500 Brooches: Inspiring Adornments for the Body [A Lark Jewelry Book] [Paperback]

Marthe Le Van (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2005

Never before has such an extensive and beautiful collection of brooches been assembled, or photographed to such perfection. Marjorie Simon, a distinguished presence in the jewelry field, chose the pieces, and every one features the fine craftsmanship of a top contemporary jeweler. The breathtaking and provocative styles range from traditional to very avant-garde, and the brooches come not only in gold, silver, copper, and wire, but also in glass, porcelain, paper, and other more unusual materials. They're forged, soldered, chased, and cast, and surface embellishments run the gamut from enamel and metal foils to patinas and inlay. In some cases, detail images and artist's comments accompany the full-size photos. Jewelers, students, collectors, and anyone who loves exquisite items will appreciate the amazing diversity on display here.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.; 1st edition (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579906125
• ISBN-13: 978-1579906122
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #814,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marthe Le Van is an editor for Lark Jewelry. Since 2000, she has written, edited, juried, or curated more than 40 titles. The books she's authored on making jewelry include 30-Minute Earrings, 30-Minute Necklaces, Stitched Jewels, Prefab Jewelry, Fabulous Jewelry from Found Objects, and The Art of Jewelry: Paper Jewelry. Marthe has also served as the editor for all jewelry books in Lark's popular "500" series, as well as the juror for 500 Wedding Rings and the curator for Masters: Gold. She is a member of the Art Jewelry Forum and the Society of North American Golsmiths. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fairly Good Reference Book, September 18, 2005

By 

cid - See all my reviews

This review is from: 500 Brooches: Inspiring Adornments for the Body [A Lark Jewelry Book] (Paperback)

After looking through 1000 Rings, I was a bit disappointed in this sequal. Although the photography is excellent, it doesn't represent the same range and variety of styles. I did enjoy this book however, and will use it as a source of inspiration - it just didn't provide as much benefit as I'd hoped for.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of clear wonderful colorful pictures...some are more like art, August 6, 2005

By 

Ching-yen Huang (Taipei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 500 Brooches: Inspiring Adornments for the Body [A Lark Jewelry Book] (Paperback)

A must have for people who are seeking inspiration. However, some design of the brooches are too "new" (i.e. not wearable) for me. They are more like art instead of jewelry.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great snapshot of the creative jewellery of the early 2000, November 24, 2005

By 

Catrine B (france) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 500 Brooches: Inspiring Adornments for the Body [A Lark Jewelry Book] (Paperback)

Looking through this book, one cannot help wonder at the creativity of the human mind. How can there be such a diversity and invention in an object as small as a brooch? This book is a great snapshot of where contemporary jewellery (brooches) is at in the early 2000. The pictures are beautiful, there is just enough text to understand what you are seeing and know about the creator, and the way the pieces are put together (curated?) is excellent.
For the jewellery designer this is a fantastic resource book, and for anyone else, it is a great introduction to an artform not always known or appreciated and to the discovery that jewellery can be far more a craft.
The only thing against it: it is perhaps too heavily weighted towards American creators: I would have liked to see more Japanese, Australian, New Zealand creators.