No comments about Old Base Metal Spoons.

No comments about A Handbook of 20th Century U.S. Gold Coins: 1907-1933.

No comments about American Silversmiths and Their Marks IV.

No comments about How to Invest in Gold and Silver: A beginners guide to the ways of investing in precious metals for safety and profit.

No comments about Chinese Coins: Money in History and Society (Arts of China).

1 comments about Gold Leaf Techniques.

1. This book is only for those looking to use gold leaf for signs. That is this book's complete focus - gold lettering on windows, cars/trucks, and wood signs. It goes into extraordinary detail and is excellent for people wanting to learn how to use gold leaf for making signs.

1 comments about Yesterday's Silver for Today's Table: A Silver Collector's Guide to Elegant Dining.

1. The positives: This is a visually gorgeous book, jam-packed with photographs of silver flatware. Usual and unusual pieces are identified, and a range of patterns are illustrated. This was what I was looking for when I bought the book: A reference book to use to identify those weird utensils in the family silver collection. And, yes, "Yesterday's Silver" seems to serve that purpose well.

   The negatives: Especially considering the cost of this book, the editing is shockingly bad! A page showing a range of ten different styles of forks, for example, will only have six of them labeled. A couple of captions are reversed. Luckily, the volume of photos and accurate captions are sufficient that a reader can compensate for editorial mistakes. But why, expecially at this price, should we have to?

   It's also disappointing to find that some utensils are described in fairly minimal terms. What, for example, would a "Saratoga chip scoop" serve? Luckily I'd read some other silverware books recently, which explained the material more thoroughly. But, again, why would that information not be included here?

   The cover states that the book includes a price guide. Well... that's stretching it a bit. Each illustration of silverware pieces lists a range of values for the items. But the values are rather vague, and judging from recent listings on ebay, quite exaggerated. The listings might make you feel good about the pieces you own, but they won't help with a realistic appraisal of the value of silver pieces.

   All of that aside, I like this book. It really is beautiful, especially the opening pages that illustrate truly artistic pieces of silverware. I enjoyed reading it and think it will be a moderately useful reference over time. But it's disappointing to realize how much better it could have been, if only a little bit more editorial care had been taken.

No comments about Silver.

2 comments about Jewelry Handbook: How to Select, Wear & Care for Jewelry.

1. Another well written, fantastic book by Renee Newman. This book is profusely illustrated with wonderful color photographs and the author writes very clear and informative advice on how to wear and select jewelry. Very useful tips on how to properly care for jewelry are a must to learn. Before acquiring more jewelry, reading this book would greatly help to understand jewelry in general, along value and fashion trends. Truly a great book!



2. Respected gemologist and the author of eight outstanding guides on the subject of gems and jewelry, Renee Newman combines her years of experience and expertise with a gift for writing to provide both jewelry professionals and interested non-professional general readers with an informed and informative guidebook and manual on selected just the right jewelry to match a lifestyle, a budget, and even a body type. Profusely illustrated throughout with color photography, the "Jewelry Handbook: How To Select, Wear & Care For Jewelry" lays out clear, concise, step-by-step instructions on choosing jewelry that flatters and which will endure in both value and tenure. Readers will learn how to properly decipher stamps on jewelry mounting, how to make jewelry versatile, how to care for, clean, and protect jewelry, and perhaps most importantly, how to get good value for the money invested in the purchase of jewelry. The "Jewelry Handbook" covers both the benefits and the drawbacks for various setting styles, mountings, chains and metals (including gold, silver, platinum, palladium, titanium, tungsten, and stainless steel). Before buying their next piece of jewelry, readers would be very well advised to read and rely on Renee Newman's "Jewelry Handbook".

No comments about The Brueghels.