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Rating: 
Summary: Visually stunning, always fascinating
Review: "Costume Jewelry," a DK Collector's Guide, is by Judith Miller with John Wainwright, and features photography by Graham Rae. The back cover notes that over 1,500 collectible pieces are pictured and profiled in this book. This book is stunningly beautiful--it's full of detailed, full-color photographs that are accompanied by a well-written and informative text. Many different types of jewelry are depicted in these 256 pages--earrings, necklaces, bracelets, cufflinks, pins, etc.The book is full of fascinating and useful features: profiles of major designers (Chanel, Christian Dior, Hattie Carnegie, etc.), a glossary, a section depicting designers' stamps and copyright marks, reproductions of vintage magazine advertisements, and more. The international directory of dealers, auction houses, and museums includes addresses, phone numbers, Web sites, fax numbers, and/or e-mail addresses. There are sections highlighting interesting trends: suffragette jewelry, cut steel jewelry, etc. The book is full of intriguing sidebars about many different topics: the manufacture of faux pearls, the Surrealist influence on designer Elsa Schiaparelli, etc. There are also a number of spreads on "Hot Collecting Fields," such as Austrian crystal fruit pins and Bakelite jewelry; I was especially impressed by the 4-page spread on Scottish agate jewelry. The book really covers a broad range of costume jewelry. Many different styles are depicted. The jewelry covered also represents a large range of materials--Berlin ironwork, Whitby jet, rhinestones, aluminum, poured glass, Lucite, rhodoid, copper, wood, faux coral, and more. I also like the fact that a broad price range is covered. There are many pieces that are under $50, as well as many that are over $1,000. But in the end it's the beautiful pictures that really blew me away--some pieces are elegant, some whimsical, many bursting with color and life. It's like a huge museum in a book, with an expert tour guide (the text) to accompany you.
Rating:
Summary: Visually stunning, always fascinating
Review: "Costume Jewelry," a DK Collector's Guide, is by Judith Miller with John Wainwright, and features photography by Graham Rae. The back cover notes that over 1,500 collectible pieces are pictured and profiled in this book. This book is stunningly beautiful--it's full of detailed, full-color photographs that are accompanied by a well-written and informative text. Many different types of jewelry are depicted in these 256 pages--earrings, necklaces, bracelets, cufflinks, pins, etc. The book is full of fascinating and useful features: profiles of major designers (Chanel, Christian Dior, Hattie Carnegie, etc.), a glossary, a section depicting designers' stamps and copyright marks, reproductions of vintage magazine advertisements, and more. The international directory of dealers, auction houses, and museums includes addresses, phone numbers, Web sites, fax numbers, and/or e-mail addresses. There are sections highlighting interesting trends: suffragette jewelry, cut steel jewelry, etc. The book is full of intriguing sidebars about many different topics: the manufacture of faux pearls, the Surrealist influence on designer Elsa Schiaparelli, etc. There are also a number of spreads on "Hot Collecting Fields," such as Austrian crystal fruit pins and Bakelite jewelry; I was especially impressed by the 4-page spread on Scottish agate jewelry. The book really covers a broad range of costume jewelry. Many different styles are depicted. The jewelry covered also represents a large range of materials--Berlin ironwork, Whitby jet, rhinestones, aluminum, poured glass, Lucite, rhodoid, copper, wood, faux coral, and more. I also like the fact that a broad price range is covered. There are many pieces that are under $50, as well as many that are over $1,000. But in the end it's the beautiful pictures that really blew me away--some pieces are elegant, some whimsical, many bursting with color and life. It's like a huge museum in a book, with an expert tour guide (the text) to accompany you.
Rating: 
Summary: Good quick reference
Review: A beautiful book that covers an exaustive list of designers/makers. It's great for quick reference of designer bios and their notable pieces, or simply for enjoying the high quality photos. However, I find this book inadequate in terms of in-depth information on period/designer indentification based on material, craftmanship or markings. As a relatively new collector of vintage jewelry, I find it a good place to start, but it's by no means an all-in-one type of reference book.
Rating:
Summary: Eye Candy
Review: I love this book, it has some of the best photographs of jewelry to come out in years. If I could look at only one vintage costume jewelry book for an entire year, THIS would be it. There are tons of photographs of jewelry across the price spectrum, and at least a little bit of information about a lot of designers and companies. There are a few errors, such as some of the Bakelite she has pictured is actually Lucite or plastic, and some of the plastic and Lucite she has pictured is Bakelite. And while some of the pricing is exactly in line with what you would expect to fairly pay, some of the values are outrageous. But in a book this big, it can't all be perfect. This is the best book for new collectors, as it hits all the "big" names, doesn't gloss over the "little" names, and covers so much. It is also a great book for long time collectors. I have collected vintage costume jewelry for over 15 years, and I have over 50 cj books in my reference library; believe me when I say this book is wonderful eye candy.
Rating:
Summary: Eye Candy
Review: I love this book, it has some of the best photographs of jewelry to come out in years. If I could look at only one vintage costume jewelry book for an entire year, THIS would be it. There are tons of photographs of jewelry across the price spectrum, and at least a little bit of information about a lot of designers and companies. There are a few errors, such as some of the Bakelite she has pictured is actually Lucite or plastic, and some of the plastic and Lucite she has pictured is Bakelite. And while some of the pricing is exactly in line with what you would expect to fairly pay, some of the values are outrageous. But in a book this big, it can't all be perfect. This is the best book for new collectors, as it hits all the "big" names, doesn't gloss over the "little" names, and covers so much. It is also a great book for long time collectors. I have collected vintage costume jewelry for over 15 years, and I have over 50 cj books in my reference library; believe me when I say this book is wonderful eye candy.
Rating:
Summary: DK does it again!
Review: This lavishly illustrated book is an excellent example of why many librarians love Dorling Kindersley books. Each photographed piece has a brief description, date range and likely value range. The colors are vibrant and every facet sparkles. The background on jewelry designers and index are also welcome additions.
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