Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Present

World of Art

by Clare Phillips

From the simple shell beads worn by Palaeolithic hunters to the splendor of Renaissance gold work and the sumptuousness of Art Nouveau enamels, here is a fascinating and informative guide to the development of Western jewelry concluding with the radical and experimental developments in the last three decades.Offering a concise survey of the entire field, this book analyzes jewelry's changing fashions, explores its social context, and examines how it has been worn by both men and women. It shows how jewellers have responded to new sources of gems, whether emeralds from the New World or diamonds from South Africa, and to the discovery of metals such as platinum and aluminum.Masterworks by unknown craftsmen and pieces designed by individual artists as diverse as Holbein, Pugin and Calder are illustrated alongside the glittering products of the major jewelry houses.

Genres: Jewellery, Art, History, Nonfiction, Fashion

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite places in London is the impressive Victoria and Albert Museum. This beautiful book, “Jewelry: from Antiquity to the Present” is by expert Clare Phillips, who is the jewelry curator at the museum. It tells the story of the development of western jewelry from the Palaeolithic age to the present day. The jeweled brooches, the gold chokers, the magnificent ornaments pictured in the book are just spectacular.

I especially enjoyed the insightful chapter sections on three artists: Hans Holbein, Augustus Pugin, and Alexander Calder. All three men were way ahead of their time and made very distinctive jewelery pieces.

Hans Holbein the Younger was the designer for King Henry Vlll and his jewelry drawing book can be found at the British Museum. Unfortunately many of his pieces were melted down during the Renaissance for their precious gold. His jewelry that remains is both opulent and intricate fitting for a Tudor court. Holbein designed daggers, ornaments belts, buttons and clasps for shoes, he was a true genius and understood how to satisfy the royal taste.

The English architect, Augustus Pugin loved the Gothic style and he made jewelry for his three wives and his daughters. His pieces were whole sets and made to be worn together called “parures.” They often consisted of a headband, a necklace, a brooch and a pendant cross. His crosses were lovely and very delicate.

Alexander Calder, the American sculptor born in 1898, made 1,800 pieces of jewelry in his lifetime. He started making jewelry for his sister's dolls, when he was a child but did not get serious about jewelry-making until he was in his late twenties. He met his wife/muse, Louisa James, the grandniece of writer Henry James, and she wore many of his creations. A trip to India inspired Calder and he made some of his famous avant-garde pieces when he got back. His jewelry was made mostly made of brass and steel, with bits of ceramic, wood and glass.  He made his most famous piece in 1937, called “Harps and Heart” out of brass wire.

This book is a fabulous resource for jewelers and jewelry-lovers. European Jewelry has some amazing stories and I was very pleased by the amount of information this book provided. Four stars rated.

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better jewelry history books out there. Engagingly written and comprehensive, I found myself continuing on through chapters long after I told myself I'd go to bed.

[Tenghe Keita]

bratz-sharidan

[Robin]

Good educational book. History of Jewelry from early periods all through teh ages until about the 1980's. It was interesting and I did learn a lot, especially since I have an obsession with beading.