Serpentina: Snake Jewellery from Around the World (English and German Edition)

“Serpentina: Snake Jewellery from Around the World will repeatedly enlighten and educate with each reading. Chock full of little known facts and acutely wrought observations, this book satisfies on every level.”

Be advised that this is not just another coffee table book. Serpentina: Snake Jewellery from Around the World is an intellectual and historical oeuvre that leans as much on the photos as it does on the text. The volume is beautifully rendered with wonderful, visually appealing photographs and interesting, intelligent, not overly esoteric text.

Mr. Falk gives us the history, significance, and symbolism of the snake/serpent, starting in Biblical times through to the present. What is most interesting is that many of the designer names we associate with “high jewelry” are not mentioned here while many names, which may not have been well known to the casual fan of jewelry, are given star quality attention. Leaving out Bulgari as a purveyor of serpentine jewelry is an odd choice; was it an intentional slight?

Whatever the reason, the timeline remains convincing and well documented with text and photos that have rarely, if ever, been published in similar books.

Mr. Falk skillfully combines the intellectual, the esthetic, and the visual to offer the reader a multifaceted experience for jewelry aficionados, curious readers, or historians who are looking for a slightly broader view on this topic.

Quite simply, while the topic may be laser focused, the approach to the topic is more widely appealing.

All told, Serpentina: Snake Jewellery from Around the World will repeatedly enlighten and educate with each reading. Chock full of little known facts and acutely wrought observations, this book satisfies on every level.