Our Expertise

Since its publication over 30 years ago, Understanding Jewellery has become the standard work of reference in the field, and an indispensable tool for collectors, dealers and students alike. From the methods used to identify and date pieces, to the factors that can affect their value, Understanding Jewellery contains an abundance of expertise relating to precious stones and metals.

In this new work, David and Daniela have taken the concept of Understanding Jewellery a stage further with their focus on the 20th century. Each decade is explored in detail through the study of the key players, trends and movements.

Since its publication over 30 years ago, Understanding Jewellery has become the standard work of reference in the field, and an indispensable tool for collectors, dealers and students alike. From the methods used to identify and date pieces, to the factors that can affect their value, Understanding Jewellery contains an abundance of expertise relating to precious stones and metals.

Success, wealth and privilege have many ways of manifesting themselves, not least through the purchase and display of beautiful jewels. Some of the greatest and most iconic pieces from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are included here and every example is synonymous with style and luxury, from the formal tiaras, suites and ornaments of the Victorians through to the innovations of Belle Époque and Revivalism, the geometric and linear designs of the Art Deco movement, and the bold, colourful jewels of the late twentieth century.

The necklace has been a source or personal adornment throughout history, and this work features reproductions of notable paintings, sculpture, and photographs illustrating this fact. Primarily focusing on the necklace in the 19th and 20th centuries, important finds and research from the ancient world to the present, noting the various roles of adornment in fashion and culture, are also included.

A lavishly illustrated survey of Italy's greatest jeweller tracing the development of the Bulgari style, a distinctive look that has captivated royalty, movie stars, and many others for over a century.

This work presents the history of earrings from pre-history to modern times. The fashion of wearing precious earrings spread spread through the Mediterranean region from Ancient Egypt to Mycenae, to the Classical Greek, Roman and Hellenistic worlds, to Byzantium. In the 18th century the techniques of cutting coloured gemstones and diamonds were perfected, and so the design of earrings evolved towards its most stylish and glamorous.