The Napier Jewelry book is a visual encyclopedia of Napier Costume Jewelry. It tells the heretofore untold and phenomenal story of The Napier Co. inception, development, flowering, and ultimate success. It chronicles the history of its management, manufacturing, marketing, and most importantly, the unparalleled beauty of Napier fashion jewelry. With approximately 4000 pictures of Napier jewelry history and over 250,000 words of text and descriptions, you will be taken step-by-step, decade by decade, through the development of the Napier style. As a collector, you will learn to recognize the findings, materials, and designs to appropriately circa-date the Napier jewelry in which you are investing. As a lover of vintage costume jewelry, you will enjoy the drama and excitement of the trials, tribulations, and breakthroughs at each stage of the Napier journey. In the end, you will have a deep and lasting appreciation of the romantic story infused into the metal, gemstones, crystals, cabochons, and elegance of each piece of Napier jewelry that you own or are considering owning

This sumptuously illustrated book surveys the exquisite range of costume jewelry produced by haute couture fashion houses, a subject until now overlooked by historians and fashion cognoscenti alike. The term “costume jewelry” was coined in the twentieth century for the use of non-precious metals and jewels for human adornment. This book showcases the extraordinary diversity and exceptional craftsmanship of this jewelry in hundreds of beautifully reproduced pieces from such fashion houses as Chanel, Balenciaga, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Schiaparelli, and Givenchy. “A time capsule of creativity.” ~ Dallas Morning News

Popularized by Coco Chanel in Paris during the 1920s, costume jewelry -- from the inexpensive to the extravagant -- has come into its own, creating a skyrocketing market for both investors and collectors. This guide covers it all, from Coro, Eisenberg, and Trifari to Miriam Haskell and Joseff. Complete with the latest prices, descriptions, and fascinating histories of the most famous manufacturers, it provides new and essential information for every collector: Listings for every major designerThe most current prices availableDetailed descriptions and photos for easy identificationTips on buying and sellingHow to spot fakes and forgeriesDetailed bibliographyPredictions about hot trends of the future

Some of the most beautiful pieces of costume jewelry made since the 1940s are presented in full color photographs. The visual creations are enriched by an introduction by Lawrence Feldman of Fior in London. A value guide is included along with an index to make this book a useful, beautiful guide for collectors.

The ultimate vintage costume jewellery collectors' guide, written by the ultimate collector.

- Definitive, comprehensive overview of costume jewelry- Follows the evolution of costume jewelry from bourgeois France to the present day- Lavishly illustrated reference book - a must-buy for jewelry enthusiasts and fashion historians- Includes a remarkable range of designers including Lalique, Fouquet, Dior, Balenciaga, Versace and many moreINFORMATION SHEET Costume jewelry is commonly understood to mean fashionable yet affordable adornments made from non-precious material. Originating in in mid-1700s France with the rise of the bourgeoise, the earliest 'costume jewelry' mimicked fine jewelry styles. Since then, costume jewelry has always been evolving. From Victorian sentimentalism to the mass-produced ornaments available today, costume jewelry has developed into an artform in its own right. An encyclopedic study of its history is long overdue. Flush with expert information, identification tips and historical anecdotes, Adorning Fashion explores the development of costume jewelry across the past four centuries. The styles of each era - Victorian, Edwardian, Arts & Crafts, Jugenstil, Art Nouveau, and each decade of the twentieth century - are given individual attention. Production methods are also explained in depth. Alloys and gilded electroplating can mimic silver and gold, while the refraction index of treated glass can, to the untrained eye, be mistaken for diamond. Adorning Fashion discusses the contributions of a remarkable roster of designers and innovators, including Kokichi Mikimoto, Arthur L. Liberty, Carlo Giuliano, René Lalique, Elizabeth Bonté, the Castellani brothers, Jean Fouquet, Jean Després, Fulco di Verdura, Jean Schlumberger, Salvador Dalí, Miriam Haskell, Lina Baretti, Countess Cissy Zoltowska, Line Vautrin, Kenneth Jay Lane, Francisco Rebajes, Diane Love, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Chanel, Van Cleef & Arpels, Paco Rabanne, Yves Saint Laurent, Napier, Haskell, Trifari, Brania, Bulgari, Versace and more.

This text explores the pleasures and the pitfalls of collecting costume jewellery, covering methods, materials and makers from 18th-century paste to the jewels of 20th-century style-setters Schiaparelli, Tiffany and Chanel.