Jewels That Made History
Jewels That Made History

Author: Stellene Volandes

Publisher: Rizzoli Publications

Published: 2020-10-13

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 0847868540

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The history of the world--triumphs and tragedies, breakthroughs and breakups--through the iconic jewels that have inspired and influenced since the dawn of time. From ancient treasures to royal weddings, great heists to the red carpet, this book is a stunning, surprising, and glittering tour of historic turning points and gem-driven drama, delving into the passions and predilections of some of the world's most interesting and extraordinary people. Starting in the era of Cleopatra and continuing through to contemporary jewelry statements by Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, and Meghan Markle, Stellene Volandes tells the stories of how shiny stones and precious metals have determined empires, inspired expeditions and great crime, and been the communicator of status and ruin since ancient times. Each moment is placed in historic and relevant context, with Volandes drawing engaging parallels between Napoleon's gift to Marie Louise at the birth of their son and the modern push present or the insouciant story behind the brooch Jackie Kennedy famously wore to a 1962 State Dinner with the Shah of Iran. Illustrated with a mix of archival images and gorgeous photography of the jewels, this book is a beautiful, informative, and essential read for history lovers, fashion, celebrity, and pop-culture followers, as well as passionate jewel hounds.

Jewels
Jewels

Author: Victoria Finlay

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Published: 2006-08-15

Total Pages: 456

ISBN-13: 0345493354

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Throughout history, precious stones have inspired passions and poetry, quests and curses, sacred writings and unsacred actions. In this scintillating book, journalist Victoria Finlay embarks on her own globe-circling search for the real stories behind some of the gems we prize most. Blending adventure travel, geology, exciting new research, and her own irresistible charm, Finlay has fashioned a treasure hunt for some of the most valuable, glamorous, and mysterious substances on earth. With the same intense curiosity and narrative flair she displayed in her widely-praised book Color, Finlay journeys from the underground opal churches of outback Australia to the once pearl-rich rivers of Scotland; from the peridot mines on an Apache reservation in Arizona to the remote ruby mines in the mountains of northern Burma. She risks confronting scorpions to crawl through Cleopatra’s long-deserted emerald mines, tries her hand at gem cutting in the dusty Sri Lankan city where Marco Polo bartered for sapphires, and investigates a rumor that fifty years ago most of the world’s amber was mined by prisoners in a Soviet gulag. Jewels is a unique and often exhilarating voyage through history, across cultures, deep into the earth’s mantle, and up to the glittering heights of fame, power, and wealth. From the fabled curse of the Hope Diamond, to the disturbing truths about how pearls are cultured, to the peasants who were once executed for carrying amber to the centuries-old quest by magicians and scientists to make a perfect diamond, Jewels tells dazzling stories with a wonderment and brilliance truly worthy of its subjects.

Jeweled Garden
Jeweled Garden

Author: Suzanne Tennenbaum

Publisher: Vendome Press

Published: 2006-12-05

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13:

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"Explores the evolution of garden inspired jewelry with 375 full-color photographs from the nineteenth century to present day displaying important pieces from world famous jewelers, including Cartier, Tiffany, Mauboussin, Bulgari, Chanel, and Christian Dior"--Provided by publisher.

Delta Jewels
Delta Jewels

Author: Alysia Burton Steele

Publisher: Center Street

Published: 2015-04-07

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 1455562831

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Inspired by memories of her beloved grandmother, photographer and author Alysia Burton Steele -- picture editor on a Pulitzer Prize-winning team -- combines heart-wrenching narrative with poignant photographs of more than 50 female church elders in the Mississippi Delta. These ordinary women lived extraordinary lives under the harshest conditions of the Jim Crow era and during the courageous changes of the Civil Rights Movement. With the help of local pastors, Steele recorded these living witnesses to history and folk ways, and shares the significance of being a Black woman -- child, daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother in Mississippi -- a Jewel of the Delta. From the stand Mrs. Tennie Self took for her marriage to be acknowledged in the phone book, to the life-threatening sacrifice required to vote for the first time, these 50 inspiring portraits are the faces of love and triumph that will teach readers faith and courage in difficult times.

Gem
Gem

Author: DK

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2023-03-07

Total Pages: 442

ISBN-13: 0744084873

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Prepare to be dazzled by this shining and sumptuous visual guide to the world's greatest treasures. Feast your eyes on glittering gemstones, kaleidoscopic minerals, and famous trinkets in this comprehensive exploration of Earth's finest jewels. Following a foreword from Aja Raden, hundreds of pages take a lavish look at precious stones, precious metals, and organic gems in all their natural wonder. From agate to zoisite, everything under the Sun is encapsulated in spectacular photography and accessible text. Trace the history of gemmology and get the inside story on our planet's most famous and fabulous gems, including the mysterious Hope Diamond, the stunning Koh-i-Noor of the Crown Jewels, and exquisite Fabergé eggs. Find out their physical properties, check the price tags, and discover the most remarkable record-breakers. This exceptionally extravagant book is a picture-packed, fact-filled celebration guaranteed to bring sparkle to your life and your library.

The Great Book of Jewels
The Great Book of Jewels

Author: Ernst Albrecht Heiniger

Publisher: Crescent

Published: 1974

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9780517181324

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Describes how gemstones are made into jewelry, shows crown jewels, famous gems, and ancient jewelry, and discusses the history of jewelry making

The Smithsonian National Gem Collection—Unearthed
The Smithsonian National Gem Collection—Unearthed

Author: Jeffrey Edward Post

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2021-03-23

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1683359402

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The scandals, mysteries, and human stories behind the world’s greatest gems are brought to life by the curator of the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection Dr. Jeffrey E. Post, curator of the National Gem Collection for more than 25 years, separates fact from fiction in an all-new and original book, revealing fresh information and regaling the reader with anecdotes and tales of some of the world’s greatest and most famous gemstones. Dr. Post is the author of the now out-of-print book The National Gem Collection (Abrams, 1997), which has sold more than 50,000 copies. In this brand-new book, he tells the stories of the Smithsonian’s most famous gems, including the Hope Diamond, Star of Asia Sapphire, Carmen Lucia Ruby, Hooker Emerald, and Blue Heart Diamond—and also presents the tales, details, and fascinating facts surrounding rarely displayed gems from the Smithsonian vault and additions made to the collection since 1997. Not only a resource for learning about rare and beautiful gems, the book also presents the stories of the people who once owned or were associated with these jewels—from ordinary people to kings, emperors, maharajas, celebrities, and captains of industry.

The Crown Jewels
The Crown Jewels

Author: Anna Keay

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780500289822

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This text captures the magnificence of a collection of symbolic objects steeped in English history like no other: the crown jewels.

Buried Treasure
Buried Treasure

Author: Victoria Finlay

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 482

ISBN-13: 9780340830130

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An intrepid journey to uncover the secret histories of precious stones. Victoria's search takes her to Egypt to find the lost emerald mines of Cleopatra, to the Australian opal fields with their underground towns, to Burma where she is spied on by the military junta, and to a secret location to meet the world's best diamond cutter. She reveals the wealth of human stories behind gemstones, and discovers, with the advent of synthetics, an industry on the brink of crisis.