Vintage Jewelry: A Price and Identification Guide, 1920-1940s [Paperback]

Leigh Leshner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002

As good as gold, this book satisfies the tastes of anyone with a curiosity for old white metal and rhinestone jewelry.

The award-winning producer of the Hidden Treasures: Antique and Costume Jewelry video series brings you this beautiful book, featuring more than 1,000 pieces of jewelry. Filled with 400 color photographs that bring these glittering baubles to life, the book details white metal and rhinestone jewelry of the 1920s-1940s. Readers will learn the history of rhinestones, the different types of metal and rhinestones used during this era, and the fashion trends that influenced the designs. An extensive pricing and identification guide covers signed and unsigned foreign and American pieces.
-- Features more than 1,000 pieces of jewelry
-- Extensive pricing and identification guide
-- Showcases both signed and unsigned pieces, as well as foreign and domestic

Product Details

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: Krause Publications (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873494237
• ISBN-13: 978-0873494236
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where was the editor?, November 19, 2003

By 

Kari Jackson (Stamford, CT United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vintage Jewelry: A Price and Identification Guide, 1920-1940s (Paperback)

Sorry to disagree with everyone, but I am greatly displeased with this book. The pictures are beautiful! But there are only eleven pages of text, in very large type, and with a lot of pictures there too. Which means there is very, very, very little information. And in that small amount of information, I found several inaccuracies, therefore I can't TRUST any of the information I DON'T recognize as being inaccurate. There are very few mentions of famous designers, but two of their names are misspelled. An oval rhinestone is the same shape as a marquise rhinestone, it says. There are TWO pictures which each contain three similar-but-different items, where the captions in both cases say that the picture shows three IDENTICAL items. And the price listings are SO MUCH higher than what I see on even the highest priced web sites or jewelry shows in the New York area. Umm, pretty pictures though.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sparkling gallery of treasures, February 7, 2004

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vintage Jewelry: A Price and Identification Guide, 1920-1940s (Paperback)

"Vintage Jewelry: A Price and Identification Guide, 1920-1940s," by Leigh Leshner, is a visually stunning reference work. The back cover notes that the book features more than 1,000 pieces. The emphasis is on pieces made with white metal and rhinestones. Included in the book are some special sections on the following topics: the history of rhinestones, cuts and shapes of rhinestones, settings used to hold rhinestones, types of metal used in jewelry, and suggestions for collecting jewelry. The bulk of the book is a price and identification guide: a huge gallery of full-color photos with descriptive text.

Overall, this is a beautiful and informative book, but I felt that at certain points the text needed tighter editing. Pictured are many different types of jewelry: fur clips, brooches, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc. The pieces shown employ many different styles and motifs: birds, floral designs, Art Deco designs, filigree work, butterflies, whimsical human figures, patriotic motifs, etc. Rhinestones of different shapes, sizes, and colors are shown. And for aspiring collectors on limited budgets, the book helpfully shows a healthy number of pieces valued at less than $50. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys looking at beautiful photographs of dazzling vintage jewelry.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great pictures but questionable price guide, September 22, 2004

By 

Elizabeth A. Keep (Ellsworth, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vintage Jewelry: A Price and Identification Guide, 1920-1940s (Paperback)

This book is one of the best books for illustrations of the white metal/rhinestone forms of jewelry. All the photos are of high quality and show the pieces well. I found the price advisories to be questionable because the values listed seemed very high for local auctions and dealers and WAY high for the eBay world. Perhaps this is because the publication was over 2 years ago so the prices are even older. All in all a nice book - just get a second opinion on any $ values.