Celebrating Jewellery

It is not very often that a reader is awestruck by what is presented in a book, but Celebrating Jewellery is so much more than just a coffee table book about beautiful jewelry. This is an epic volume that regales the glories of haute joallier in a way that few books ever even get close to by comparison.

The text is very limited but wildly informative as Mr. Bennett and Ms. Mascetti only offer the salient data for each selection including its provenance, manufacturer, and unique features.

As far as manufacturers, the usual cast is present (Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chaumet, Boivin, Bulgari and JAR), and then there is a supporting cast that is rarely offered such as Beleperron, Lemonnier, Vever, Schlumberger, and Giuliano. These are not mere jewelers, and what is included are the apotheosis of jewelry as an art form.

One can only be envious of Mr. Bennett and Ms. Mascetti as every piece that graces the pages of this book has actually passed through their hands. This remarkable offering stands alone as a catalog of prodigious proportion. Each featured selection is first very briefly described in a sort of expository form with an accompanying black and white photo followed by full color photographs of each piece, enlarged to display the lavish detail and workmanship. It is this “enlarged” feature that sets Celebrating Jewellery apart from so many others of its genre.

Celebrating Jewellery will become a treasure for anyone who is lucky enough to own it. There is no question that jewelry of this caliber renders one speechless and slack jawed. You don’t have to be a jewelry aficionado or expert in order to appreciate this book as its quality and imposing nature draw the reader into the subject matter as if by magic.

Celebrating Jewellery will no doubt be dogeared in time as it exudes a mysterious magnetism that compels you to revisit the sumptuous subject matter time after time without any fear of ever being bored.