American Costume Jewelry: Art & Industry, 1935-1950, A-M [Hardcover]

Roberto &. Carla Ginelli Brunalti (Author), Roberto Brunialti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2008

This encyclopedic study is the fruit of twenty years of collecting, research, and study of the most significant American costume jewelry from 1930-1950. It offers readers a meticulous, reliable instrument to knowing these gems, which are often true and proper little works of art. In the two volumes, over 966 photographs show hundreds of jewelry items in full color, with an additional 729 illustrations of patents, advertisements, and historic photos. Thirty-seven companies are included, with addtional chapters on "jelly belly" jewelry in volume one and patriotic jewelry in the second volume. In-depth research of the companies makes this the best source on the American costume jewelry industry. The first volume, A-M, covers the companes from Accessocraft to Mosell, and includes Bouslen, Coro, Eisenberg, Miriam Haskell, Hobe and others, as well as a chapter on jelly belly jewelry. The second volume N-Z, continues with Norma Jewelry Corp., through Rabajes, Réja, Trifari, to Uncas Manufacturing, with a chapter on American patriotic jewelry.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (July 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764329820
• ISBN-13: 978-0764329821
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy these books, October 27, 2008

By 

Sue (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Costume Jewelry: Art & Industry, 1935-1950, A-M (Hardcover)

These books are wonderfull. The information is taken from primary sources and can be trusted, the pictures are the actual size of the jewelry and beautiful. They have documented the best of the best. I have the two earlier books that the Brunialtis wrote and when I bought these I wasn't disappointed. They have identified 300 more pieces,duettes that I have never seen before. The best part is that I was able to purchase 2 pieces in these books for almost nothing. Bravo Roberto!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars American Costume Jewelry - Art & Industry, 1935-1950, A-M, N-Z, October 19, 2008

By 

Liz (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Costume Jewelry: Art & Industry, 1935-1950, A-M (Hardcover)

I purchased both books in this A-M and N-Z series and am glad I did so. The earlier Brunialti book, A Tribute to America, had many missteps, probably due to translation, that made its written content choppy and suspect. These two new volumes are very well edited and add much more data on the relevant factors of the period that influenced costume jewelry design and manufacture. There are expanded details on the makers that I don't recall finding in other books. The photos are wonderful--and the captions are on the same pages as the images this time, thank goodness.

There is no pricing info and I don't care as that type of "data" is always very subject to region, market conditions, buyer preferences, selling venue, and author prejudice. I would recommend both books to anyone who wants a good pictorial reference to the better works of most of the BIG names in American costume jewelry of the period.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye Candy plus information - it doesn't get any better than this, November 13, 2008

By 

jewelaholic (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Costume Jewelry: Art & Industry, 1935-1950, A-M (Hardcover)

Mr. Brunialti's books are all great. This one has the advantage of being written in English. It is jammed full of pictures of jewelry from many of America's top designers, and the majority of them are accompanied by the patent drawings. It is well-organized and easy to read. The history of the period is interspersed throughout, along with biographical data. This book is a must have for the serious collector of costume jewlry, but can be equally enjoyed by a novice.