Discusses the specific ways in which jewelry fashions reflected the socio-political changes of the last century, citing such periods as the affluent 1920s, the war years, and the technological advances that enabled new design innovations.

In this text, the authors relate the story of our fascination with jewellery, the precious stones and the costume jewellery, and the people who commissioned and wore it, from the glittering wares of the 1920's to the jewellery of the frugal war years.

For more than 200 years, buyers and sellers have sought advice from Christie's specialists. For the first time, Christie's shares this knowledge in an easy-to-use guide to jewellery with stunning color photographs. Christie's Guide to Jewellery provides essential facts and advice on how to appreciate and understand jewels. What should you look for in a gem? Which artificial enhancements should you be aware of when choosing a stone? Why is spinel one of the most underrated gems today? Offering everything from a description of the four "C" categories to an explanation of the origin of the word "carat, " Christie's Guide to Jewellery is a must-have book for both serious and amateur collectors.

Spectacularly beautiful, this authoritative book presents jewelry designs of this century. With almost two hundred full-color photographs specially commissioned for this book and archival pictures of pieces that have disappeared into private collections, the volume features the finest artworks in precious metals and jewels from collections around the world, including creations by Lalique, Cartier, Boucheron, Bulgari, Tiffany, and David Webb. The fascinating text surveys the glittering world of gems with an illustrated introductory essay investigating the development of jewelry design at the end of the 1800s, and the shift from Victorian and Art Nouveau works to pieces stamped with the personality and vision of a single designer. The next chapter thoroughly examines the successive revolutions in style of the twentieth century. The balance of the book is a cornucopia of photographs portraying pieces from the beginning of the century through the 1960s: the grand era of commissions and patrons. Here you will find the Duchess of Windsor's famous necklace of diamonds and rubies as well as a fabulous pin in the shape of a World War II tank, and a veritable menagerie of diamond-studded elephants, enameled tigers, and jade dragons. This thorough history is a dazzling jewelbox of a book.

Profiles the extraordinary group of women who influenced styles in jewelry design after World War I For centuries the collecting of precious gems and the jewelry fashioned from them was the exclusive prerogative of kings and queens, emperors, popes, and maharajahs. In the aftermath of World War I an extraordinary group of women emerged who had the means to deck themselves in glittering bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings, tiaras, and brooches. This book presents eleven profiles of glamorous women who assembled these astonishing collections in the mid-twentieth century. The fall of European monarchies meant royal jewels passed into the hands of a new social elite that included figures from show business and the worlds of industry and commerce. The women of the era cut their hair, wore looser-fitting clothes, and had greater freedom than before the war. The change in fashion led to a new style of jewelry—the historic gemstones were reset and new collections created. These influential women included Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton, the Duchess of Windsor, the film star Merle Oberon, and the great diva Maria Callas. There were also less well-known figures such as the mysterious and beautiful Nina Dyer, whose husbands were the Baron von Thyssen and Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan. The book brings to life the worlds in which these women moved—elegant yachts, extravagant parties—and describes the details of the jewels and the jewelers (Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Harry Winston) that created the exquisite settings.