This down-to-earth information-packed book is the very best kind of collecting companion. Among its practical features are recommendations for choosing, evaluating and caring for a collection, how to negotiate the best possible price, and a glossary bristling with facts and definitions. Rose Leiman Goldemberg learned, bought and wrote this book through her own practical and passionate love of antique jewelry.

"Although less well-known today, European jewellery - jewellery worn with traditional or national costume - was highly fashionable in nineteenth-century Britain. This book draws together a wide selection of beautiful pieces, originating from across the continent - from Iceland in the north to Cyprus off the shores of Asia - to demonstrate the wonderful variety of this jewellery. Spectacular examples include gilded Norwegian wedding crowns and extravagant golden crosses of Normandy, ornate earrings of Spain and Italy, and imposing filigree clasps from the Balkans. The book illustrates how the jewellery was originally worn with traditional dress, and explores its popularity in the nineteenth century."--