Jewels and Jewelry (V&A Museum)

This is a beautiful book with high quality photos and well-written, interesting information on materials, the history of the styles represented and provenance of some pieces. It is based on the best pieces of jewelry in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum which houses a superb collection of mostly European and British isles jewelry with a few American and other areas represented. Time period covered ranges mostly from the Middle Ages to contemporary. A very enjoyable book. Kudos to Ms. Phillips and her colleagues. And, if you love jewelry or any other art form, do not miss an opportunity to visit the V &A.

Saw this book at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Had to have it but did not want to lug it around on my vacation. Amazon to the rescue!

WONDERFUL

"Jewels and Jewelry," by Clare Phillips, is loaded with full-color photographs of a rich assortment of jewelry. The introduction notes that most of the pieces pictured are on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The book is divided into 3 main sections: "Materials," "Chronology of Style," and "Manufacturing and Distribution."The book includes many informative and well-illustrated spreads on a number of topics: the pendants of the Renaissance, pieces celebrating Queen Elizabeth I, 18th century paste jewelry, the Art Nouveau style, etc. The book covers jewelry made from a rich variety of materials--gold, pearls, emeralds, cast glass, brass, coral, platinum, steel, etc. There are even pieces made from such startling material as a real fish head or recycled bus stop signs!The book portrays the work of an international gallery of artists, together with interesting biographical facts about these creators. Among the many designers included are Gijs Bakker of Holland, Wendy Ramshaw of England, Fritz Maierhofer of Austria, Yasuki Hiramatsu of Japan, and more. Some really unforgettable creations are pictured, ranging from elegant pieces with a traditional flavor to futuristic or quirky pieces. Overall, a superb book that truly celebrates the tremendous imagination and skill of the world's jewelry makers.

This book goes into alloys. Mixing copper with gold turns it red, silver turns it green, arsenic turns it blue or grey. White gold the author says, is barely gold at all, it is simply silver with gold _added_ to keep it from looking too much like silver. Very helpful for jewelry buying as well as jewelry making, as I could use this to know how to extract silver or copper, assuming I manage to separate the two.

This is a rich & informative antique jewelry book. The contents are categorized under materials, styles vs periods and the details of manufacturings. Great for jewelry designer and those who interested in jewelry history. One of my favorite jewelry collectibles!

This book arrived with a handwritten card inside describing the missing and duplicated pages. I am curious as to why this defective book was sent to me.