PrevNext 
Return to Album
End of April Book Review by
Sam Mitchell


Title: Costume Jewelry 101 the basics of starting, building & upgrading
Author: Julia C. Carroll
Type of Book: Large Soft Bound
Average Price: $24.95
In or Out of Print: In print
Number of Pages: 304

Brief Description of Book: Julia has put together a really good book in a format that is
great for the beginning collector. Really unique to the book is Julia’s acronym “GUIDE”
and how each letter is used in evaluating the jewelry you want to buy

1. NOTE: Reviews Based on the following Scoring Measure:
1 Being "Forget It" and 10 Being "Must Have"

QUANTITY OF PICTURES:
Comments: Lots of pictures
SCORE: 8

QUALITY OF PICTURES:
Black and White Pictures?
Color?
How good are the pictures?
Are there close ups of the marks?
Comments: All jewelry pictures are in color with Add’s in black and white. Surprisingly enough
there are few pictures of marks
SCORE: 7

QUANTITY OF INFORMATION:
Range of information offered?
Is information thorough?
Comments: Basic dates and operation history with each jewelry designer along with her
unique “GUIDE” recommendations.
SCORE: 8

QUALITY OF INFORMATION:
Accuracy (are there mistakes?):
Comments:
SCORE: 8

VALUES LISTED:
Are they helpful or realistic?
Comments: Lots of the prices in the book are really good
SCORE: 8

USER FRIENDLY:Is the book easy to read and follow?
Are things easy to find (table of contents/index)?
Comments: No problems here
SCORE: 9

TOTAL AVERAGE SCORE: 8
Is this a must have book? YES

Overall Comments:
A must have book for the beginner and makes a good
quick reference for the pro. Her use of the acronym “GUIDE” is a really great addition
to the book in helping you evaluate the jewelry you are looking to buy.

Her Four recommended Designers for the beginners “Trifari, Coro Weiss and Kramer”
are good recommendations for the beginners because they are plentiful and easy to find,
and are collectible in varying degrees.

The rest of the book gives brief info on a wide variety of designers, including some you
may not have considered such as “11 W. 30th Street” “1928" and “Sadie Green”.

The book also gives you a small section on Upgrading you collection, tips for selling online or Ebay , Basic Repairs and Cleaning, Cataloging, Storing and Insuring a collection.
Photo 53 of 132, dscn3115a.jpg, 81KB, 547x640, 164 Hits
Other Sizes: Original Medium
 Back to Thumbnails