A new edition of a beautifully illustrated and classic survey of jewelry -- worldwide and from prehistory to the modern era -- revised and substantially expanded.
"A mind-boggling feat, this survey of 7000 years of glittering memorabilia of lost empires, royal egos, superstition and sentiment."
--New York Times Book Review
The most comprehensive and beautifully illustrated history of jewelry.
The previous edition of this exhaustive survey was published to critical acclaim by the British Museum Press. Since publication, the museum has expanded its collection, with major acquisitions of pieces from Europe and Asia. The new edition includes a complete revision of the section on Europe after 1700, plus revisions to the sections on Celtic Europe, Roman Britain, cameos and finger rings.
The book explores the varied styles, techniques and materials used to make jewelry in many civilizations throughout the world and across the millennia. Egyptian necklaces, Celtic torcs, South American gold masks, Renaissance pendants and Art Nouveau buckles are examples of the range of the masterpieces described and illustrated with 400 superb photographs.
7000 Years of Jewelry takes readers on an impressive tour that includes, among other times and places:
- The Middle East: 5000-2000 BC
- Egypt: 1500-900 BC
- Phoenician, Greek, Etruscan and Persian Lands: 850-325 BC
- China, Celtic Europe, Mexico and Peru: 600 BC-AD 600
- The Mediterranean, India, Egypt, Roman Britain and Byzantium: 325 BC-AD 600
- Europe, China, Korea and Japan: AD 300-1000
- Mayan Central America: AD 600-1000
- Central and South America: AD 500-1500
- Europe, Islam, China, Korea and Java: AD 1000-1500
- China, India, Tibet and Mongolia: AD 1500-1850
- West Africa: AD 1500-1800
- Europe: AD 1500-1950.
More comprehensive than before, this reference remains the finest and most beautifully illustrated history of jewelry ever published.
