DIANA SCARISBRICK

This is a spectacular monograph celebrating the history of jewellery in Scotland through 360 outstanding examples from the renowned Ghysels Collection.Through the centuries, the distinctive character of Scottish jewellery has enchanted collectors from around the world. In the mid-19th century, demand for the Highland specialties was so high that the supply from local craftsmen had to be supplemented by versions made in England in the same materials and patterns. In this beautifully illustrated volume, leading jewellery historian Diana Scarisbrick presents treasures from the renowned Ghysels Collection.Examples of this title include brooches, kilt pins, bracelets, earrings, tie pins, buttons, and belt buckles, many made by renowned designers such as Rettie & Sons of Aberdeen, Jamieson, and Ellis. One hundred beautiful illustrations highlight the exquisite craftsmanship of traditional Scottish designs executed in local materials - agates, cairngorms, amethysts, garnets, freshwater pearls - set in silver or gold to harmonize with the bright colors of the clan tartans.The book also traces the history of jewellery in Scotland and explains the significance of the various motifs - Celtic, heraldic, sporting, religious, naturalistic, military, and sentimental.

Diana Scarisbrick est spécialisée dans l'histoire de la joaillerie et des pierres taillées. Ses articles paraissent régulièrement dans des magazines internationaux, et elle a contribué à de nombreux catalogues d'exposition en Grande-Bretagne, en France, en Suède aux Etats-Unis. Parmi ses récents ouvrages figure Tiaras (2000), paru à l'occasion de son exposition Crowning Glories : Two Centuries of Tiaras, au Museum of Fine Arts à Boston. Si "la mode se démode" comme le disait Cocteau, elle suit aussi un cycle qui renoue régulièrement avec les tendances fortes. Au-delà même des diadèmes dont la vocation est grandement liée à la démonstration de fortune et le pouvoir, les bandeaux de saphirs, les aigrettes en diamants ou les peignes d'émeraudes ou de corail ont fasciné plusieurs générations et sont en passe de revenir sur notre scène contemporaine. (...)

The tiara has played a glittering role in the lives of the elegant and extravagantfrom the doe-eyed Audrey Hepburn in the film classic Roman Holiday to generations of England's royal familyrepresenting the height of sophisticated glamour.Worn for centuries by nobility and high society, tiaras are enjoying renewed popularity among today's movie stars and modern brides. Created in conjunction with an exhibition of tiaras at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, this magnificent volume showcases more than 75 of the world's most exquisite tiaras adorned with everything from delicate feathers to ornately decorated, gold fleur-di-lis scrollwork set in diamonds, pearls, and sapphires. An essay by Diana Scarisbrick, curator of the exhibition, traces the tiara's history, and dozens of photographs show tiaras worn by Russian princesses, British royalty, American socialites, and many others.Taking a lighter, popular culture approach to a traditionally high fashion subject, Tiara will delight aficionados as well as those less familiar with the tiara's artistry, who will be astonished by the array of styles, shapes, and showstoppers from around the world.

The first book devoted exclusively to rings to be arranged by theme.Diana Scarisbrick, a world expert, illuminates hundreds of examples of rings with her rich historical and literary knowledge: signets; rings associated with love marriage and friendship; devotional, protective and ecclesiastical rings; memento mori and memorial rings; diamond rings; and rings as accessories. She makes us delight in them as works of art, and makes their context come alive through paintings, drawings and vivid quotations.Rings of all periods are included from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome through the Middle Ages and Renaissance up to the 20th century. The rings are drawn not only from great museums but from private collections, pre-eminently that of the noted gem dealer and art patron Benjamin Zucker.Diana Scarisbrick has written extensively about jewelry in books, exhibition catalogues and journals.