This is the story of Faberge's Imperial Easter eggs - of their maker, of the tsars who commissioned them, of the middlemen who sold them and of the collectors who fell in love with them. It's a story of meticulous craftsmanship and unimaginable wealth, of lucky escapes and mysterious disappearances, and ultimately of greed, tragedy and devotion. Moreover, it is a story that mirrors the history of twentieth-century Russia - a satisfying arc that sees eggs made for the tsars, sold by Stalin, bought by Americans and now, finally, returned to post-communist Russia. There is also an intriguing element of mystery surrounding the masterpieces. Of the fifty 'Tsar Imperial' eggs known to have been made, eight are currently unaccounted for, providing endless scope for speculation and forgeries. This is the first book to tell the complete history of the eggs, encompassing the love and opulence in which they were conceived, the war and revolution that scattered them, and the collectors who preserved them.

A Visual Dictionary of Decorative and Domestic Arts provides a common and unambiguous vocabulary for the parts of handcrafted decorative, domestic, and artistic items. Terminology for a broad array of object types is presented alongside original 3D illustrations that facilitate objective referencing. The reference enhances learning, labeling, and discussing various craft items in great physical detail. Sixty-four 3D graphic illustrations provide an effective visual format for identifying the vocabulary/location of the parts on individual objects. The dictionary is divided into five major sections: -Decorative Objects such as a basket, jar/jug, flatware -Domestic Furnishings such as a bed with bedding, upholstered chairs, tables -Artistic Works and Tools such as books, prints, paintings, photographs, and sculpture -Jewelry Adornment Items such as earrings, necklaces, pins, and watches -Accessory Articles such as a hat, pipe, comb, and fan The thoroughness of the annotations makes this volume an essential tool for museum curators and conservators, librarians, connoisseurs, buyers and dealers; artists and crafts persons, collectors, designers, registrars and anyone with an interest in visual history.

Native American jewellery of the Southwestern United States in its classic union of white metal and blue turquoise is an iconic form and the focus of this strikingly illustrated new publication. Internationally recognized and locally significant, Native American jewellery has a compelling history which represents the persistence of tradition while encapsulating the vitality of Native American communities and the continuously transforming nature of their contemporary artistic practice. As a traditional item of adornment it can be understood through the complex histories of making and the development of locally important styles and materials. Situating jewellery in the cultural economy of the American Southwest, this publication explores Southwestern jewellery as a decorative form in constant transition. It describes this rich tradition as subject to a number of desires, fostered and regulated, at different times, by government agencies, individual entrepreneurs, traders, curators and Native American communities. It presents a series of perspectives on Southwest Native American jewellery and explores questions relating to Native American jewellery's identity as craft, material culture, commodity and adornment. Considering the impact of tourism, it discusses the phenomenon of fakes and the related desire to codify tradition and traditional styles, and how these affect stylistic development and value. In describing the markets, the markers and the work, the book suggests the complexity and reinvention that is innate to Native jewellery as a commercial craft. The book also examines British activities as regards to collecting, bringing to prominence fieldwork and exchanges between British and American institutions. It traces the networks of individuals, makers and institutions that facilitated the emergence of UK collections from the 1890s to the 1990s, including an account of the activities that led to the development of the British Museum's contemporary collection. The book draws heavily on the author's archival and fieldwork research (undertaken since 1997) which includes interviews with Native American jewellers, as well as traders, dealers and curators within the field. Illustrated with objects from the British Museum's collection and drawing from a wide range of historical and contemporary sources, this book explores the symbolic, economic and communal value of Southwestern jewellery today.

Craft practice has a rich history and remains vibrant, sustaining communities while negotiating cultures within local or international contexts. More than two centuries of industrialization have not extinguished handmade goods; rather, the broader force of industrialization has redefined and continues to define the context of creation, deployment and use of craft objects. With object study at the core, this book brings together a collection of essays that address the past and present of craft production, its use and meaning within a range of community settings from the Huron Wendat of colonial Quebec to the Girls' Friendly Society of twentieth-century England. The making of handcrafted objects has and continues to flourish despite the powerful juggernaut of global industrialization, whether inspired by a calculated refutation of industrial sameness, an essential means to sustain a cultural community under threat, or a rejection of the imposed definitions by a dominant culture. The broader effects of urbanizing, imperial and globalizing projects shape the multiple contexts of interaction and resistance that can define craft ventures through place and time. By attending to the political histories of craft objects and their makers, over the last few centuries, these essays reveal the creative persistence of various hand mediums and the material debates they represented.

The scrollsaw is a versatile machine, which lends itself to a host of practical and decorative projects. It is not difficult to use, and good results can be obtained in a short time, even if you have little or no prior experience of woodworking. In Scrollsaws: A Woodworker's Guide, scrollsaw experts Julie and Fred Byrne tell you all you need to know to get started on this absorbing hobby, from choosing the right equipment and materials to coloring and finishing your completed work. You will learn how to set up your scrollsaw to get the best possible results from it, and how to work safely and efficiently. Plans and instructions are included for a series of attractive projects, themed to suit different rooms--including the garden. Once you have seen for yourself what the scrollsaw is capable of, you may well be hooked! Projects include: Kitchen: key holder, trivets, letter rack, doorstop, blackboard Bathroom: fish mobile, peg rail, towel rail, door plate Child's room: bookends, coat hooks, name plate, wall hanging Garden: birdhouse, boot rack, house name, seed organizer

Wax carving is like sculpture for jewellery and allows enormous creativity, as so many different forms can be made. This practical guide introduces the techniques to this age-old method through a series of guided exercises and projects, and demonstrates how exciting it can be. Drawing on the experience of two master wax-carvers, it also gives invaluable advice on the finish of your cast pieces and how to reproduce them. With over 400 colour photos, it give advice on setting up for wax carving, tools, tool-making and materials. There are exercises that introduce the beginner to using wax and then build ideas and confidence to try more complex designs. Included are advanced techniques that show how to use stones in a carving and how to add texture and surface detail. Finally, finished examples demonstrate the potential, excitement and versality of the method.

A fascinating new look at an extraordinary artist whose deafness led to an acute visual awareness and near photographic memory Self-taught artist James Castle (1899-1977) is primarily known for soot and saliva drawings of meticulously rendered domestic interiors and farm scenes, along with fantastical figures, animals, and architectural constructions made of cardboard and stitched paper. Castle was born into a family of homesteaders in Idaho, and his visual world comprised variations of seemingly ordinary subjects: rural landscapes, houses, barns, and outbuildings; interiors with closed and open doors, beds, bureaus, tile floors, and minutely patterned wallpaper; and color copies of illustrated advertisements for food, fuel, and matches. Castle was a deaf artist who by most accounts never learned to read, write, or speak. In this remarkable book, author John Beardsley discusses how these limitations led to the development of an extraordinary memory, an ability that enabled him to create a large number of distinctly intelligent artworks. Beardsley follows Castle's work as if through a series of rooms (a "Memory Palace")-interiors, exteriors, objects, books, and words-reproducing many previously unknown works and referencing other documents made available for the first time from the James Castle Collection and Archive. Published in association with the James Castle Collection and Archive

A masterpiece of medieval Arab metalwork revealed, shedding light on courtly life in northern Iraq under the Mongol governorship. Accompanying a major scholarly exhibition at The Courtauld Gallery, this book explores one of the most beautiful and enigmatic objects in The Courtauld's collection: the so-called 'Courtauld wallet', a brass container richly inlaid with gold and silver, imitating a lady's textile or leather bag, and probably made in Mosul in northern Iraq around 1300. No other object of this kind is known. Decorated all round with courtly figures and on the top with an elaborate banqueting scene featuring an enthroned couple, it has long been recognised as a masterpiece of Arab metalwork. Yet, despite the superb quality of its design and craftsmanship and its status as a unique object, this exceptional metalwork bag has never been properly published. Thus it remains little known outside a small circle of specialists, and little understood even within that circle. Encompassing a variety of multidisciplinary essays by distinguished historians and art historians- on subjects ranging from music at the Mongol court, Mosul under Mongol governorship and Mongol marriage customs to the role of women under the Ilkhanids-this publication aims to explore the origins, function and iconography of this splendid luxury object as well as the cultural context in which it was made and used. It will bring together other images of enthroned Mongols with female consorts, as well as scenes of hunters, revellers and musicians in a variety of media, including illustrated manuscripts, ceramics, textile, and metalwork. By presenting the bag alongside carefully selected contemporary material, it will provide an insight into courtly life under the Mongols in the newly conquered areas of their empire, and will also provide an unrivalled opportunity to investigate the inlaid brass tradition in Mosul after the Mongol Conquest. Objects made before and after this seismic event will be reproduced side by side to demonstrate how the Mosul metalworkers adapted their work for their new patrons.

"For goldsmiths, collectors, jewelry-makers, investors, retailers and consumers."

The trade of gemstones is a highly specialized and often secretive business. Using The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones, written by an expert gemstone dealer and designer, will provide any consumer with the insider knowledge needed to make accurate judgments of gemstones, to recognize low- and high-quality stones, and to make a good buy rather than a bad one.

Each full-color spread is packed with concise text, annotated drawings and beautiful photographs, including a showcase of virtuoso jewelry designs. Great for informed consumers, the book includes: Sources and grading Traditional and modern settings Cutting and faceting Designing a special setting Gemstone groups Appraising, buying and handling gemstones Diamond types and pearls Spotting synthetics and fakes.

Here is a sampling of the practical insider information in this book: Using a loupe to examine a stone Understanding laser cutting and carving Identifying synthetic diamonds Buying at gem fairs and from dealers Cleaning and storing stones.

No other book has this kind expert advice -- up-to-date, clearly presented and fully illustrated -- on evaluating and using gemstones.

In "The Art of the Japanese Sword," master swordsmith Yoshindo Yoshihara offers a comprehensive view on the making, finishing and appreciation of Japanese blades.
The Japanese sword, a unique work of art in steel, can be appreciated from a number of viewpoints. Its functionality as a weapon, the sophisticated metallurgy and scientific thinking utilized by the swordsmith, the shape of the blade itself, and the different crystalline forms in the steel all contribute to the beauty of these remarkable weapons. "The Art of the Japanese Sword" conveys to the reader a basic background regarding the Japanese sword, as well as an explanation of how to view and appreciate a blade. It also illustrates the details of how a sword is made and finished today.
Modern craftsmen use completely traditional methods from the past to prepare their steel, forge the sword and create the unique hardened edge. By gaining a good understanding of how a sword is actually made, the reader will be able to appreciate the Japanese sword more fully.

Aimed at keen woodworkers of all levels, this book features 25 designs to suit all tastes - from traditional hinged jewellery-box designs to boxes with more elaborate and sophisticated opening mechanisms such as a quatrefoil box. Woodworkers will be spoilt for choice. Many of the projects include helpful hints and tips to ensure a perfect result and all projects include step-by-step instructions, along with either clear diagrams or easy-to-follow step-by-step photography. Plans are also provided where necessary.

Of the more than one hundred experiments in communitarian living that proliferated in America during the nineteenth century, the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, whose adherents are best known as 'Shakers, ' is certainly one of the most interesting, successful, and enduring. This book is a collection of furniture made by members of this remarkable American religious sect.

From around 750BC to 12BC, the Celts were the most powerful people in central and northern Europe. With the expansion of the Roman Empire and the later Christianization of these lands, they were pushed to the fringes of north-western Spain, France and the British Isles. But there the mythology of these peoples held strong. The tales from Celtic myth were noted down and also absorbed into other cultures. From Roman and Christian scribes we know of characters like Morrigan the shape-shifting queen, who could change herself from a crow to a wolf, Cu Chulainn, who, mortally wounded in battle, tied himself with his own intestines to a rock so that he'd die standing up, and the Cauldron of Bran, which could restore life. Other than being fascinating in their own right, Celtic legends are of interest for the influence they had over subsequent mythologies. The story of the Holy Grail first appears in medieval romances but its antecedents can be found in the Celtic tale, the Mabinogion. Illustrated with more than 180 artworks and photographs and maps, Celtic Myths is an expertly written account of the mythological tales that both fascinate us and influence other writings.

World renowned for its collection of Islamic art, the al-Sabah Collection in Kuwait also houses an important collection of ancient art. Splendors of the Ancient East presents a selection of ancient artefacts from the al-Sabah Collection, most of them reproduced for the first time. This selection is united by the personal vision of Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and his wife, Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah. This vision is informed by a love of the beauty of these objects and an interest in the material culture of this region, from which grew some of the distinctive forms and design vocabulary of Islamic art. Covering a time span of some 4,000 years, from the Bronze Age up to the dawn of the Islamic era, this book celebrates some of the beautiful objects created in the Near East and beyond including Central and South Asia.

This is an essential beginner's guide to classic alphabets, with over 40 projects and 400 photographs and artworks. It helps you how to master the art of calligraphy, from simple letters in black ink to illuminated lettering in gold leaf. It features all the classic alphabets - both formal and decorative - such as Roman, Foundational, Uncial, Gothic, Italic and Versal, as well as numerals and fractions. It is a complete guide to calligraphy equipment, including pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, inks, paints, brushes, paint palettes, cutting tools, compasses and protractors. It includes 40 step-by-step projects, such as addressing envelopes, making posters, inscribing t-shirts, making gift booklets and creating perpetual calendars, as well as how to use pretty hand-made papers and metallic paints. It is fully illustrated with clear artworks of each type of lettering and numbering, as well as superb photographs of hand-painted backgrounds and finished projects. The thrill of calligraphy lies in the making of letters with your own hand - the nib moving smoothly over the surface of the paper and leaving nicely proportioned letters in its wake. This illustrated guide to the craft shows how the beginner should set about acquiring the necessary skills to become a proficient calligrapher. It includes many different alphabet styles, each illustrated with diagrams that show how the letters are constructed. There is a guide to papers, paints and inks, and step-by-step projects are included to show how to create finished examples of calligraphy. Readers will soon develop the skill to produce their own beautiful handwriting.

Founded in 1925 in Santa Fe, the Spanish Colonial Arts Society has become central to the collection and promotion of traditional Hispanic arts in New Mexico. Its extraordinary collection of some twenty-five hundred objects, both secular and religious, comprises the finest of its kind. Serving as the Society's 'museum on paper' this exceptional two-volume set includes vividly illustrated essays on New World santos, furniture, straw applique, tinwork, and textiles. Essays on historical arts, the revival period, Spanish Market, and contemporary masters of traditional Spanish arts record the development of this historic collection from the early Spanish New Mexicans to today's working craftsman. Books with slipcase.

The essential guide to mounting and setting stones for all levels. Design & Make: Mounting and Setting Stones is a clear and practical introduction to mount construction and the processes of stone setting. Suitable for both the student and the practising jeweller wanting to learn new skills, this book explains how different stones and cuts relate to their mounts. Easy-to-follow, illustrated explanations describe each setting style, including tension, claw, gypsy, pave and rub-over styles, with step-by-step instructions on how to fix the stone in place. With beautiful examples of work from professional jewellers, a detailed look at mount construction and a useful section on specialist tools and techniques, this guide reveals the skills and methods required for successful mounting and setting.

This title features over 100 inspiring ways to make stunning pieces from all kinds of materials, with practical step-by-step projects. It contains over 100 ideas and easy-to-make projects, plus scores of tips and inspiration for creating many different types of hand-crafted jewellery. It features every kind of jewellery - from bangles, brooches and pins, to necklaces, rings, pendants and earrings - plus designs for buttons, badges, cufflinks, hair ornaments and trinket boxes. All techniques are shown in fully illustrated step-by-step format - clear, simple and easy to achieve, with stunning pictures of every finished piece. It covers a wide range of different crafting techniques using easily acquired equipment and material: including metal, wire, beads, ribbon, felt, silk, shells, mosaic, ceramics and paper. Jewellery always makes a very personal statement, and creating your own pieces is a wonderful way of saying even more about yourself and your taste. Better still, many of these ideas are so inexpensive, you can give yourself a new look quickly and easily. This book is designed to teach you everything you need to know about making jewellery, and covers all the materials, techniques and equipment you will need. Projects include bracelets and earrings, necklaces and brooches and even cufflinks and rings, and cover all kinds of crafting techniques. Throughout the book there is an emphasis on having fun while inspiring you to create a fabulous and individual look, with the minimum amount of expenditure.