reader faces down some pretty hard core history of the gold standard and the economics therein. The change in tone was startling. Eric Conger, the reader on the abridged audio cassette handles it in stride and does his best to keep the tone and material light.
   
   Bernstein sets gold up as a villain in the lives of men and men's quest for gold does not usually turn out the way they plan. Bernstein details the evolution and subsequent gold standard and in so doing, uses the images of the anecdotes told previously. One of the more powerful and useful images was that of the merchant who was on a ship when it began to sink. Carrying all of his gold, the merchant jumped overboard and promptly sank - which poses the question, did the merchant possess the gold or did the gold possess the merchant?
   
   Once the nations of the world were off the gold standard, the market fluctuated wildly. It reached its zenith when it peaked at $850 an ounce in 1980. When Bernstein published the audio edition in 2000, gold had promptly gone downhill precipitously with a price below $300 an ounce. Bernstein all but closes the door on gold pronouncing that its time in the monetary system come and gone and its uses as a hedge non-existant.
   
   But just before Bernstein hammers in the last nail of gold's coffin, he quotes economist Robert Mundell who stated that gold would make a comeback in the 21st century. Sure enough, on January 14, 2008 (or 3 days before this review), gold was trading at a record $914 an ounce showing that gold's use as an enduring hedge seems as durable as gold itself.



4. The Power of Gold was lent to me by a colleague at work, a fellow market analyst. He and I talk monetary policy on a fairly regular basis, so he thought I'd like to give this book a read. Indeed, he was correct.
   
   In brief, this is a book which tracks the use of gold from a monetary perspective through most of human civilization. If you're at all interested in history, then this book is definitely right up your alley. It takes a look at world events from a perspective that you won't find in many other sources. Primarily that means focusing on how gold was (or was not) the main focal point of money and trade. I personally didn't care for the author's occassional forays into discussions of the decor of various palaces and whatnot, but they weren't too distracting. Beyond that, it was a very well written book, and a pleasant read.
   
   The really interesting stuff from a my perspective as a trader and analyst, of course, is the latter part of the book where it gets to modern times. I personally found the whole discussion of the 20th century, which was probably the last third or more of the book, to be the most meaningful. The author really presents an excellent discussion of various perspectives and efforts related to different countries being on or off the gold standard and how that all played out in both domestic and global economies.
   
   One of the things which has come up in modern political, social, and economic discussions is the idea of going back on the gold standard. There have been some very prominent proponents. If you want to get an idea of what that might look like, how that might play out in the global trade and economic modern environment, you'll definitely want to give The Power of Gold a read. It will really have you thinking about the complexity of it all, and the implications.



5. If you have read Bernstein's "Against the Gods" you might be somewhat disappointed. "Power of Gold" reads more like a lose collection of anecdotes than a complete and unbiased history of that fascinating metal.
   
   History of gold in modern times is too US centric for my taste. According to Bernstein, paper money is in - metal is out. Now watching a crazy built up of dept by the current US administration (how many trillions are it today?) you have to ask yourself: who will repay these debts one day? Watching the dramatic decline of the US Dollar and the stellar rise of today's gold prices Bernstein seems to bet on the wrong horse.
   
   Don't get me wrong: "The Power of Gold" is an excellent source about the history of _money_. But in my opinion it's not an unbiased view of the power of gold in today's world.
   
   As Bernstein says in its epiloge to "The Power of Gold":
   "The most striking feature of this long history is that gold led most of the protagonists of the drama into the ditch". Could it be that Mr. Bernstein was misled by it too?
   
   Since "The story of gold has a deeper message, one that has none of the transitory qualities of what we choose as money. Seen in this broader sence, the story of gold has no ending".
   
   Q.E.D.

5 comments about Warman's Sterling Silver Flatware: Value & Identification Guide (Encyclopedia of Antiques and Collectibles).

1. This book happens to be laying on my business desk at this moment because of the frequency of its use. It is an invaluable resource and guide for Sterling patterns and values. My business sells a lot of silver and couldn't do without this research book.



2. This book is a very useful resource if you deal in sterling silver flatware as it provides actual photographs, not drawings of the handles of each patter. The other benefit this book provides is that you can identify the pieces based on size -- and accurately call a piece by the proper name. Each pattern has a list of many available pieces and their value. I use this book alot and bought one for by business partner -- anyone who deals in sterling flatware should have a copy!



3. easy to follow and while this does not have hallmarks or much history, does carry clear pictures of standard patterns and makers. Good for a start and considering how little is out there, not bad.



4. I wish I had read the above review before I spent my money on this book. I think if someone is going to sell an identification "guide" for a specific category of goods and they are only going to cover a representative selection of that category, they should at least be honest about it on the cover. The cover of this one should say "If you only need a few photos from each manufacturer and you don't need makers' marks to help you IDENTIFY your silver, then this book is for you!!!"



5. As an avid collector of sterling silver flatware I am grateful for any new publication relating to pattern identification. Unfortunately, this guide is somewhat disappointing. The pattern illustrations and photographs range in quality from fairly good to down right poor. There is no section on hallmarks, an essential element in the identification of flatware patterns. Warman's guide is primarily a price list. As Moran correctly points out in his introductory remarks, merely a "ballpark" valuation. Nevertheless, while not a definative work, one should consider adding this guide to their sterling flatware reference library.

3 comments about American Silversmiths and Their Marks: The Definitive (1948) Edition (1948 Edition).

1. Although limited in periods covered (stops at 1850), this is a handy, easy to carry reference. Kovel's may be more extensive, but the additional info is often not what you need in the middle of the antique mall checking out a possible purchase. I find I use both, write notes in both, and have many pieces I know are American and I can't find the marks in either. So, what the heck, for ten bucks it's worth having with you BEFORE you buy.



2. For the time period covered (1650-1850) this is a very useful, almost exhaustive reference. I turn to it when I need to identify a hallmark, and find the illustrations to be very helpful. I thought it was a good buy.



3. Not until you open the book to the first chapter do you find out that the marks are limited to the period 1650--1850. No marks after 1850.

1 comments about Silver of the Americas, 1600-2000: American Silver in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Volume 3.

1. Jeannine Falino and Gerald W.R. Ward edit SILVER OF THE AMERICAS, 1600-2000: AMERICAN SILVER IN THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON, packing in over 1,000 reproductions in a catalog which updates Kathryn Buhler's 1972 tome. All the American silver to enter the MFA's collection after 1972 are included, making for a powerful presentation packing in nearly 700 objects in over 400 entries. Perfect for dedicated art libraries strong in American jewelry history.

2 comments about A Passion for Metal: Reflections and Techniques of a Metal Sculptor (Schiffer Art Book).

1. This book is very readable, not just a look at the pictures. There are many techniques used and discussed, with a new fluxing tool I'd never heard about. I've actually read most of it because of its interesting writing style. The work is high energy and enthusiasticly made.



2. A Passion for Metal is truly an apt title for this book. Mr. Harvey writes with wit and a clarity of thought about his 30-plus years as a sculptor. The book is part instruction manual, part art criticism, and part philosophy text backed by truly beautiful photographs of the work from Harvey Gallery on every page. You can sit down and read it from cover to cover or open it up to random pages and get enjoyment out of it.
   If you are a sculptor, an art lover, or just want to know what life is like as a professional sculptor in the present-day, this book is for you.

2 comments about European Designer Jewelry/a Schiffer Book for Collectors (Design).

1. There are not enough superlatives to describe this book. The photos leap from the page and are simply splendid. The author is knowledgabe and writes in a clear, understandable manner. Covered well are famous designers plus those designers who are relatively unheard of in America but who produce a quality portfolio of work.
   
   This is one of my prized books and would be the last I would ever part with. If there was a 10 star rating, this book would have earned it!



2. Compendium of knowledge about designers of European jewelry. Very useful for the collectors and historians of art. Many (some hundreds!) of great pictures of jewelry.