Answers To Questions About Old Jewelry: 1840-1950

by C. Jeanenne Bell

Make smart sense of today's dynamic world of collectible jewelry when you rely on the answers to key questions about vintage jewelry covered in this new full-color edition of the jewelry collector's classic must-have. Authoritative details, such as maker's marks, outlined in this guide help collectors and dealers identify, date and assess everything from brooches and pins and pendants, rings and lockets of the mid-1800s through the 1950s. This new color edition also includes coverage of Modernist jewelry; as well as an expanded section devoted to Mexican jewelry, a market where many pieces are selling for thousands of dollars each.

Genres: Jewellery, Reference, History, Nonfiction

1044 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1981

Reviews

[Nicole O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have an interest in antique jewellery, then I recommend this book as a must-have-read. It is a blend of history, fashion and jewellery. For me, understanding past trends and fashions is an integral part of retaining knowledge about jewellery styles. Who thought Queen Victoria could be a trendsetter? But she was exactly that with her black mourning brooch. Those tit-bits of information help one see the big picture of the historical jewellery timeline. Further in the book, the author displays many photographic examples of antique jewellery alongside prices paid. To me, those prices may be of value now but will soon outdate with inflation and demand. I have not read to the end of the book yet, so perhaps I state this prematurely, but I would have enjoyed knowing from what regions did the Victorians (and other eras) obtain their gemstones. To collectors, the origins of gems may add or subtract significantly from jewellery value. After doing independent research, I discovered that amethysts and green garnets from Siberia were of particular importance due to their unique and distinctive colour tones. However, the Victorians also obtained stones from India and Brazil -- maybe a mention of this because the Indian amethysts are of a paler, less valuable colour. Old mining information would have been a curious bonus to add to this lovely book. None the less, a delightful book for curious-minded collectors.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

What was so interesting about this book, was not only the jewelry pieces (lots of pictures in color}, but at the beginning of each chapter, before going into the jewelry, the author treats us to a romp thru the history of that time. She covers the events, briefly, but also covers what ladies clothing was like, and lifts entire sections from magazines of the times, starting with Godey's Lady's Magazine.
I was able to download this book into my e reader, from the Hawaii State Public Library, and flip thru what was uninteresting.

[Donna Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4th Edition, 1996