Silver Jewelry Designs: Evaluating Quality Good * Better * Best [Hardcover]

Nancy N. Schiffer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000 | Series: A Schiffer Book for Collectors

The innovative designs in silver jewelry made in Europe and North America in the 20th century are fascinating and highly popular today. This new book starts with the end of Victorian styles, just before the turn of the twentieth century, and proceeds to display and explain the relationships in Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Mexican, Native American, Mid-century Realistic, and Modern Abstract styles right up to the 1990s. Beautiful color photographs clearly show the details, makers' marks, and fine workmanship that make each piece of jewelry fascinating to so many collectors today.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Pub Ltd (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764300520
• ISBN-13: 978-0764300523
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Jewelry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing to the eye, frustrating to read., May 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Silver Jewelry Designs: Evaluating Quality Good * Better * Best (Hardcover)

As a coffee table book, 'Designs' is an excellent and pleasant pictorial example of silver jewelery from around the world. As a reference work for a collector 'Designs' at more times than is acceptable is a headache to read. Attempting to determine which of the illustrations fit the authors descriptions is time consuming and should be unnecessary.This problem is evident in the photos of multiple pieces and in the good, better, best sections. For reference purposes, order is lacking. For good, better, best selection, information is lacking.As a jewelery catalog, this book passes muster. As a reference work, I will return the book to its owner and will not purchase a copy for my own modest library.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Designer Resource!, March 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Silver Jewelry Designs: Evaluating Quality Good * Better * Best (Hardcover)

As a jewelry designer, I found this book to be incredibly valuable. While the text is not particularly well written, the photography is outstanding. Great detail shots. Many of the pieces have pictures from the back as well as the front, which is very valuable if you are trying to determine how a piece was made. Signature marks are shown as well. It is a good chronological view of the history of jewelry using spectacular examples of work. I learned a great deal from this book and would recommend it to other designers. As a book for collectors, I thought the assessment information (good, better and best) was without meaningful context and also had no monetary reference. Designers - this is a 5 star book. Collectors - this is a 3 star book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nancy Schiffer's "Silver Jewelry Designs", October 2, 2000

By 

"sherrychicago" (Chicago IL USA metro area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silver Jewelry Designs: Evaluating Quality Good * Better * Best (Hardcover)

I collect silver jewelry--mostly Mexican & bought this book as a reference.

I think the photos are great, especially the colorful ones in the first part of the book on Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, & Art Deco jewelry, however, the "Values Reference" price guide in the back is very poor. There are no prices listed for many of the pieces shown in the book & the descriptions in the price guide often don't quite match up with the descriptions accompanying the photos, so it is hard to determine the correct price. Also, I think some of the prices quoted are way too high if you compare the prices in the book with, for example, prices on E-bay.

If this book is ever republished, I think the "Values Reference" should be totally revamped & I think the photo captions should follow a more logical order--such as from top to bottom or clock-wise. In the present edition they often don't.

Buy this book for the lovely photos, but if you need a price guide I don't recommend it.