Mid June Book Review by Sam Mitchell
Title: Collecting Victorian Jewelry Identification and Price Guide
Author: Jeanenne Bell
Type of Book: Soft Bound
Average Price: $24.99 currently on sale for $16.49 at Amazon.com
In or Out of Print: In print
Number of Pages: 256
Brief Description of Book: Jeanenne takes us through world events from 1806 to 1901 and how they influenced fashions in clothing and jewelry. The book takes a decade by decade look at how fashions had a direct influence on the jewelry of the time, and how newly discovered materials and improvements in machinery affected how the jewelry was made.
NOTE: Reviews Based on the following Scoring Measure:
1 Being "Forget It" and 10 Being "Must Have"
QUANTITY OF PICTURES:
Comments: Over 700 pictures of jewelry, fashions, world events, catalogs, anything that had a influence on jewelry of the time
SCORE: 8
QUALITY OF PICTURES:
Black and White Pictures? Yes
Color? Yes
How good are the pictures? Excellent to poor
Are there close ups of the marks? No
Comments: Most all of the pictures of jewelry are in color. The book does not show closeups of marks but instead concentrates on closeups of the construction of the piece.
SCORE:8
QUANTITY OF INFORMATION:
Range of information offered?
Is information thorough?
Comments: I thought that the quantity of information was excellent
SCORE: 9
QUALITY OF INFORMATION:
Accuracy (are there mistakes?):
Comments: The information seems to be well researched and thought out.
SCORE: 8
VALUES LISTED:
Are they helpful or realistic?
Comments: Some prices seem to be reasonable while others are astronomical.
SCORE: 5
USER FRIENDLY:
Is the book easy to read and follow?
Are things easy to find (table of contents/index)?
Comments: The layout of the book seems to be well thought out and organized.
SCORE: 9
TOTAL AVERAGE SCORE 8
Is this a must have book? Yes
Overall Comments: If you collect, sell, or are interested in Victorian jewelry, this is a must have book. If you are looking for closeups of marks on Victorian jewelry, you won't find it here. Victorian jewelry was rarely marked anyway. What you will find is lots of closeups of the construction of the jewelry and materials used.
I especially liked the section and pictures on Cock cover jewelry. Cock covers are the protective
covers over balance wheels and the gears of watches from the 1600 and 1700's and are considered Works of Art. It was interesting to see how our ancestors saw beauty in the spare watch parts and made jewelry out of it that became both popular and sought after.
Title: Collecting Victorian Jewelry Identification and Price Guide
Author: Jeanenne Bell
Type of Book: Soft Bound
Average Price: $24.99 currently on sale for $16.49 at Amazon.com
In or Out of Print: In print
Number of Pages: 256
Brief Description of Book: Jeanenne takes us through world events from 1806 to 1901 and how they influenced fashions in clothing and jewelry. The book takes a decade by decade look at how fashions had a direct influence on the jewelry of the time, and how newly discovered materials and improvements in machinery affected how the jewelry was made.
NOTE: Reviews Based on the following Scoring Measure:
1 Being "Forget It" and 10 Being "Must Have"
QUANTITY OF PICTURES:
Comments: Over 700 pictures of jewelry, fashions, world events, catalogs, anything that had a influence on jewelry of the time
SCORE: 8
QUALITY OF PICTURES:
Black and White Pictures? Yes
Color? Yes
How good are the pictures? Excellent to poor
Are there close ups of the marks? No
Comments: Most all of the pictures of jewelry are in color. The book does not show closeups of marks but instead concentrates on closeups of the construction of the piece.
SCORE:8
QUANTITY OF INFORMATION:
Range of information offered?
Is information thorough?
Comments: I thought that the quantity of information was excellent
SCORE: 9
QUALITY OF INFORMATION:
Accuracy (are there mistakes?):
Comments: The information seems to be well researched and thought out.
SCORE: 8
VALUES LISTED:
Are they helpful or realistic?
Comments: Some prices seem to be reasonable while others are astronomical.
SCORE: 5
USER FRIENDLY:
Is the book easy to read and follow?
Are things easy to find (table of contents/index)?
Comments: The layout of the book seems to be well thought out and organized.
SCORE: 9
TOTAL AVERAGE SCORE 8
Is this a must have book? Yes
Overall Comments: If you collect, sell, or are interested in Victorian jewelry, this is a must have book. If you are looking for closeups of marks on Victorian jewelry, you won't find it here. Victorian jewelry was rarely marked anyway. What you will find is lots of closeups of the construction of the jewelry and materials used.
I especially liked the section and pictures on Cock cover jewelry. Cock covers are the protective
covers over balance wheels and the gears of watches from the 1600 and 1700's and are considered Works of Art. It was interesting to see how our ancestors saw beauty in the spare watch parts and made jewelry out of it that became both popular and sought after.
Other Sizes: Original Medium