One Hundred Years of Collectable Jewellery, 1850-1950
by Lillian Baker
Jewelry was worn by ancient Egyptians at every level of society and, like their modern descendants, they prized it for its aesthetic value, as a way to adorn and beautify the body. It was also a conspicuous signifier of wealth, status, and power. But jewelry in ancient Egypt served another fundamental purpose: its wearers saw it as a means to absorb positive magical and divine powers-to protect the living, and the dead, from the malignant forces of the unseen. The types of metals or stones used...
Rene Lalique was one of the giants of twentieth century decorative arts and a master of the Art Deco idiom. Born in 1860, early artistic talent led to an apprenticeship with Paris goldsmith Louis Aucoc. By 1885 Rene had established his own workshop, and for the next twenty years he designed and made jewellery of great originality and beauty. Though this became famous worldwide, before the turn of the century he began experimenting with glass, and it is for this that Lalique is today most famous:...
A fabulous new addition to the series that includes "Things Korean" and "Things Japanese, Things Thai" presents 62 everyday items from Thailand. Each object-including religious and devotional items, household objects, food and farming implements, clothing, and craftwork--tells a story that represents the Thai lifestyle. Beautifully photographed, accompanied by detailed text offering an explanation of its history and cultural significance, each item illustrates an important piece of Thai custom a...
This beautiful, luxury book is the culmination of years of jewellery collecting by one of Azerbaijan's most prominent philanthropists.
'The Engagement Ring' is the only fully comprehensive guide, written by a top diamond jewellery expert. With over 25 years of experience hand making jewellery, Lewis takes you behind the scenes and exposes trade secrets that will help you get the perfect engagement ring for the price you will love. It covers how to source the diamond, to knowing which diamond to choose. It gives a better understanding of the pros and cons of buying a ring on the High Street or having a bespoke ring made. It co...
Christie's Twentieth-Century Jewelry
by David Lancaster and Sally Everitt
The first comprehensive and authoritative history of the Koh-i Noor, arguably the most celebrated and mythologised jewel in the world. On 29 March 1849, the ten-year-old Maharajah of the Punjab was ushered into the magnificent Mirrored Hall at the centre of the great Fort in Lahore. There, in a public ceremony, the frightened but dignified child handed over to the British East India Company in a formal Act of Submission to Queen Victoria not only swathes of the richest land in India, but also ar...
