Created by the house of Van Cleef & Arpels in 1968, the Alhambra chain is an instantly recognizable icon of jewelry design and yet still a perennial favorite for daily wear. Easy to wear owing to its great fluidity and available in a wide range of colorful stones, Alhambra has established itself as truly timeless, traversing the ages and surviving the winds of fashion. On the occasion of the design's 50th anniversary, this book tells the story of the evolution of the jewelry range that has become a signature of the house of Van Cleef & Arpels. -- from amazon.com.
Exploring not just the extraordinary story of tobacco and cigars but also a history that has been instrumental in the foundations of societies and cultures, Cigars will take you on an astonishing journey through landscapes, scents, and an incredible roll call of the great, the good and the not-so good. The cigar has provided solace and a chance for worldly contemplation to generations of thinkers, businessmen, writers, entrepreneurs, and connoisseurs. In this elegiac offering to the pinnacles of hand-rolled tobacco, world-renowned expert Nicholas Foulkes guides you through the myths, legends, nuances, and delicious realities of the smoke-savoring universe, serving as an introduction for the neophyte and a reference for the connoisseur.
Since its opening on the Place Vend�me in 1906, the jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels has played a leading role in setting style and design trends in luxury jewelry. Set in Style explores the historical significance of the firm's contributions to jewelry design in the 20th century. The book features more than 250 of Van Cleef & Arpels' most celebrated works from museum and private collections worldwide, including jewels, timepieces, fashion accessories and objets d'art and is published to accompany a major exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, New York City, opening in February 2011. Six accessible essays accompanied by nearly 300 photographs, including previously unpublished design drawings from the Van Cleef & Arpels archives, examine the precious pieces through the lenses of innovation, transformation, nature, exoticism, fashion and celebrity. Among the objects illustrated are a tiara worn by Grace Kelly; Elizabeth Taylor's amethyst, coral and diamond bracelet and pendant earrings; a bracelet and necklace owned by Eva Peron; and the 'Jarreti�re' bracelet owned by Marlene Dietrich, worn in the film Stage Fright.
'Downright fascinating...indispensable reading' Daily Telegraph 'Nicholas Foulkes' excellent...book is beautifully illustrated. Captivating' Daily Mail For more than 25,000 years, humanity has sought to understand and measure the passing of time, in the process creating some of the most remarkable and beautiful timepieces. Now, in Nicholas Foulkes' lavishly illustrated book, the battle to tame time is brought vividly to life. From the baboon bone dating back to the palaeolithic era that marked the lunar cycle and on to the 3500-year-old water clock at Karnak, from our earliest days mankind has sought to track the passing of time. More recently, the struggles to measure longitude and to create a workable train timetable across the vast, open expanse of the United States have inspired new developments. In Time Tamed, Nicholas Foulkes reveals how we have done this by focusing on some of the most significant developments in timekeeping across the ages. He also highlights the most stunning and lavish clocks and watches in history - from Big Ben to Rolex - for telling the time has never been purely about function, but also about design. The book is filled with remarkable tales, from the 14th century monk in St Albans who created one of the first mechanical clocks to the Holy Roman Emperor who built a clock into an automated ship that fired a cannon to summon guests to dinner. More recently, there was the Surrey woman who used a Napoleonic era watch to 'deliver' the accurate time to London shopkeepers in the wartime era of Churchill, or the Swiss denture maker who solved a tricky problem for the Indian Raj's polo players. Time Tamed is a book you'll want to spend many hours enjoying.
This sumptuous clothbound volume reviews the history of the legendary French perfume, watch and jewelry designers Van Cleef & Arpels. The Paris-based company's prestige stems from a long list of prominent commissionsissued by royal and imperial courts, financiers and industrial magnates, and its work resides in prominent treasuries worldwide. The full range of Van Cleef & Arpels' extraordinary jewelry has now been reassembled from numerous private collections and public museums, and is presented here together for the first time. The designs are grouped under four different headings: "Spirit of Beauty," "Spirit of Elegance," "Spirit of Adventure" and "Incarnation." The photographer for this book is Patrick Gries of La Fondation Cartier; an introduction by the great movie actress Catherine Deneuve sums up the elegance of the Van Cleef & Arpels style.
A trip to the discovery of jewelery manufacturing. Founded in Paris in 1896, Van Cleef & Arpels is perhaps the most renowned maison of fine jewelery in the world. The book reveals for the first time the secrets of the Mains d’Or that make every piece by Van Cleef & Arpels a unique jewel. The human hand takes pride in its work, and with this book, Van Cleef & Arpels wish to pay homage to all those skilled and knowledgeable hands whose humility and selflessness make it possible for jewelery to exist. It is a life force, transmitted by jewelers, setters, polishers, and all those who are daily confronted by age-old and precious materials: shaping, transforming, and exalting them without ever betraying the reverence that a masterpiece should inspire.
For over a century, this Place Vendôme jeweler has been one of the most coveted names in haute joaillerie, winning world renown through the exceptional quality, beauty, and luxury of its jewelry designs. Van Cleef & Arpels artfully fuses glamor with nature and sophistication with simplicity--a perfect reflection of the women who wear it. Today Van Cleef & Arpels continues to reinvent its heritage of excellence and savoir faire.
A lilting kitty mystery combines with rain-centered facts to create an utterly charming fiction/nonfiction picture book. As kids are invited on the search for Kitty, they'll also discover what different animals do to enjoy, or avoid, a rainy day. Harriet Ziefert's rhyming couplets pair beautifully with Brigette Barrager's lush art to make a combination that is sure to please young readers and adults alike. What makes a duck waterproof? Where do butterflies hang out to stay dry? What serves as a built-in umbrella for a squirrel? Created especially for younger readers, here's a unique title that's part mystery, part science, and all curiosity-inspiring fun!
