Understanding Jewellery

Understanding Jewellery is a comprehensive guide to 19th and 20th Century jewellery. From the methods used to identify and date pieces, to the factors that can affect their value, this volume contains an abundance of expertise relating to precious stones and metals. With almost 1000 magnificent colour illustrations accompanied by straightforward but thorough explanations, this publication offers a richer and more accessible reading experience than traditional text-dominated books.

Including introductions to precious and semi-precious stones, and details of the stylistic developments of jewellery over the last 200 years, this volume is a standard work of reference and aninvaluable tool for collectors and dealers alike.

"... a delightful and presentation worthy coffee table book, Understanding Jewellery also, in the truest sense, serves as an inviting educational tool with exhaustive encyclopedic explanations of jewellery starting in the late 18th century to the present." - New York Journal of Books

About the Authors

David Bennett is the Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby's International Jewellery Division and the Chairman of Sotheby's Switzerland. He has sold four out of the five most expensive jewels in auction history. Having worked as an auctioneer at the firm since 1978, Bennett is renowned internationally as an authority on jewellery. He played a key role in numerous illustrious sales, such as the 'Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor' (1987), a tiara from the Collection of Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck (2011) and Henry IV of France's Beau Sancy (2012).

Daniela Mascetti is Sotheby's Chairman of Jewellery in Europe. She joined Sotheby's in 1980, opening the firm’s Milan-based department. She is one of Sotheby's most experienced scholars in the history of jewellery, and has collaborated extensively in the sales of historic collections. Her research has assisted with several notable auctions, from The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor to the collections of Elton John and Gina Lollobrigida.