Editorial Review

To take something as ordinary as wire and present it as a trueart form is an amazing achievement, and this book does exactly that.According to Suzanne Slesin, the story of wire as a component of usefuland decorative household objects began in Slovakia in the 17th century,where tinkers used thin strands of iron to repair household pottery.The art of wirework flourished and traveled throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the next century, becoming highly developed andquite popular by the end of the 1800s; utilitarian objects such asbaskets, bottle racks, serving dishes, plant stands, trivets, andbirdcages were both made of and embellished with wire. Sadly, wireornamentation as a decorative art is mainly a thing of the past, butbecause these objects are so sturdy, they can often be purchased asantiques. The book has a long directory of European and Americansources for wirework. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Comprehensive historical and technical book
As an artist and metal worker, I've found this book comprehensive. Great illustrations and historical documents. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Decoration & Ornament    5. General    6. Interior Design    7. Metal Arts And Crafts    8. Textiles & Costume    9. Wire craft    10. Wire in interior decoration    11. Antiques & collectables: gold & silver (other than jewellery)    12. Antiques & collectables: jewellery    13. Decorative arts & crafts    14. Home furnishing & decoration    15. Metals technology / metallurgy   

Reviews (6)

Excellent Resource
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.

EXCELLENT SOURCE OF InSPiRATION!
Amazing examples of all kind of imaginable brooches. You will startcreating your own.

500 Brooches Review
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. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beauty & Grooming - Fashion    2. Beauty & Grooming - General    3. Brooches    4. Consumer Health    5. Crafts & Hobbies    6. Diet / Health / Fitness    7. Hobbies/Crafts    8. Jewelry    9. Jewelry making    10. BG-FICTION OVER $5 - BG-SEC FICT $5/10    11. Crafts & Hobbies / Jewelry    12. Jewellery & jewellery-making   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Clocks & Watches    5. Design    6. Jewelry Arts And Crafts    7. Reference - Price Guides    8. Antiques & Collectibles / Clocks & Watches    9. Antiques & collectables: jewellery   

Reviews (10)

Good guide
Good book for someone interested in knowing what they have.It is based on using specific equipment, but does give the biginner a good understanding of what is needed, and how to use it.

Pros, but Cons as well...
When I bought this book I was looking for a way to indentify various stones that I inherited from my Grandmother. This book if great if you're looking at selling or profiting from your stones AND willing to spend $$$ in advance to do it. The book basically lists equiptment, where to buy it, how much it costs, etc... and then how to use said equiptment to identify stones. I was looking for something that would help me to identify stones without spending $1000 before hand.
A True Gem for Gem Lovers
As a professional Gemologist having studied gems extensively and also someone who helps instruct already certified gemologist, aspiring gemologist, gem and jewelry retailers (many are not gemologists), gem cutters, hobbyist and consumers, I find Gem Identification Made Easy to be a very worthwhile purchase. It is comprehensively informative, accurate, resourceful, inspiring, and articulate as appropriate for the intended audience with a wide diversity of gemological knowledge. And, it's fun! Let's face it, gems, and jewelry containing them, are expensive toys, and though the money used to purchase them are typically discretionary, I don't know anyone who wants to pay for something that is not what it is represented to be. Very good, basic gemological information contained in this book will pleasingly educate the reader of any of the categories above, but can also potentially save the reader from mistakes worth multiple orders of dollarmagnitude beyond the cost of the book (or the recommended basic tools which it explains how to use). The 3rd Edition provides updates that deal with new treatment processes, new synthetics and simulants and gemological evidence that will aid in their identification. I have many reference books on gemology in my library, and I proudly display and use this one. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Hobbies/Crafts    4. Identification    5. Jewelry    6. Precious stones    7. Antiques & collectables: jewellery    8. Consumer guides & advice   

Reviews (2)

MESMERIZING = CARTIER
A MOST REMARKABLE COLLECTION OF CARTIER JEWELS PHOTOGRAPHED IN ALL THEIR GLORY. THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING I EXPECTED & MORE; BEAUTIFULLY PRINTED & ENCASED IN A LUXURIOUS FOLDOUT BOX--A JEWEL ITSELF FOR ANY LOVER & COLLECTOR OF ORNAMENTS. ITS' MASSIVE SIZE & OVERALL QUALITY JUSTIFY ITS' PRICE. I AM MESMERIZED BY THE ARTISTRY & VERSATILITY OF CARTIER.

Must have!!!
This book is a must have for any true jewelry book colector.
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Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Design - Decorative    5. Jewelry    6. Jewellery & jewellery-making    7. Photography / Fashion   

Reviews (1)

Amazing
This book has not only wonderful pictures but also incredible biography of Verdura -- highly recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Jewelry    4. Rich & Famous    5. Techniques - Pastel Drawing    6. Antiques & Collectibles / Jewelry   

Reviews (42)

The price guide watch collectors love to hate,
the M***osoft of watch price guides, or the 2.4 pound gorilla lurking in my watch briefcase- call it what you may, but as one can see by the numerous reviews below, the Complete Guide never fails to elicit opinions both positive and negative from watch collectors.All criticisms are valid, yet this reader always finds something interesting between the covers of this book, and whenever I am looking for information about relative values of watches, this is where I usually first look.Until a truly up-to-date price guide, that reflects the reality of ALL markets is created by some enterprising individuals (any watch collectors at Google??), this is the resource many will turn to first.One suggestion: I for one would support a 10 to 15 dollar increase on the retail price of this guide if that would enable the author to hire the services of a professional editor who could then clean up the numerous errors and redundancies present in this guide, which are well documented, by the way.

If this is no better than the 2001 edition ...atravesty
I own the 2001 edition, which is awkwardly written, very poorly edited, and difficult to use as a reference.Many photos appear to be xeroxes of movements rather than photos, and are illegible.Many actual photos are of such poor quality as to be essentially useless. There is no index, no attempt to provide cross-reference material (such as calibres common to a set of watches).Even the table of contents contains an error.
pocket watches
A valuble source of information at your finger tips, with up to the date prices for all watches. I would have to say, "a Bible for the watch collector". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques / Collectibles    4. Antiques/Collectibles    5. Clock And Watch Making    6. Clocks & Watches    7. Jewelry    8. Reference - General    9. Reference - Price Guides    10. Technical & Manufacturing Trades   

Reviews (6)

Art Clay Silver and Gold 19 Unique Jewelry Pieces to make in a day
Great book.Easy to use. Great ideas for projects.Taught me things that I did not learn in a class I took

All skill level book
This art clay (trade name) book covers what everyonee should now that is going to use the Art Clay brand metal clay. The first sections/chapters get the basic stuff down so one can move on to the fun parts making the projects. The pictures are of a good size with large numbers to correspond to the descriptive blurbs. They are of the close up type with little background of the work surface visible. (I do hate it when they show more work surface than the item they are making.) The material lists are well thought out in their content. The glossary and the gemstone charcteristic chart is a nice touch. the chart really important in selecting stones to bake with the clay. I own it

A good start for metal clay
This book is a good starting point for those begining to work with metal clay. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Jewelry    5. Jewelry Arts And Crafts    6. Metal Work    7. Equestrian & animal sports   

Reviews (9)

Great Balance of Text & Photos
This review is for the paperback version of the book, which I loved.It has a lovely balance of terrific photos & explanations of the various sources of the featured gems.It serves as a nice beginning reference when you have heard the terms sapphire & red sapphire (huh? I thought red gems were rubys or spinels) and would like to know more about which gems are related to others.
Stunning photography; an amazing collection
"The National Gem Collection," by Jeffrey E. Post, features photographs by Chip Clark.The book is a beautiful celebration of the title collection, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution.The informative text discusses the history of the collection, facts about types of different gemstones, and specific pieces in the collection. Beautiful
This is a beautiful book with lots of interesting information on the gem collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General    5. Earth Sciences - Mineralogy    6. Fashion    7. Gems    8. Jewelry    9. Mineralogy (General)    10. Art / Fashion    11. Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides    12. Rocks, minerals & fossils   

Reviews (7)

Great Book, Lots of Information!
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!
Judith Miller Costume Jewelry
Very good basic review of higher end costume jewelry with great photos, bold layout.

Great Book for Beginners and Experienced Collectors
This book was one of my first books on costume jewelry, and it is so easy to learn from. I know, because I have an online vintage jewelry site, "Enchantment Vintage Costume Jewelry" and I still reference this book frequently.
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Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Catalogs    5. Collectors and collecting    6. Costume jewelry    7. Jewelry    8. Antiques & Collectibles / Jewelry   

Reviews (2)

Recommended reading with minor caveats - 4.75 stars
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!

Southwestern silver jewelry
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. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Indian silverwork    5. Indians of North America    6. Jewelry    7. Silver, Gold & Other Metals    8. Southwest, New    9. Antiques & Collectables    10. Jewellery & jewellery-making   

Reviews (3)

A RARE FIND
THE JEWELS OF THE DUCHESS OF WINDSOR 1st edition,is a lush vicarious view of the golden age of royalty.The illustrations are breathtaking, done by some of the world's most famous photographers including Lord Snowdon..amarvelous addition to any collection.

A RARE FIND
THE JEWELS OF THE DUCHESS OF WINDSOR 1st edition,is a lush vicarious view of the golden age of royalty.The illustrations are breathtaking, done by some of the world's most famous photographers including Lord Snowdon..amarvelous addition to any collection.

A Visually Stunning Masterpiece!
I adore this book! It's an oversize publication which increases the beauty of the photography. The photos of the Duchess'jewelry are breathtaking, and it also provides a full account of the famed auction, including the amounts paid for the jewelry.There are great pictures of celebrities who purchased some of the pieces. There's even a stunning photo of Liz Taylor wearing the Prince of Wales Plume Pin for which she paid over $500,000. It also recounts the story of their lives along with pictures, including copies of newspaper clippings during the abdication. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Duke and Duchess or the forthcoming auction of the Windsor's household possessions at Sothebys.This book is the jewel in my collection of royal books! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1896-    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques / Collectibles    4. Biography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Duchess of,    7. General    8. Great Britain    9. Jewelry    10. Jewelry Arts And Crafts    11. Kings and rulers    12. Nobility    13. Private collections    14. Windsor, Wallis Warfield,    15. Marriage    16. Windsor, Edward    17. Windsor, Wallis Warfield   

Reviews (2)

Kenneth J. Lane: Faking It
I really like many of the designs that Kenneth J. Lane has produced over the years and loved having a reference book of all his different styles and periods. The prose is of a chatty style that I usually am not too fond ofbut Mr. Lane is so upbeat and aware of the good fortune that has blessedhim that you can't help but like him.The photography is wonderful and itis fun to see photos of celebrities wearing his jewels. The book could havebeen stronger if it has an addendix of technical information about thecreation of costume jewelry or had a reference as to current pricing ofsome of Mr. Lane's vintage pieces.But I had many a fun evening lookingand reading and will definately keep this book available for several morereadings.

Great pictures - no help on value of pieces
This book has beautiful pictures, but not enough info & absolutely nohelp on figuring out values. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1932-    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Biography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Costume jewelry    7. General    8. Jewelers    9. Jewelry    10. Jewelry Arts And Crafts    11. Lane, Kenneth Jay,    12. United States    13. Biography: general    14. Gold & silversmithing    15. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    16. Individual artists    17. Jewellery & jewellery-making    18. Lane, Kenneth Jay    19. Photography / General    20. USA   

Reviews (4)

Excellent photos, difficult reading
Although the photos of beads are excellent, I found this book far too much like a PhD dissertation, with the feel of a synthesis, having substance but written in a format which was difficult to read. Bibliographic references imbedded in the text just add to the unreadable style. The text is painfully lacking in the kind of information I appreciate, such as dating, geography, and clear references to the individual beads presented in the photos. And references to values of beads in dollars has no relevant meaning unless there is a time reference. As a reference book I would rate it of minimal worth. As a coffee table amusement it is acceptable, but would need far more photos to make it useful for that purpose.

Beautiful Book But Not For Beginners
This is a beautifully written, beautifully illustrated book, however, it is definitely for the advanced bead collector.Its main focus is on beads the average person could not find or afford. I am a beginner in the bead collecting world and needed a book that was more of an identifying guide.The chances of me running across a bead that was illegally excavated from an archeological dig in a foreign country are slim..and I wouldn't know what to do with it anyway.I'm returning the book and continuing the search.

A stunning work of art.
This is a work of immense proportions. Robert Liu is both a scholar and an artist.This is a work which draws on both sets of skills, and the result is wonderful.For bead lovers it's a definative work.As a scholarlypiece, it likely has material of interest to those interested in arthistory and world culture as well.It's an important book and one thatwould be sorely missed if it ever went out of print--I say this as onewho's passed on books like this, only to search the world over for themwhen they were no longer available...get this one now. You won't regret it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Beads    3. Beads & Beading    4. Beadwork    5. Crafts & Hobbies    6. Hobbies/Crafts    7. Jewelry    8. Reference    9. Costume    10. Decorative arts & crafts    11. Fashion design    12. Yearbooks, annuals, almanacs   

Reviews (7)

Great Reference Material
As on online vintage jewelry dealer, Atlanta vintage jewelry dot com, Warman's book was one of the first in my reference library. Sure, it has some faults, but not to the degree to make the book 'useless'. I used to spend my evenings in bed reading through the pages, getting familiar with the vast array of information.
Drool . . .
Over the years, Warman's guides to antiques haveestablished a reputation for reliability.This volume is the third (2002)edition of their jewelry guide.It's lavishly illustrated with examples from many styles, eras, and price ranges.It provides a feast for the eyes and a lot of useful information as well.
A visual feast for jewelry lovers
"Warman's Jewelry," 3rd edition, by Christie Romero, is subtitled "A Fully Illustrated Identification and Price Guide to 18th, 19th, & 20th Century Fine and Costume Jewelry."The book is full of fascinating and useful features, among them an extensive bibliography, glossary, index, and chronology.There are also a number of appendices, including a hallmark identification guide and a guide to the marks and names on Mexican silver jewelry and metalware.Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques / Collectibles    4. Antiques/Collectibles    5. Catalogs    6. Collectors and collecting    7. Costume jewelry    8. Jewelry    9. Jewelry Arts And Crafts    10. Reference - Price Guides    11. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    12. Decorative arts & crafts   

Reviews (1)

A good biographical book on Hector Aguilar and his influence
This book is well done. But, it is not a Morrill and Berk book on an overview of Mexican Silver and Taxco. It is more narrow in scope that its title would suggest concentrating in depth on Hector Aguilar and making himmuch more a personna than Morill and Berk do in their book, where he isdwarfed by Spratling. The photos in this book are of homes and people. Thephotos there are of silver of the Taller are good but do not again expectthe detail to the Morrill and Berk book. This is a supplement and to loversof Aguilar and those who wish to know more about the man and his life bothpersonal and professional. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Aguilar, Hâector    3. Antiques & Collectibles    4. Antiques / Collectibles    5. Antiques/Collectibles    6. General    7. History    8. Metal Arts And Crafts    9. Mexico    10. Silver, Gold & Other Metals    11. Silversmiths    12. Silverwork    13. Taxco de Alarcon    14. Taxco de Alarcâon    15. Aguilar, Héctor    16. Antiques & collectables: gold & silver (other than jewellery)    17. Antiques & collectables: jewellery    18. Gold & silversmithing   

Reviews (3)

Too expensive and not comprehensive
It definitely should have been better! Pictures and info lack any real knowledge of the subject, and often times just had wrong information. Very disappointed. A big book with little value to me.

Only for a beginner, and not terribly informative
Expectations of visual and historical information for this expensive book should be high. But exceptionally poor photography and lack of any rigorous understanding of the history of jewelry and design in the text from these authors rate this book a tepid two stars only. It should have been better, coming from this antique specialty publisher, since it is a facinating subject, and there isn't much available in print.

cameos classical to costume
I have had this book for the past year and have been a cameo collector for25 years and this is my favorite book of all my collectors books ,I use itnearly every day to chech things out or to just browse and wish.It is veryinformative and the pictures are clear .I highly recommend this book to anycameo collector , ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Cameos    5. Collectors and collecting    6. Jewelry    7. Antiques & collectables: gold & silver (other than jewellery)    8. Antiques & collectables: jewellery    9. Carving & carvings   

Reviews (1)

A recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies reference collections
Painstakingly compiled and with an expert, knowledgeable commentary by Shelby J. Tisdale, Fine Indian Jewelry Of The Southwest: The Millicent Rogers Museum Collection offers an impressively informative history and survey of the southwestern Native American jewelry that is represented in the collection of the Millicent Rogers Museum as the result of art patron and passionate collector Millicent Rogers who assembled a spectacular collection of Navajo and Zuni silver and turquoise, Hopi silverwork, and Pueblo stone and shell jewelry during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Of special interest is the chapter devoted to "The Origins of Indian Jewelry in the Southwest". Profusely illustrated and a very strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies reference collections, Fine Indian Jewelry Of The Southwest is enhanced for scholars and non-specialist general readers alike with the inclusion of a glossary, references, and an index.
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Subjects:  1. American - Native American    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Museum    6. Jewelry    7. Catalogues raisonnes    8. Indigenous peoples    9. Jewellery & jewellery-making    10. Museums & Museology   

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. 20th century    3. Antiques & Collectibles    4. Antiques/Collectibles    5. Art & Art Instruction    6. Design - General    7. Fashion    8. History    9. History - General    10. Jewelry    11. United States    12. Antiques & collectables: jewellery    13. Exhibition catalogues and specific collections    14. Jewellery & jewellery-making   

Subjects:  1. Antiques    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques / Collectibles    4. Antiques/Collectibles    5. Jewelry    6. Jewelry Arts And Crafts    7. Antiques & collectables: jewellery    8. France    9. Jewellery & jewellery-making