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End of June Book Review by
   Adrienne Shivers

Title: Fun Jewelry
Author: Nancy Schiffer
Published: 1996


General description: Book focuses on Figurals, groups them according to type.
This review will cover several categories and will include a rating for that category 1-10, 1 being 'forget it, 10 being 'must have'. There will also be a short comment about each category and then a general review at the end.

QUANTITY of PICTURES:
Comments: A lot of pictures, about 1000 pieces shown according to the author
Rating: 9

QUALITY of PICTURES:
Comments: All color, but a lot are group shots, which means they're smaller, and some are on funky backrounds. No backs, no marks, that was not done 10 years ago.
Rating: 6

QUANTITY of INFORMATION
Comments: While there are lots of pictures, there is very little text about individual items. Some items have the material described, most don't. Very hard to tell who signed what where.  
Rating: 5

QUALITY of INFORMATION
Comments: What info is there is correct, but there's just so little. Author was more interested in crediting the owner of the pieces than educating. This book is not about written education, but it's got a lot to see
Rating: 6

VALUES LISTED:
Comments: Way out of whack, this book is a decade old and the values listed are completely, 100% irrelevant in today's market.
Rating: 1

USER FRIENDLY
Comments: Organized by type of figural (i.e. all the bugs are together, all the animals another chapte, etc.), but not organized in any way within a chapter. You need to use the short index to look up any particular designer.
Rating: 6



Total average rating: 5.5

You have to evaluate this book in the context of a decade ago, when costume jewelry books were more about showing off collections than actually trying to educate. If you keep it in that context, it's a FUN book. Lots and lots and lots of duettes pictured. Lots of jelly bellies too. An interest pictorial exploration of figural and the creative, fun things makers did with jewelry. If you're looking for an educational tool, forget it, you won't learn anything here. But, if you just ike looking at all kinds of vintage cj, than this will be fun for you.
Hard for me to totally trash this book, it was one of the first I received when I started to expand my personal library 10 years ago, when I only had about 3 books and needed more as I had begun to specialize specifically in vintage jewelry, while I was still a general antiques dealer. This one was great for me at the time, cause I had never seen a duette, and I can remember 10 years ago being fascinated by all the shapes and themes. Now that so much is on the net, that loses a little appeal in today's world. But a decade ago, it was pretty cool to see, and you really couldn't find the selection anywhere else.
Is it a 'must have' book. Nah. But it sure is fun.
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