I’ve recently been spending my evenings with David Bennett’s and Daniela Mascetti’s irresistible tome, Understanding Jewellery. It’s 496 pages of pure jewelery delight written by two Sotheby’s experts and filled with 919 of the most drool-worthy pictures of jewelry you’ll find anywhere.
And get this: each image has been taken to show the piece of jewelry at its actual size. Now THAT is what I call attention to detail!
This reference work for dealers and collectors worldwide is like a crash-course on gemstones, explaining where they come from, testing methods to identify precious from semi-precious stones and tips for assessing quality and detecting fakes. Then it takes us on a trip through jewelry history from the late 18th century right through the end of the millennium.
People often ask me how to develop their “eye” for quality vintage pieces. I truly believe that poring over reference books like this one, which highlights some of the finest jewelery pieces ever handled by Sotheby’s, is a sure-fire way to hone your style-detecting muscles.
While the cost of these pieces puts them out of reach for most collectors, studying them and ingraining their qualities into your own style DNA will help you make better selections among the pieces you CAN afford to add to your collection.
And, of course, you need not always purchase pieces with actual gemstones.
While I adore the elegant and sparkly genuine gemstones that adorn the pieces depicted in this book, I much prefer to wear costume treasures like today’s VPOD.
This vintage statement necklace by Yves Saint Laurent features synthetic carnelian and faux banded agate. Sure, it’s still not cheap, but it packs a way bigger style punch than ten less expensive necklaces combined.
And that makes it a simple choice for a vintage fashionista!
Available at Easterbelle’s Emporium. | Discovered at TheFind.com.
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