gems, ancient jewelry, ancient gems, medieval jewelry, Victoria & Albert Museum

This volume is an attempt to encompass all aspects of medieval jewellery in one publication. The text is divided into two parts exploring the business and artistic sides of medieval jewellery-making and ends with 79 color plates and a catalog of jewellery held by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The first section covers technical and stylistic developments in the art of goldsmithing and reviews the business side of manufacturing and sales. The second section contains chapters focusing on specific types of ornamentation, often at great depth. The author uses finely detailed descriptions and examples in the text--a scholar's delight, though cumbersome for the general reader. The color plates and black-and-white illustrations throughout are beautiful, but the descriptions of specific pieces leave us wanting more.