Author: Stellene Volandes
Publisher: Rizzoli Publications
ISBN: 0847868540
Category : Design
Languages : en
Pages : 226
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Book Description
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.
Author: Victoria Finlay
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345493354
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 456
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Book Description
Throughout history, precious stones have inspired passions and poetry, quests and curses, sacred writings and unsacred actions. In this scintillating book, journalist Victoria Finlay embarks on her own globe-circling search for the real stories behind some of the gems we prize most. Blending adventure travel, geology, exciting new research, and her own irresistible charm, Finlay has fashioned a treasure hunt for some of the most valuable, glamorous, and mysterious substances on earth. With the same intense curiosity and narrative flair she displayed in her widely-praised book Color, Finlay journeys from the underground opal churches of outback Australia to the once pearl-rich rivers of Scotland; from the peridot mines on an Apache reservation in Arizona to the remote ruby mines in the mountains of northern Burma. She risks confronting scorpions to crawl through Cleopatra’s long-deserted emerald mines, tries her hand at gem cutting in the dusty Sri Lankan city where Marco Polo bartered for sapphires, and investigates a rumor that fifty years ago most of the world’s amber was mined by prisoners in a Soviet gulag. Jewels is a unique and often exhilarating voyage through history, across cultures, deep into the earth’s mantle, and up to the glittering heights of fame, power, and wealth. From the fabled curse of the Hope Diamond, to the disturbing truths about how pearls are cultured, to the peasants who were once executed for carrying amber to the centuries-old quest by magicians and scientists to make a perfect diamond, Jewels tells dazzling stories with a wonderment and brilliance truly worthy of its subjects.
Author: Ernst Albrecht Heiniger
Publisher: Crescent
ISBN: 9780517181324
Category : Gems
Languages : en
Pages : 316
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Book Description
Describes how gemstones are made into jewelry, shows crown jewels, famous gems, and ancient jewelry, and discusses the history of jewelry making
Author: Victoria Finlay
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780340830130
Category : Precious stones
Languages : en
Pages : 482
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Book Description
An intrepid journey to uncover the secret histories of precious stones. Victoria's search takes her to Egypt to find the lost emerald mines of Cleopatra, to the Australian opal fields with their underground towns, to Burma where she is spied on by the military junta, and to a secret location to meet the world's best diamond cutter. She reveals the wealth of human stories behind gemstones, and discovers, with the advent of synthetics, an industry on the brink of crisis.
Author: Suzanne Tennenbaum
Publisher: Vendome Press
ISBN:
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 224
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Book Description
"Explores the evolution of garden inspired jewelry with 375 full-color photographs from the nineteenth century to present day displaying important pieces from world famous jewelers, including Cartier, Tiffany, Mauboussin, Bulgari, Chanel, and Christian Dior"--Provided by publisher.
Author: Bret Lott
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439121915
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 372
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Book Description
In the backwoods of Mississippi, a land of honeysuckle and grapevine, Jewel and her husband, Leston, are truly blessed; they have five fine children. When Brenda Kay is born in 1943, Jewel gives thanks for a healthy baby, last-born and most welcome. Jewel is the story of how quickly a life can change; how, like lightning, an unforeseen event can set us on a course without reason or compass. In this story of a woman's devotion to the child who is both her burden and God's singular way of smiling on her, Bret Lott has created a mother-daughter relationship of matchless intensity and beauty, and one of the finest, most indomitable heroines in contemporary American fiction.
Author: Jeffrey Edward Post
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1683359402
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 401
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Book Description
The scandals, mysteries, and human stories behind the world’s greatest gems are brought to life by the curator of the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection Dr. Jeffrey E. Post, curator of the National Gem Collection for more than 25 years, separates fact from fiction in an all-new and original book, revealing fresh information and regaling the reader with anecdotes and tales of some of the world’s greatest and most famous gemstones. Dr. Post is the author of the now out-of-print book The National Gem Collection (Abrams, 1997), which has sold more than 50,000 copies. In this brand-new book, he tells the stories of the Smithsonian’s most famous gems, including the Hope Diamond, Star of Asia Sapphire, Carmen Lucia Ruby, Hooker Emerald, and Blue Heart Diamond—and also presents the tales, details, and fascinating facts surrounding rarely displayed gems from the Smithsonian vault and additions made to the collection since 1997. Not only a resource for learning about rare and beautiful gems, the book also presents the stories of the people who once owned or were associated with these jewels—from ordinary people to kings, emperors, maharajas, celebrities, and captains of industry.
Author: John Traina
Publisher: Doubleday Books
ISBN: 9780385266444
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 200
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Book Description
Author: Anna Keay
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780500289822
Category : Crown jewels
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
This text captures the magnificence of a collection of symbolic objects steeped in English history like no other: the crown jewels.
Author: DK
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1465462120
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 442
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Book Description
Prepare to be dazzled by this shining and sumptuous visual guide to the world's greatest treasures. Feast your eyes on glittering gemstones, kaleidoscopic minerals, and famous trinkets in this comprehensive exploration of Earth's finest jewels. Following a foreword from Aja Raden, hundreds of pages take a lavish look at precious stones, precious metals, and organic gems in all their natural wonder. From agate to zoisite, everything under the Sun is encapsulated in spectacular photography and accessible text. Trace the history of gemmology and get the inside story on our planet's most famous and fabulous gems, including the mysterious Hope Diamond, the stunning Koh-i-Noor of the Crown Jewels, and exquisite Fabergé eggs. Find out their physical properties, check the price tags, and discover the most remarkable record-breakers. This exceptionally extravagant book is a picture-packed, fact-filled celebration guaranteed to bring sparkle to your life and your library.
