5 Books to Read About Jewelry and Gemstones
There are many ways to satisfy your passion for fine jewelry, whether it's contemporary pieces or antique jewelry . You can of course buy some. But when you have an insatiable appetite, it requires a substantial budget. So you have to visit jewelry exhibitions , fortunately more and more numerous. Or buy books on jewelry and precious stones, the quality of which is also improving.
Beautiful books on luxury and antique jewelry
“ Today, people looking for books on jewelry demand more than just beautiful photos, ” said Suzanne Tise-Isoré, editorial director of Flammarion’s style and design division. “ They want books that offer a real experience, from a tactile and sensory point of view .”
As jewelry books compete for space on bookstore shelves, not to mention Instagram's shadow, here are 5 quality books to satisfy your passion for jewelry and precious stones .
Coloratura, fine jewelry and precious objects by Cartier
The heritage of Cartier 's colors, as well as the high jewelry collection introduced by the Parisian house last July, are the themes of François Chaille's book " Coloratura, high jewelry and precious objects by Cartier ", published by Flammarion.
This luxury jewelry collection was named after a complex opera melody. Coloratura is derived from the Latin word colorare, which means to color. The book’s creation evolved alongside the Cartier jewelry in the collection. It took a year to complete, as Flammarion had to wait for each piece in the collection to be released in order to photograph it.
Each chapter focuses on a particular color , or a specific combination. From Cartier's iconic red to the classic blue and green combination found on the house's antique jewelry from the 1920s. Notably on the platinum Panthère Impérieuse necklace with its 41.06-carat cabochon-cut Ceylon sapphire and its two diamond and sapphire panthers with emerald eyes.
Artistic elements outside of jewelry have been included in this book dedicated to Cartier jewels from the Coloratura collection. "In order to link the book to something other than jewelry, and to put the jewelry in a real context," explained the editor of Flammarion. For example, Dan Flavin's white fluorescent tubes help explain that white is a color.
Michelle Ong's Notebook
For the first time, Hong Kong-based jeweller Michelle Ong is taking a retrospective of her career since launching her Carnet brand in 1998. The book is simply titled “Michelle Ong’s Notebook”. With the collaboration of Vivienne Becker , the famous specialist, the book was released in Europe on 11 April (published by Thames & Hudson).
“ I wanted to step back and see how jewelry has grown, and how Carnet has grown in particular, ” Ong said. “ It’s good to look in the rearview mirror and see the inspirations, the styles, and the craftsmanship. ” The 272-page opus took two years to complete, due to the fact that many pieces had to be borrowed from their owners in order to be photographed. Her mentor and friend, Joel Rosenthal , helped her select the luxury jewelry pieces that feature in the book. This was invaluable because, as she said, “ I’m so involved that it’s hard for me to step back from these pieces. ” Rosenthal also wrote the book’s foreword.
The structure of the book focuses on oriental themes, such as floral themes. “ The book allows you to understand how I approach the fusion of East and West, ” she said. This has been her trademark since the beginning of her career, such as her famous white, black and brown diamond + jadeite dragonfly brooch .
The book's close-ups make Ong's jewelry pieces seem like works of art. The inclusion of the preparatory gouache work alongside the finished pieces makes this jewelry book stand out, surprising the reader.
Farah Khan: A Bejeweled Life
Mumbai-based jeweller Farah Khan celebrates the 25th anniversary of her career with the book “ Farah Khan: A Bejewelled Life ”, in collaboration with Paola de Luca and published by Rizzoli in early April 2019.
“ A lot of people ask me what my inspiration is, how I design my jewelry, ” Khan said. “ Words are not enough to explain it, I wanted to do it in an illustrated way, because that’s how I operate. ”
The book, the first to feature Farah Khan, includes photographs of designs such as a yellow gold floral choker accented with pearls, rubies and diamonds. There is also a rose gold ring with rubellite and kyanite. There are also biographical details in the book, including her 2011 legal battle with a former partner to retain the rights to the brand name.
Personal touches help the collection stand out, like iPhone photos of seascapes and quotes that relate to the jewelry. For example, her gold Infinite Horizons earrings were paired with the quote “ where the sun meets the sea, that’s where you’ll find me ,” from Jason and deMarco’s “Where the sun meets the sea.” “ When I look at these earrings, it feels like I’m looking at a sunset, ” she explained.
Symphony of Jewels: Opus 2 by Anna Hu
“ It’s like having a child, ” Taiwanese jeweler Anna Hu said of the colorful “ Symphony of Jewels: Opus 2 ,” with text by Sarah Davis. “ I like to take my time with each step of the book. For example, the gold cover was the result of two months of thinking” (you can see it below the dust jacket).
Published by Vendome Press on February 14, 2019 in Great Britain, this book traces 5 years of jewelry by Anna Hu. The designer's love of colors is spread across every page of this book. Multicolored sapphires , black opals, diamonds, green garnets… this is probably one of the most colorful jewelry books on the market.
Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a theme, such as ballerina designs on a floral background or a white background, "to get a presentation that stands out." There are also atypical sections, such as a laser-cut page that shows the arrangement of stones on Hanna Hu's jewelry.
These books, which should number 10 when the collection is completed, have an artistic vocation, but not only. The jeweler says they facilitate orders: potential clients can consult them before meeting her and see what is possible.
East Meets West: Maharajas’ Jewels from the Al Thani Collection
The maharajas’ turbans’ ornaments made of diamonds and feathers, gold anklets, gem-encrusted daggers and a hookah with a jade base are among the more than 150 pieces in this new book dedicated to the Al Thani collection , entitled “East Meets West: The Maharajas’ Jewels from the Al Thani Collection” by Martin Chapman. Published last November by Prestel in Europe, the book is named after the exhibition at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco, which ended in February 2019.
This is not the first time that the Al Thani collection has been the subject of a book or an exhibition. It was previously discovered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2014, at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in 2015 and at the Doge's Palace in Venice in 2018 (when some of the jewels were stolen). However, this book offers a fresh approach, according to Mr. Chapman. It approaches the collection from two angles:
- How East and West Influenced Each Other in Jewelry
- Jewelry and genres, especially jewelry that was worn by elites in India and similar pieces are worn by women in the West today
The book also features a detailed section on gemstones and jewelry-making techniques . “ For example, people don’t necessarily know what a spinel is, even though it’s an extremely valuable stone, ” he said.
