Jewelry

Hitting The Books: Fall 2019's Top Jewelry Tomes - Forbes

With Labor Day quickly approaching, I walk past certain stores and see the loose-leaf binders, composition notebooks, dividers and packages of pencils, signaling the back-to-work/back-to-school mode when summer and our vacations, breaks or mini-breaks are almost over. Soon there will be a chill in the air, autumn’s changing leaves and time to start hitting the books.

While I could do without the weather turning brisk then brutal, a new reading syllabus is a treat when the books revolve around jewelry. And for all of you jewelry enthusiasts out there, there are five new tomes that I recommend for adding to your library in fall 2019.

JEWELRY SPEAK

I am sneaking this one in even though it came out in June 2019, just in case you missed it on your summer reading list, Looking at Jewelry: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques (J. Paul Getty Museum; 1 edition). by Susanne Gänsicke and Yvonne J. Markowitz.

This 132-page handbook, illustrated with approximately 80 color photos is exactly what the title describes. It’s perfect as an accessible reference guide for students, jewelers,  designers, collectors and jewelry enthusiasts who needs a quick, concise overview of the cultural history of jewelry. This makes up the introduction and a lexicon of terminology comprises much of the rest of this handy guide book. The main attraction of the book is that the explanations are to the point yet descriptive and range from ancient definitions to a modern vocabulary of jewelry styles, techniques, materials, and production. It’s insightful, particularly when it comes to antique meanings that range from quizzers to Pinchbeck to Tassie and other relatively unknown terms. Modern-day references are most useful when the authors discuss techniques and materials. For those who already own “An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry” by Harold Newman, which is has been through multiple printings, the last in 1994, Thames & Hudson), this book is a more readable accompaniment. It is not as comprehensive, but it’s meant to be an easy to follow, practical and convenient manual. And it achieves the authors’ goals.

 SUSTAINABLE STYLE

What do jewelry artisans and designers, Joan Horning, Coomi, Pippa Small, Loren Nicole, Katey Brunini, Karma El Khalil and eight other established and independent designers have in common? They are included in the book Bejeweled: The World of Ethical Jewelry By Kyle Roderick (Rizzoli New York, Pub. date: Sept 2019). The first jewelry book that solely covers the timely topic of ethically sourced and sustainably mined jewelry, Roderick discusses how the luxury jewelry business is evolving into an environmentally responsible industry.

This tome which is illustrated with 200 color photographs of designer’s works highlights a new era in jewelry’s history—one in which wealth and status give way to beautifully designed socially conscious pieces. The creators of these jewels adhere to responsible standards and practices and philanthropic values. —as they pertain to fair trade wages to the craftsman, the benefits to our planet on all levels—from protecting the environment and the people who live in different communities and cultures around the globe. This is one book that serves as an inspiration and a foundation for the 21st century’s ethical revolution and how it will shape the future of the entire luxury jewelry sector.

COLORFORMS

 There are jewelry designers that are at the forefront of a trend which they help shape and mold. Parisian Marie-Hélène de Taillac is one of these designers. Before color was one of the major trends that continues to evolve, de Taillac was drawn to gemstones with unique characteristics and she chose certain qualities that imbued them with personality that was brought to life by her eye for choosing the most vibrant and spirited stones. In her first book, Gold and Gems: The Jewels Of Marie-Hélène De Taillac By Marie-Hélène de Taillac (Rizzoli New York, Pub date: Sept, 2019) she takes us on a journey through her vivid world in which rich hues of special gems set the tone of the collection and inspire the settings and the spare beauty that relies on her mastery of color and her creative blending of different palettes which she believes evoke a magical and exuberant effect.

With a foreword by Vanessa Friedman and text and photography by Eric Deroo, text and illustrations by Jean-Philippe Delhomme and additional text by Ines de la Fressange, Nathalie Rykiel, and Hamish Bowles, this lively book explores the influences that led de Taillac to draw her first design in 1996 and continue to evolve her aesthetic but never change her belief that the gem dictates the design and that her handcrafted settings are created to showcase the color, intensity, vibrancy and all the properties of the stone –which is always the centerpiece of her designs.

For anyone who has an affinity for modern jewelry and gemstones, this is a must for your fall book list.

DISCOVERING DIAMOND'S PAST 

Throughout history, diamonds have represented wealth, power and have adorned rulers, and royalty, socialites and Hollywood celebrities. These captivating gems have been part of the legacy of influential and formidable women as diverse as Queen Elizabeth I of England to Elizabeth Taylor. In her new book, Diamond Jewelry: 700 Years Of Glory And Glamour (Thames & Hudson pub date: Oct 2019), one of my favorite jewelry authors and historians, Diana Scarisbrick discusses diamond from the 14th century through the first and second Napoleonic Empires and all the periods before and after. 

A main attraction of this book is the detailed paintings from the Medieval and Renaissance periods through the early 20th century depicting how the aristocracy, icons and legends wore diamond jewelry throughout time. There is also photography of and queens, princesses, actresses and socialites who set the styles of diamond jewels during the periods in which the pieces were made for them and which capture the different styles of the centuries covered within the enchanting pages of the book. These paintings and photos, along with stunning still lifes of the jewels weaves together the visual tales of the 700 years of diamonds while Scarisbrick relates the stories of those who commissioned and wore them in her text.  

 Covering jewels from different parts of Europe, including London, Paris, Lisbon, Stockholm and St. Petersburg and New York, this tome features the grandeur and ornate Baroque, Rococo and Imperial styles of jewels to the compelling change to streamlined styles of  Art Deco and present-day jewels. The earliest cuts and settings of diamonds are covered as is the opening of mines in South Africa in 1867, allowing for different classes of society to own and wear diamonds. Like all of Scarisbrick’s books, Diamond Jewelry places some of the world’s most beautiful jewel and fascinating stories in context and is a gem that everyone interested in diamonds, the stories behind them and jewelry should own.

PERSONAL ADORNMENTS

I have always been captivated by and coveted a bejeweled vanity case or minaudière. Although my career as a jewelry journalist and author allowed me to see, touch and admire these enchanting cases up close (many by the legendary Maisons such as Cartier, Boucheron and Lacloche Freres), my more casual lifestyle didn’t call for these intricate and entrancing works of art. Rather I decided to collect antique jewelry which at least I had the opportunity to wear. But every time I see one or more at an antique or vintage jewelry event or a museum exhibit, I am mesmerized by their intricate motifs, enamels and engraving work, uniqueness of design and reflection of different time periods. I often have had a hard time pulling myself away from examining their beauty, elegance and nuances. Therefore, you can imagine my delight in reviewing the new book, A Vanity Affair: L’art Du Nécessaire (Rizzoli New York, pub date: October 2019) which features over 160 cases, culled from a private collection and signed by such luminary jewelers as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Lacloche Freres, Boucheron and Tiffany & Co.

Chapters are split up into the works of the different renowned houses’ and the book is written,  by some of the most revered jewelry authors and historians who include Lyne Kaddoura, François Curiel, David Snowdon, Pierre Rainero, Catherine Cariou, Laurence Mouillefarine, Diana Scarisbrick, and Vivienne Becker who trace the medium from the 18th century through the mid-20th century.  

The couple who assembled these cases over the years decided to share their passion for these cases in this book which displays them photographed all their glorious detail.

 One of my favorite parts of the text of the book is the lively writing and the spirited way the history is related, almost mirroring the time when these jewels became popular.

In Lyne Kaddoura’s introduction, she writes,  “the collection encapsulates both World Wars, political and financial turmoil, emblems of women’s emancipation, the rise of the beauty industry and the burgeoning of the tobacco industry, the golden ages to the times of restriction. It is an ode to the master craftsmanship of the greatest jewelry Maisons; Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Lacloche Freres holding a very special place in this volume.” She continues “Up to the roaring twenties, make-up was discreet, and women could not smoke let alone apply make-up in public. However, the war changed the mentalities and women gained their freedom and independence. After years of deprivation, came the golden age of jazz, extravagance, luxury and “joie de vivre”. The make up industry was booming with names such as Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden dictating the new codes of beauty. The free-spirited femme Art Deco was not shy of wearing heavy make-up... She could smoke in public which was no longer men’s prerogative. She cut her hair short à la garçonne, drove cars, played tennis, golf, skied, danced to jazz, Charleston and foxtrot rhythms, wearing straight dresses and drinking her favorite cocktail at the Ritz."

She continues, "These emancipated women needed an accessory to encapsulate these new societal needs; maintaining their beauty throughout the night with grace and poise…the vanity case was born and evolved along with the needs beyond the boudoir into the center table of social events; from smaller cases to the ingenious Minaudiere by Van Cleef & Arpels which was perfectly compartmented to contain all these important necessities; fitted mirror, baton de rouge, powder compartments, cigarette compartment, tortoiseshell hair comb, perfume flask...”

Kaddoura goes onto to explain how the jewelers of the day were given a larger canvas to display their imagination and ingenuity which resulted in functional works of jeweled objects of art, which reached their peak in the 1950s.  The book explores the work of the following master jewelers: Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Lacloche Frères, along with Boucheron, Fabergé, Bulgari, Ostertag, Janesich and in the U.S., Tiffany & Co., Black, Starr & Frost, Charlton, Paul Flato and Verdura.

Whether you own one or more of these special pieces or are an avid fan like me, this book is a treasure you will want to have and go back to over and over again.

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