Jewels That Made History: 101 Stones, Myths, and Legends

by Stellene Volandes

The history of the world--triumphs and tragedies, breakthroughs and breakups--through the iconic jewels that have inspired and influenced since the dawn of time.

From ancient treasures to royal weddings, great heists to the red carpet, this book is a stunning, surprising, and glittering tour of historic turning points and gem-driven drama, delving into the passions and predilections of some of the world's most interesting and extraordinary people.

Starting in the era of Cleopatra and continuing through to contemporary jewelry statements by Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, and Meghan Markle, Stellene Volandes tells the stories of how shiny stones and precious metals have determined empires, inspired expeditions and great crime, and been the communicator of status and ruin since ancient times. Each moment is placed in historic and relevant context, with Volandes drawing engaging parallels between Napoleon's gift to Marie Louise at the birth of their son and the modern push present or the insouciant story behind the brooch Jackie Kennedy famously wore to a 1962 State Dinner with the Shah of Iran. Illustrated with a mix of archival images and gorgeous photography of the jewels, this book is a beautiful, informative, and essential read for history lovers, fashion, celebrity, and pop-culture followers, as well as passionate jewel hounds.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Fashion, Art, Jewellery

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 13, 2020

Reviews

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a small but luxurious tour of some of the world’s most famous jewels and gemstones. Although hardcovered, do not expect a large coffee table-style book.

The pictures are beautiful and plentiful, and the writing style is easy and conversational. There are plenty of interesting historical tidbits but I did wish it was slightly more “substantial” in parts. Good to dip in and out of.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big and bright book, lavishly illustrated, with 101 short, page-long descriptions of the jewels pictured. The book is really more about jewelry than jewels per se: the author wanders into hammered gold, lacquered jewelry, and even a couple of art styles. But that's fine with me. I got to see a lot of very pretty pictures, including some images of things I've seen in person (including an image of the place where I broke my foot), and learn some intriguing new things. For example, Elizabeth Taylor owned a famous pearl that once belonged to the Spanish royal family.

I do have a quibble: the book design. The pictures often seemed to be more of interest than the text, to the point where the text had awkward breaks in sentences and sometimes even in the middle of words in order to better accomodate an image. They were pretty images, but sometimes I just want to read the dang words.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lavishly illustrated, a trip through human attraction to the sparkly stones and precious gems that catch our eyes. Starting in prehistory with beads from shells, ivory, carnelian and such through examples of ancient historical pieces discovered over the centuries right up through notable and notorious stones associated with some rather dark times. And it's not just about the rocks themselves, some noted jewelers and designers as well as collectors are mentioned.

Victoria, perhaps the original influencer having received a emerald engagement ring which may be the prelude to colored, non-diamond engagement rings. Pearls or the tears of mermaids and the fabulous Pearl Carpet of Baroda - a carpet woven with over a million pearls within. Gems that may or may not have been part of the lost crown jewels of Bourbon France or Romanov Russia. Art deco and mystery set jewels and Debeers "Diamonds are Forever" ad campaign that changed how we looked at diamonds. Samples about masters that have faded into history like Dreicer, Despres, Fulco and Belperron. The Tiffany Diamond that has only been worn by three women in it's history. And many, many more.

It's a fun read especially if you enjoy reading about sparkly things and the history that can surround some of them. The pictures are fabulous as well because if ever do get the chance to see some of the pieces displayed in the book, you won't be able to get close enough to examine the works in detail. The book does end with a listing of those museums and collections available for viewing across the world so if you're looking for a road trip. . . .

2021-041

[Danny Sinopoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slim 2020 volume is, if you’ll pardon the pun, a little gem of a book, small in format yet ambitious in scope, beautifully packaged and illustrated in typical Rizzoli fashion. Covering the entire history of jewellery in 101 brief instalments on the key pieces, figures and moments in its evolution, the text (by Town & Country editor Stellene Volandes, a noted jewellery connoisseur who has greatly expanded her magazine’s coverage of the subject since she took over) is both pithy and informative, starting in ancient Egypt and ending with a major heist in Germany in 2019. Jewellery influencers who make appearances along the way include everyone from the legendary Cartier brothers, cultured-pearl pioneer Kokichi Mikimito and other notable jewellers to a host of free-spending maharajas, numerous European royals, socialites Nancy Cunard and Marjorie Merriweather Post, Hollywood trendsetters Gloria Swanson and Elizabeth Taylor and new-gen gem lovers Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga, to name but a few. I am giving the book, a handy if limited reference tool, three out of five stars for its content, snappiness and style, taking one away for the appallingly sloppy editing (erratic punctuation, numerous typos) and another for the superficiality that unavoidably comes with cramming a few millennia’s worth of artistry and intrigue into a single work, however charming it may be. Think of this literary bauble as a starter piece in an ongoing collection of knowledge.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely little edition, smaller than you would imagine but well done.

It's more of a chronological movement through history of significant moments in jewellery that includes more than just the jewellery itself. Often significant moments in history that jewellery was part of, the De Beers diamond engagement ring campaign, jewellery heists, significant collections etc.

Because of this there is a lot of royal jewels featured, though not so much on their origins of colonisation, this book keeps it light but colonisation is mentioned at a point as well as other not so pleasant origins of some precious stones.

There was some odd layout choices in a book that obviously had a thought and care put into it. Wrap around text that made reading difficult but those occasionally bad choices are outweighed by how nicely this has been put together. It's on the short side, some sections could probably have been expanded but it's easy to dip in and out of and really easy to read. Full of fascinating information.

Definitely more for someone who doesn't have a lot of experience with jewellery or it's history. Jewellery nerds would probably consider this to be light on information. Still. It is a lovely edition to have on the shelf. Or on a table for guests to flick through.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started reading “Jewels That Made History: 101 Stones, Myths, and Legends” I was pretty sure it was going to be an average read, but I ended up loving it. Stellene Volandes takes readers on a journey from prehistory through to the present day in 100 entries which cover jewelry, gemstones, history, culture, and their sometimes surprising connections. I was introduced to people and events I had never heard of and read about some I already knew in detail. It didn’t matter, I enjoyed all of the pages of the book which were emphasized by marvelous photographs. If you like learning about jewelry or tangible historical items you will enjoy this book. I recommend it.

[Anna L · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a coffee table album than a reading material, it contains gorgeous photographs and brief anecdotes about a smattering of meaningful jewels from various historical periods, but heavily favoring the 20th century. I got it primarily for inspiration, and it served that purpose, I also learned about some jewels and design trends I have never considered before. A list of museum jewelry collections (painfully incomplete, I must say) is a nice bonus, I made some mental notes to visit. Don't expect a lot of educational value here, but it's an enjoyable book to page through if you like jewelry.

[Kexole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore jewelry, it's the perfect way to express my personal style and add a touch of glamour to any outfit. And when it comes to diamond earrings, they are the epitome of elegance and style. They have the power to instantly elevate my look and make me feel like a true diva. That's why I was so thrilled when I discovered Chanti https://www.chanti.dk/p-oereringe-med... , a jewelry brand that offers the most exquisite diamond earrings I have ever seen. From classic studs to dazzling drop earrings, Chanti has a wide range of options that cater to every taste and style.

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a perfect example of why I love book-browsing. I picked up this book on a whim and really enjoyed it. I don’t consider myself much of a jewelry person but I do love history. This book has great pictures, neat stories and interesting facts like how you can often tell the age of a portrait by the jewelry the subject is wearing, which is indicative of the things going on in the world around them at the time.

[Cori Thonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really great to wet your appetite on the history of jewelry and famous gems! Be sure to have google nearby to look up references to other gems and articles that it lists in the descriptions.

I’m giving it 4 stars, as the writing isn’t the easiest to follow at times, and I would have preferred longer descriptions on several pieces which could have been achieved by making the large font a tad smaller.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and thoughtful analysis! Love how she characterizes and contextualizes jewelry trends across time. The varied word count and photo scale enabled the story in each vignette to shine. A more uniform approach would have felt quickly bloated, but this is very clever. I do hope the next edition cleans up the surprising volume of grammatical errors

[LibraryKath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous book. It's light and it's just a potted history of the jewels, but it's chock full of gorgeous photos of the jewels and interesting tales about their history. It's easy to read, has a light tone and should delight any jewel lover.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an easy read with a lot of typos. I bought it to have as a coffee table book but it’s smaller in size but definitely fits the bill. If you want to read about jewelry, read the book about the Cartier family written by the great great great granddaughter of Pierre Cartier.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history with some stunning design examples. More stories of non-Western design than in other such complications, but I wish they had included at least a couple of African examples of jewelry, particularly since some of the more modern jewelry was inspired by African designs.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures, interesting stories.

[Katie Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about famous jewels, their history and a few mysteries associated with gems. Photos are beautiful!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick and easy to read brief summaries and some of history’s most influential gems.

[Sofía · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immersive interesting, and beautiful experience.

[Sandy Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic
Keep it out, because you will want to keep going back for more.

[Manny Villa · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[✨evan✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my fav books. I must recommend!!!!

[Tamara Baksht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and informative history book.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

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