A glorious look at famous jewelry designers and the celebrities who loved to wear their designs. The books in this collection take you through many eras of famous jewels, providing personal histories and close-up photos of the jewelry, the designers and the collectors. There's something here for every jewelry lover.
1. Bejeweled : Great Designers, Celebrity Style
Penny Proddow and Marion Fasal take us on a tour of famous twentieth-century jewelry designers and the celebrities who wore (and wear) their creations. You'll find biographical sketches of Tiffany, Cartier, Picasso and numerous others. Examples of the jewelry that makes each of them unique are quite often modeled by celebrities past and present. An exquisite look at fine jewelry.
2. Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry
Wow. That's the first word that came to mind after browsing color photos of Elizabeth Taylor and her extensive jewelry collection. Some photos show the pieces on Ms. Taylor, while others are stand-alone shots of the jewelry. Ms. Taylor makes the book even more endearing by telling us how she acquired pieces in her jewelry collection--reminiscences that could only come from a Hollywood legend.
3. Famous Jewelry Collectors
Celebrities and jewelry go hand-in-hand. Joan Crawford, the Duchess of Windsor, Ava Gardner, Mary Pickford and numerous other celebrities are shown in collections of color and black-and-white photos. Each celebrity had one or more "favorite" jewelry designers. Find out who each one preferred while you study the gorgeous photographs. By jewelry experts Stefano Papi and Alexandra Rhodes.4. Famous Diamonds
Ian Balfour's book is a fascinating look at the histories of some of the world's most famous diamonds and the people who owned them. The author's many years of research resulted in stories of tragedy and uncovered the truth about many well known diamond legends. An expensive text, but a great read.5. Diamonds, Famous and Fatal
Leo Kendall's book delves into the history of diamonds in general, then moves forward to give us a look at famous owners and famous stones--a fascinating history lesson about both topics. As always, I would have loved more color photos, but that doesn't take away from the interesting text.6. Tiffany Jewels
An extensive history of Tiffany, from its beginnings up to the present time. The author, John Loring, is well qualified to give us a personal view of the firm, since he was Tiffany & Company's design director for over 20 years. Mr. Loring provides a close-up look at many famous Tiffany designers. Wonderful photographs accompanied by interesting text.7. Tiaras: A History of Splendour, 1800-2000
Thousands of tiaras of every kind, and not just those made from precious jewels--although there are plenty in that category. This depiction of two hundred years of tiaras would make an incredible book even without descriptive text, but Geoffrey C. Munn gives us a lesson in history and style with each piece. A must for anyone who wants to learn more about tiaras--or simply drool over the photos.