Ancient Medieval Gems Jewelry Origins HUGE "Great Book of Jewels" 200+ Color Pix

Description

The Great Book of Jewels by Ernst A. and Jean Heiniger.
NOTE
: We have 75,000 books in our library, almost 10,000 different titles. Odds are we have other copies of this same title in varying conditions, some less expensive, some better condition. We might also have different editions as well (some paperback, some hardcover, oftentimes international editions). If you don’t see what you want, please contact us and ask. We’re happy to send you a summary of the differing conditions and prices we may have for the same title.
DESCRIPTION:
MASSIVE (14"x12"x2" - 7 pounds!) Hardback with Dust Jacket: 316 pages. Publisher: Edita Lausanne (1982 Reprint).
[Originally Published at .50 in 1974.] Through all of recorded history, jewels have exerted a powerful influence on the affairs of men. “The Great Book of Jewels” is the first book to capture all the history, romance, intrigue, and enduring beauty of precious gemstones, from their earliest history to the present. The editors, Ernest and Jean Heiniger, aided by a team of nine distinguished gemologists from the world’s foremost museums, have amassed a wealth of jewelry lore and scientific fact which they illustrate with man’s most dazzling gems, all newly photographed especially for this book.
Obtaining permissions to take these photographs and plotting the historical provenance of the gems required a double genius for diplomacy and persistence. It was also the source of a rich yield of anecdotes, retold in the introduction. Almost five years in preparation, this work is the result of painstaking research, infinite patience (it took three years just to track down and photograph the Wittlesbach Diamond), and thousands of miles of air and automobile travel on three continents. The gemstones you see in the book lie closely guarded in museums, private collections, and darkened bank vaults all over the world. Many have never before been available for public inspection.
Lavishly illustrated chapters explore such subjects as “The Origin of Gemstones”, “Why Does Man Adorn Himself”, “Precious Ornaments in Ancient Civilizations”, “Sacred Jewels”, and “Modern Jewelry”. Fascinating takes of precious jewels include the story of the Tiffany Diamond, the largest canary diamond in the world; Empress Farah’s crown, the priceless national asset which backs the currency of Iran; the notorious Hope Diamond, whose curse has brought bad luck to its owners since it was plucked from the statue of a Hindu goddess three centuries ago; and the Spoonmaker Diamond, so called because it was once traded for three spoons by a Turkish fisherman.
This dazzling treasury is the most comprehensive record yet published of the world’s most priceless jewels. Nearly 300 superb color plates, plus many black and white photographs make this the most beautiful book on jewels ever published. Richly bound, “The Great Book of Jewels” is itself an object for the collector.
CONDITION: LIKE NEW. MASSIVE hardcover with dustjacket. Edita Lausanne (1974) 316 pages. Inside of book is pristine, as new. Pages are absolutely unblemished; clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound. Though it seems that the book was flipped through a few times, the inside of the book is virtually in "unread" condition. I'd guess that the owner of the book took it home, flipped through it a few times looking at the pictures, then put it on a bookshelf to be forgotten and never actually read. The exterior of the book is not quite as nice, showing some very light shelfwear. Dustjacket and red cloth covers show mild edge and corner shelfwear, and the dustjacket also shows some rubbing as well (dustjacket is gloss black and so shows rub marks very easily, even merely from being shelved between other books). Condition is not too far removed from what might otherwise pass as "new" stock from an open-shelf book store (such as Barnes & Noble, for instance) wherein otherwise "new" books often show a little shelf and/or browsing wear. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! #322d.
PLEASE SEE IMAGES BELOW FOR SAMPLE PAGES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK.
PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW.
PUBLISHER REVIEW
:
REVIEW: Chapters include: 1) The Origin of Gemstones. 2) Why Does Man Adorn Himself? 3) Precious Ornaments in Ancient Civilizations. 4) Development of Styles and Forms. 5) The Sacred Jewels. 6) Regalia and Ceremonial Jewelry. 7) Modern Jewelry. 8) Some Famous Gemstones and Their Histories (from The Smithsonian: the Tiffany Diamond, the Spoonmaker Diamond, the Hope Diamond, the Talisman of Charlemagne). 8) Table of Gemstones.
From the Authors: “To undertake a book of this kind is to undertake a study of the history of mankind. It is our hope that after leafing through this book readers will sense some of the romance and adventure connected with jewels, and will begin to understand why wars have been waged, cities sacked, men tortured and even assassinated for the sake of a glittering gemstone.”
PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS
:
REVIEW: The history, romance, intrigue and eternal beauty of precious stones. Graced by photos of the famous they adorned, and the jewels themselves. A gem of a tome.
REVIEW: Lavishly illustrated compendium concerning the history, romance, intrigue, and enduring beauty of precious stones, from earliest times to the present. Includes chapters on the origins of gemstones, and the role of precious ornaments and sacred jewelry in ancient civilizations, along with the stories of celebrated stones like the Tiffany Diamond and the notorious Hope Diamond. Large folio.
REVIEW: Oversized coffee table volume captures the history, romance, intrigue, and enduring beauty of precious stones, from their earliest history to the present. Fascinating tales of famous precious jewels include the stories of some very remarkable gems and their owners.
READER REVIEWS
:
REVIEW: A very large book with splendid illustrations of gems throughout the ages in different parts of the world. Truly splendid and sumptuous.
REVIEW: A large, extensive work compiling articles by world-famous authorities. Discusses the origin of gemstones, jewels as personal adornment, ancient jewels, development of style and form in jewelry, sacred jewels, crown jewels, modern jewelry and some famous jewels and their history. A fabulous book!
SHIPPING & RETURNS/REFUNDS
: We always ship books domestically (within the USA) via USPS
INSURED
media mail (“book rate”). Most international orders cost an additional .99 to .99 for an
insured
shipment in a heavily padded mailer. However this book is quite heavy, and it is too large to fit into a flat rate mailer. Therefore the shipping costs are somewhat higher than what is otherwise ordinary. There is also a discount program which can cut postage costs by 50% to 75% if you’re buying about half-a-dozen books or more (5 kilos+). Our postage charges are as reasonable as USPS rates allow.
ADDITIONAL PURCHASES
do receive a
VERY LARGE
discount, typically about per book (for each additional book after the first) so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs.
Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. All of our shipments are fully insured against loss, and our shipping rates include the cost of this coverage (through stamps.com, Shipsaver.com, the USPS, UPS, or Fed-Ex). International tracking is provided free by the USPS for certain countries, other countries are at additional cost. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. We will accept whatever payment method you are most comfortable with.
If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked 30-day return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price; 1) less our original shipping/insurance costs, 2) less non-refundable PayPal/eBay payment processing fees. Please note that PayPal does NOT refund fees. Even if you “accidentally” purchase something and then cancel the purchase before it is shipped, PayPal will not refund their fees. So all refunds for any reason, without exception, do not include PayPal/eBay payment processing fees (typically between 3% and 5%) and shipping/insurance costs (if any). If you’re unhappy with PayPal and eBay’s “no fee refund” policy, and we are EXTREMELY unhappy, please voice your displeasure by contacting PayPal and/or eBay. We have no ability to influence, modify or waive PayPal or eBay policies.
ABOUT US
: Most of the items I offer come from the collection of a family friend who was active in the field of Archaeology for over forty years. However many of the items also come from purchases I make in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) from various institutions and dealers. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world - but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology.
I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the "business" of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. I would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a fee for mailing under separate cover. Whenever I am overseas I have made arrangements for purchases to be shipped out via domestic mail. If I am in the field, you may have to wait for a week or two for a COA to arrive via international air mail. But you can be sure your purchase will arrive properly packaged and promptly - even if I am absent. And when I am in a remote field location with merely a notebook computer, at times I am not able to access my email for a day or two, so be patient, I will always respond to every email. Please see our
"ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE."