Antiques & Collectibles

The first illustrated study of ethnic silver jewelry in Yemen, by an expert researcher and collector, new in paperback

Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba documents a disappearing artistic and cultural tradition with over three hundred photographs showing individual pieces, rare images of women wearing their jewelry with traditional dress, and the various regions in Yemen where the author did her field research. Ransom’s descriptions of the people she met and befriended, and her exploration of the significance of a woman’s handmade jewelry with its attributes of power, protection, beauty, and personal identity, will appeal to ethnic jewelry fans, ethnographers, jewelry designers, and art historians.

Amulet cases, hair ornaments, bridal headdresses, earrings, necklaces, ankle and wrist bracelets are all beautifully photographed in intricate detail, interspersed with the author’s own photographs of the women who shared their stories and their hospitality with her. A chapter on the history of silversmithing in Yemen tells the surprising story of the famed Jewish Yemeni silversmiths, many of whom left Yemen in the late 1940s. This is the first in-depth study of Yemeni silver, uniquely illustrated with photographs of a world that is transforming before our eyes, and animated with the portraits of a precious legacy.

Step-by-step instructions for painting icons, from original drawings through finished product. This is the sequel to the authors previous work, A Brush with God, for advanced beginners, intermediate, and advanced iconographers. It presents greater detail and instructions for creating entirely new icons. One major feature of this book is the full-page sketches that artists can photocopy and use as the basis of their own icons, providing a unique and much-requested resource. Includes eight full-color plates of the author's original icons.

Chapters and topics include:

1. Introduction and contemporary reflections on iconography, spirituality, and technique.
2. Highlighting folds on full-length figures, including black and white renderings of draped legs, arms, and torsos.
3. Architectural and landscape renderings in Byzantine iconography, including background shadow and highlighting techniques, plus inverse perspective.
4. Festal icons, involving multiple figures, landscapes, architecture, furniture, vegetation, and animals.
5. Construction of heads, figures, and analysis of whole compositions, sacred geometry and proportion.

CONTROL. CONSISTENCY. CONSILISO.
Most business owners can only dream of creating that perfect balance between efficiency, flexibility, and usability—but you can’t be expected to do everything. With Consiliso, the architectural groundwork has been done for you. Follow along in Mark Rutkiewicz’s book, Medical Device Company in a Box: The Case for Consiliso, to see how your medical device company— or any company, for that matter—can benefit from Consiliso. It’s easily implemented for the small-business owner but also completely capable of scaling up to even the largest of multinational corporations, making it perfect to support your company and its growth.
In this book, you’ll learn how Consiliso can help you develop, in detail, the best methods to properly design all your business processes to achieve both compliance and efficiency so that you, as a business owner, can immediately see whether you are hitting your key metrics. From the complexity of product development and distribution, to training and complaint processing, Mark Rutkiewicz is here to explain, in an easy-to-understand way, how your company can finally achieve the level of organization it needs to live up to its capabilities.

The Merriweather Post collection offers an enthralling glimpse into one of the most remarkable, and intact, collections of jewelry ever amassed.

Spectacular immerses the reader in jewelry history and design, weaving in seminal moments in Post’s life as one of the most passionate and confident collectors of jewelry of the twentieth century. There are exquisite pieces by Van Cleef and Arpels; numerous examples by Cartier; contemporary commissions from Harry Winston, George Headley, David Webb, and Fulco di Verdura, and historical pieces such as the Marie Louise Diadem, and the legendary earrings worn by Marie Antoinette on the eve of the French Revolution.

Spectacular provides a critical perspective on developments in changing jewelry styles in America and Europe through one woman’s unique collection. Fascinating essays highlight special details of the gems and jewels, as well as their sometimes scandalous history. Full of fabulous images and interesting facts this new volume will appeal to anybody who wants to know the story behind some of the most amazing jewels ever created.

Liana Paredes is director of Collections & chief curator at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens.

Martin D. Fuller is the founder and president of Martin Fuller Appraisals, LLC.

Michael Hall is the curator of ceramics of the Capelain Collection in Jersey, Channel Islands.

Jennifer Levy is a curatorial assistant at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens.

Jeffrey Post is the curator of the U.S. National Gem and Mineral Collection, and chairman of the Department of Mineral Sciences, Smithsonian Institution.

Dr. Wilfried Zeisler is the Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens’ curator of Russian and 19th-century Art.

The first book devoted exclusively to the spectroscope and its use in gemstone identification.

Until 1933 the refractometer and the microscope were the two principal tools in gem testing. Then B.W. Anderson introduced the hand spectroscope which quickly became the third vital instrument for the UK gemmologist. The publication of Anderson's papers in the mid-1950s alerted gem laboratories worldwide to the importance of this instrument. Today its use is universal.

Anderson and his lifelong colleague, Payne, both of the world's first full-time gemmological laboratory, were the pioneers in recognizing the vast potential of the spectroscope for this purpose, and The Spectroscope and Gemmology, as the extensively edited, updated and enlarged version of Anderson’s original papers, provides a vital textbook wherever gemmology is used or taught. The distinguished gemmologist R. Keith Mitchell has undertaken the editing and has added chapters on the Pye spectrophotometer and on lasers. He has also reproduced new line drawings of spectra in three aspects to accommodate the prism instrument in both the British version and in that favoured by American gemmologists, and in another version as seen through the diffraction grating instrument.

Written for gemmologists everywhere and incorporating the latest developments this book will prove indispensable to all engaged in gemstone identification.

Know What You Want,Know What You’re Buying,
Learn the Secrets to Get the Most for Your Money
/Finally! Everything you need to buy beautiful pearls with confidence.

Easy to Read • Easy to Understand • Practical • Complete
Instant Answers … to All Your Questions

For people who want a reliable source of information to guide them in the fascinating and complex world of pearls—natural, cultured and imitation. Filled with “insider” tips and advice to help you get what you want.

The book couples in love have been waiting for. . .
revised and updated!

Engagement & Wedding Rings takes the fear and anxiety out of buying an engagement or wedding ring, restoring the romance and the magic of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Inside Engagement & Wedding Rings, you'll find everything you need to know to select, buy and enjoy ... to truly experience the wonder and excitement that should be part of finding—or creating that "perfect" ring.

Engagement & Wedding Rings;is filled with useful information to help you make the right choice, including:

• Romantic traditions behind engagement and wedding rings.
• How to select the right design and style for you.
• Tricks to get what you want on a budget.
• Steps to compare prices properly.
• How to select the perfect bridal pearls.
• The latest cuts, ring styles and designs.
• Secrets to differences in diamonds and colored gemstones that may appear to be the same quality.
• How to select your jeweler, appraiser and insurer.
• What to do to protect yourself against fraud and misrepresentation—what to ask and what to get in writing.

The premier book of its kind, revised, updated and expanded.

A comprehensive guide to the standards, procedures and ethics of appraising gems, jewelry and other valuables, Gems & Jewelry Appraising, 3rd Edition, contains expert practical guidance, combined with detailed descriptions, photos, case studies, pricing data, key documents and more.

This guide offers all the information that practicing or aspiring appraisal professionals will need to establish an appraisal business, handle various kinds of appraisals—for insurance, divorce, inheritance, liquidation, collateral and tax donation—and provide an accurate, verifiable estimate of value.

Newly updated and expanded, Diamonds gives you all the information you need to buy, collect, sell—or simply enjoy—diamonds with confidence and knowledge.

Whether you are buying a diamond for an engagement ring, anniversary, to commemorate a special moment or for personal pleasure, today it is more important than ever to understand what you are buying. There are new shapes and cuts, fancy colors, high-tech treatments and sophisticated frauds. There are new ways to buy—such as Internet auctions. Buyers need a source of expert guidance.

Practical, comprehensive and easy to understand, this book offers in depth all the information you need to buy sparkling diamonds with confidence, including:

• What is a diamond?
• An in-depth look at factors affecting differences in quality and cost.
• Diamond grading reports—why all the information is important, and what it tells you.
• How to compare prices.
• How to spot differences in stones that may appear to be the same quality.
• How to protect yourself from misrepresentation.
• Questions to ask when buying any diamond.
• What to get in writing.
• How to get what you want within your budget.
• Important information about buying on the Internet … and much more!

Written by an “insider,” this easy-to-read guide is the “unofficial diamond bible” for anyone who wants to get the most for their money and enjoy what they have purchased.

Newly updated and expanded, Diamonds gives you all the information you need to buy, collect, sell—or simply enjoy—diamonds with confidence and knowledge.

Whether you are buying a diamond for an engagement ring, anniversary, to commemorate a special moment or for personal pleasure, today it is more important than ever to understand what you are buying. There are new shapes and cuts, fancy colors, high-tech treatments and sophisticated frauds. There are new ways to buy—such as Internet auctions. Buyers need a source of expert guidance.

Practical, comprehensive and easy to understand, this book offers in depth all the information you need to buy sparkling diamonds with confidence, including:

• What is a diamond?
• An in-depth look at factors affecting differences in quality and cost.
• Diamond grading reports—why all the information is important, and what it tells you.
• How to compare prices.
• How to spot differences in stones that may appear to be the same quality.
• How to protect yourself from misrepresentation.
• Questions to ask when buying any diamond.
• What to get in writing.
• How to get what you want within your budget.
• Important information about buying on the Internet … and much more!

Written by an "insider," this easy-to-read guide is the “unofficial diamond bible” for anyone who wants to get the most for their money and enjoy what they have purchased.

All the information readers need to buy beautiful colored gemstones with confidence, now updated and expanded!

With more varieties than ever before to choose from, including altogether new gems, revolutionary new cuts and new ways to buy gems—such as Internet auctions and TV shopping—there has never been a more exciting time to buy or collect colored gemstones. But there are also new high-tech treatments and sophisticated frauds to look out for. Lack of information, error or misrepresentation can make the thrill of buying a gem or piece of jewelry confusing, intimidating, overwhelming and costly. Buyers need a source of expert guidance. This practical, comprehensive, easy-to-understand guide provides all the information you need in order to know what to look for, and what to look out for!

Selected contents:

• The mystery and magic of colored gemstones
• How to evaluate color—and its impact on price •
• Clarity: How inclusions increase or decrease value
• Deciding between a natural gem and an enhanced gem
• Colored gemstone synthesis and treatment
• Fraud and misrepresentation
• Buying colored gems
• Colorful gemstone choices
• What to ask when buying the stone
• How to select a reputable jeweler
• Choosing the appraiser and insurer
• Price guides

Newly updated and expanded,
COLORED GEMSTONES gives you all the
information you need to buy, collect, sell—
or simply enjoy—sapphires, emeralds, rubies and
other colored gemstones with confidence and knowledge.

With more varieties than ever before to choose from, including altogether new gems, revolutionary new cuts and new ways to buy gems—such as Internet auctions and TV shopping—there has never been a more exciting time to buy or collect colored gemstones. But there are also new high-tech treatments and sophisticated frauds to look out for. Lack of information, error or misrepresentation can make the thrill of buying a gem or piece of jewelry confusing, intimidating, overwhelming and costly. Buyers need a source of expert guidance.

This practical, comprehensive, easy-to-understand guide provides all the information you need in order to know what to look for, and what to look out for, including:

• What qualifies as a "gemstone"?
• • How to evaluate color—and its impact on price.
• Deciding between a natural gem and an enhanced gem … and new glass-gemstone compositions.
• Colored gemstone synthesis and treatment.
• What to ask when buying the stone.
• What to get in writing.
• How to get what you want within your budget.
• Price guides for popular gems, opals and synthetic stones.
• Important information about buying on the Internet.
• ... and much more!

Written by an “insider,” this easy-to-read guide is the “unofficial colored gemstone bible” for anyone who wants to get the most for their money and enjoy what they have purchased.

Newly Updated and Expanded

Critical and up-to-the-minute information for the novice, advanced collector, jewelry dealer, curator and appraiser—for all who buy and sell cameos, or who are just fascinated by them.

Antiques Roadshow Book Club Selection

Since ancient times, cameo making has allowed artists of every era to capture and reflect on the history, literature and lore of their culture. Today, the allure of finely carved cameos is drawing a new generation of both savvy collectors and gifted artists who are captivated by their transcendental elegance.

This first and only comprehensive reference guide offers valuable information on:

• Where to successfully hunt for cameos
• How to separate old from new, imitation and newer synthetic materials from original shell and stone cameos
• How to differentiate between ultrasonically produced and hand-carved cameos

Richly illustrated with many new cameo photographs, this new edition will facilitate the recognition and evaluation of quality in cameos and increase your confidence in buying and selling cameos with:

• Key factors for defining value
• Information on how to buy cameos from retailers and antique dealers, via the Internet or at auction
• A clear explanation of The MasterValuer Program™ of Quality Ranking that serves as a vital guide for use when evaluating cameos
• An extensive review of outstanding contemporary cameo artists throughout the world, their style, subject matter, unique and identifiable techniques, contact information … and more

Learn Pottery, Create Art, Make Money

“… a great reference book for pottery basics, particularly if you’ve started throwing on a wheel…” ―Jackie Keer, Splash Magazines

#1 Bestseller in Pottery & Ceramics and Sculpture
#1 Most Wished for in Pottery & Ceramic Craft

Explore the satisfying world of clay sculpting, master pottery techniques, and delve into the business side of selling pottery, from functional everyday ceramics to exquisite handmade works.

Transform clay into usable artistry. Learn pottery and ceramics from the basic principles of pottery making to crafting your own mugs, cups, plates, and bowls. Discover the delight of shaping ceramic clay into practical yet beautiful pieces that enhance everyday life.

Profit from your pottery passion. Not only does this book provide instruction on creating functional ceramics, but it also offers insights into making a living from your pottery projects. Learn the art of marketing and selling your hand-crafted pottery and discover the potential of this timeless craft.

Inside, you'll discover:

• Practical, hands-on tutorials for creating a range of pottery projects, from mugs to plates and bowls
• Essential tips on pottery techniques, including throwing, hand-building, and glazing ceramics
• Valuable insights into marketing and selling your handmade pottery pieces
• Guidance on transforming your pottery passion into a profitable venture

If you liked books such as Mastering Hand Building, Amazing Glaze, or Sell Your Crafts Online, then you'll love Jon Schmidt's Practical Pottery: 40 Pottery Projects for Creating and Selling Mugs, Cups, Plates, Bowls, and More.

This thoroughly updated and comprehensive edition enhances the classic work as a guide to symbolism in Christian liturgical art, architecture, manuscripts, stained glass, and more.

This edition is more heavily pictorial in an effort to provide an even stronger resource for artists and researchers, as well as the general browsing public. It addresses the rich history of Christian symbolism, presented for the twenty-first century reader.

This unique resource offers page after page of line drawings depicting sacred monograms, saints, crosses, altars, flowers, fruits and trees, plus symbols of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, the Church Year, the Apostles, the Holy Trinity; and much more. Completely updated and with ecumenical appeal, this useful new reference book expands on its earlier and well-earned reputation for providing clear and reliable information on Christian symbolism.

A Field Guide to Identifying Woods in American Antiques & Collectibles is the authority on wood identification. Beginning with general information about the featured woods, the book then delves into hundreds of detailed photographs, even at a macroscopic level, depicting the critical characteristics used in identification. Ultimately, each wood is presented in two or more antique or collectible objects to illustrate the traits that confirm the wood's identification.

Canadian-made W.J. Hughes "Corn Flower" is a distinctive floral design cut on glass stem and tableware. Produced from 1914 to 1988, Corn Flower was a popular gift item, widely collected and used by at least three generations of Canadian families. Corn Flower: Creatively Canadian contains a history of the Hughes family in Ontario, the life and work of Jack Hughes and the detailed business history of the Company from its inception in the basement of the family home to becoming a popular Canadian corporation.

Collectors from across North America will be fascinated by the profusion of splendid photographs, both black & white and colour, of the Corn Flower lines of glassware, many from the original company catalogues. Within the text are clues to the identification of authentic Corn Flower and the differentiation of blanks.

Northern Algoma is a vast wilderness north of Lake Superior and a land rich in natural resources — fur, gold, iron ore, endless tracts of forests. Its modern history began in the eighteenth century with the fur traders. Then came the gold-seekers, followed by the lumber barons and the industrialists. As railways opened up the area to the world, more and more people came to seek their fortune, work, and adventure. The pages of Northern Algoma are filled with the voices of many of these people as they look back and remember. More than sixty historic photographs accompany their words.

(Bilingual Edition: English / German)

The publication presents the entire collection of printing plates depicting battles of the Chinese emperor that are still in existence. They show scenes of Chinese military campaigns between 1755 and 1828. Of the originally eighty-eight printing plates, only thirty-seven are still known today, thirty-four of them in the Ethnological Museum in Berlin.

The book tells the history of the plates’provenance and describes the history of copperplate engraving in China. The process in which the printing plates were created and the motifs found in the pictures of battles are also explained. The magnificent copper plates, which are part of the exhibition in the Wang Shu Room of the Humboldt Forum, bear witness to the history of missionaries in China, the military campaigns and politics of the Chinese emperor, the transnational interrelation of culture and craft, and ultimately the craft of copperplate engraving itself.

Institutions, associations, and company boards presented magnificent birthday presents to Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria (1821–1912), one of the most well-known representatives of the House of Wittelsbach, on the occasion of his round birthdays in 1891, 1901, and 1911. As high-quality handcrafted works, they combine artistic techniques from goldsmithing to cut leather to watercolor painting. Their stylistic spectrum ranges from variants of historicism to Art Nouveau. These treasures, which are part of the holdings of the Bavarian National Museum, shed light on the vital cultural development during the span of time around 1900, also known as the "Prinzregentenzeit," or Regency period, and the magnificent celebrations of the birthday of a prince shortly before the end of the monarchy in Germany.

Die Inventarisation als Kernaufgabe der Museen benötigt zuverlässige Hilfsmittel und eine einheitliche Terminologie. Band 3 der von der Landesstelle für die nichtstaatlichen Museen in Bayern herausgegebenen Reihe 'Bestimmungsbuch Archäologie' widmet sich einer nur auf den ersten Blick unspektakulären Objektgruppe, die noch nie in ein griffiges typologisches Schema gebracht wurde: den Nadeln vom Jungpaläolithikum bis zum Hochmittelalter.

Näh- und Stecknadeln sind unverzichtbar bei der Herstellung von Bekleidung, Nadeln dienen als Schmuck, zur Körperverzierung oder auch als Werkzeug bei der Metallbearbeitung. Material sind Knochen oder Metalle, schlichte Ausführungen stehen neben aufwendig, auch figürlich verzierten Exemplaren. Der Thesaurus stellt die überraschende Vielfalt der Typen und Formen vor. Er kann von Laien wie auch von Wissenschaftlern benutzt werden und bietet verschiedene Erschließungstiefen bei der Inventarisierung. Jedem Begriff sind eine Definition, ein Quellennachweis und eine Abbildung beigefügt. Zur Einordnung der Objekttypen werden Hinweise zur Datierung und Verbreitung gegeben.

Nun in dritter, aktualisierter Auflage!

Als Angriffswaffen sind Dolche und Schwerter in ihrer Form vorrangig von der Kampfesweise geprägt. Immer waren sie aber auch Statussymbole. Mit edlen Materialien aufwendig gestaltet, repräsentierten sie das Selbstverständnis von Kriegerkasten und Heerführern. Dies belegen neolithische Fischschwanzdolche von herausragender handwerklicher Qualität ebenso wie prächtig verzierte fränkische Goldgriffspathen.

Band 6 der erfolgreichen Reihe widmet sich zum ersten Mal einer Waffengattung und legt eine epochenübergreifende Gliederung der „Dolche und Schwerter" vor. Das Spektrum reicht von jungsteinzeitlichen Silexdolchen bis hin zu eisernen Schwertern der Wikinger aus der Zeit um 1000. Erstmals werden dabei vorgeschichtliche, römische und frühmittelalterliche Formen in einer gemeinsamen Systematik zusammengefasst.