This book is a comprehensive overview of four and a half thousand years of jewelry technology—from the dawn of the Bronze Age to the end of the medieval period, including chapters on design, gold refining and testing, the goldsmiths themselves and the perennial problem of fakes. It will appeal to curators, conservators, collectors, archaeologists, practicing goldsmiths and all those interested in history and crafts. The author concentrates on what can be observed without recourse to specia...

A lavishly illustrated, in-depth early history covering two thousand years of diamond jewelry and commerce, from the Indian mines to European merchants, courts, and workshopsThis richly illustrated history of diamonds illuminates myriad facets of the "king of gems," including a cast of larger-than-life characters such as Alexander the Great, the Mughal emperor Jahangir, and East India Company adventurers. It's an in-depth study tracing the story of diamonds from their early mining a...