Diamonds Across Time

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Diamonds Across Time

Author : Usha R Balakrishnan
Publisher : World Diamond Museum Limited
ISBN 13 : 9781838048402
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (484 download)

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Book Synopsis Diamonds Across Time by : Usha R Balakrishnan

Download or read book Diamonds Across Time written by Usha R Balakrishnan and published by World Diamond Museum Limited. This book was released on 2020 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: - Diamonds Across Time features ten essays by scholars in love with the stone - They present new discoveries, explore historic collections, investigate the trade in diamonds, explain the spectrum of colors, and, most important, discuss the human stories that underpin the adoration for diamonds - The book is illustrated with incredible photographs of rarely seen gems and jewels from closely held collections and reconstructions of historical diamonds, done with the help of state-of-the-art computer technology Diamonds tell stories that are captivating and timeless. On the one hand, they are just stones, pieces of pure carbon with optical properties that make them glitter and sparkle like stars. On the other, they are mystical entities hypnotically drawing the viewer into a time machine as it were, wherein a cinematic montage of their journey unfolds. Diamonds Across Time presents a sweeping overview of diamonds across time and space, featuring ten essays by world-renowned scholars in love the stone. Here, these authors present new discoveries; explore extraordinary collections; investigate histories, science, and trade; the nature of diamonds; legendary gems, jewelry collections, and great designers. Above all, they tell the human stories that underpin the adoration of diamonds. Diamonds Across Time is a richly illustrated publication with high-quality images of gems and jewels, archival documents, rare drawings, and fabulous photographs. The volume places diamonds in the context of the time in which they were discovered, and on the political, social, and cultural stage on which their histories were etched. In a rapidly changing world, diamonds are eternal. They were created by nature and grew in the womb of the earth. They tell stories, and they record history. With this book, diamonds will finally have their own storytellers. The book was compiled and edited by the World Diamond Museum's chief curator and world-renowned jewelry expert Dr. Usha R Balakrishnan. She and nine other distinguished authors wrote ten monographs written in the order in appearance: Introduction; The Nizam Diamond: Bala Koh-i-Noor, in the Sacred Trust of the Nizam of Hyderabad - Usha R. Balakrishnan; Diamonds of the French Crown Jewels: Between East and West - François Farges; A Concise History of Diamonds from Borneo - Derek J. Content; Indian Diamonds and the Portuguese Duriing the Rise of the Mughal Empire - Hugo Miguel Crespo; Two Large Diamonds from India - Jack Ogden; The Romanov Diamonds: History of Splendour - Stefano Papi; The Londonderry Jewels, 1819-1959 - Diana Scarisbrick; Dress to Impress in Southeast Asia - René Brus; Powerful Women, Important Diamonds - Ruth Peltason; One in Ten Thousand: The Unique World of Coloured Diamonds - John M. King.

Blood, Sweat and Earth

Author : Tijl Vanneste
Publisher : Reaktion Books
ISBN 13 : 1789144353
Total Pages : 433 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (891 download)

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Book Synopsis Blood, Sweat and Earth by : Tijl Vanneste

Download or read book Blood, Sweat and Earth written by Tijl Vanneste and published by Reaktion Books. This book was released on 2021-12-21 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweeping history of our enduring passion for diamonds—and the exploitative industry that fuels it. Blood, Sweat and Earth is a hard-hitting historical exposé of the diamond industry, focusing on the exploitation of workers and the environment, the monopolization of uncut diamonds, and how little this has changed over time. It describes the use of forced labor and political oppression by Indian sultans, Portuguese colonizers in Brazil, and Western industrialists in many parts of Africa—as well as the hoarding of diamonds to maintain high prices, from the English East India Company to De Beers. While recent discoveries of diamond deposits in Siberia, Canada, and Australia have brought an end to monopolization, the book shows that advances in the production of synthetic diamonds have not yet been able to eradicate the exploitation caused by the world’s unquenchable thirst for sparkle.

Coal to Diamonds: A Memoir

Author : Beth Ditto
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 0385529740
Total Pages : 143 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (855 download)

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Book Synopsis Coal to Diamonds: A Memoir by : Beth Ditto

Download or read book Coal to Diamonds: A Memoir written by Beth Ditto and published by Random House. This book was released on 2012-10-09 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A raw and surprisingly beautiful coming-of-age memoir, Coal to Diamonds tells the story of Mary Beth Ditto, a girl from rural Arkansas who found her voice. Born and raised in Judsonia, Arkansas—a place where indoor plumbing was a luxury, squirrel was a meal, and sex ed was taught during senior year in high school (long after many girls had gotten pregnant and dropped out) Beth Ditto stood out. Beth was a fat, pro-choice, sexually confused choir nerd with a great voice, an eighties perm, and a Kool Aid dye job. Her single mother worked overtime, which meant Beth and her five siblings were often left to fend for themselves. Beth spent much of her childhood as a transient, shuttling between relatives, caring for a sickly, volatile aunt she nonetheless loved, looking after sisters, brothers, and cousins, and trying to steer clear of her mother’s bad boyfriends. Her punk education began in high school under the tutelage of a group of teens—her second family—who embraced their outsider status and introduced her to safety-pinned clothing, mail-order tapes, queer and fat-positive zines, and any shred of counterculture they could smuggle into Arkansas. With their help, Beth survived high school, a tragic family scandal, and a mental breakdown, and then she got the hell out of Judsonia. She decamped to Olympia, Washington, a late-1990s paradise for Riot Grrrls and punks, and began to cultivate her glamorous, queer, fat, femme image. On a whim—with longtime friends Nathan, a guitarist and musical savant in a polyester suit, and Kathy, a quiet intellectual turned drummer—she formed the band Gossip. She gave up trying to remake her singing voice into the ethereal wisp she thought it should be and instead embraced its full, soulful potential. Gossip gave her that chance, and the raw power of her voice won her and Gossip the attention they deserved. Marked with the frankness, humor, and defiance that have made her an international icon, Beth Ditto’s unapologetic, startlingly direct, and poetic memoir is a hypnotic and inspiring account of a woman coming into her own.

Three of Diamonds

Author : Anthony Horowitz
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101664053
Total Pages : 200 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (16 download)

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Book Synopsis Three of Diamonds by : Anthony Horowitz

Download or read book Three of Diamonds written by Anthony Horowitz and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2005-05-05 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What would Tim Diamond, the world's worst private detective, dowithout his quick-thinking brother Nick? The bumbling detective and his kid brother are at it again in these three hilarious, fast-paced mysteries. Whether it's finding out who flattened a philanthropist with a steamroller in The Blurred Man, outsmarting Parisian drug smugglers on a vacation gone miserably wrong in The French Confection, or catching the murderer behind a deadly class reunion in I Know What You Did Last Wednesday, there's never a dull moment with this crimesolving duo around. Find out if Nick can get to the bottom of these mysteries before Tim messes everything up, or worse, gets them both killed.

The World Until Yesterday

Author : Jared Diamond
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101606002
Total Pages : 727 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (16 download)

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Book Synopsis The World Until Yesterday by : Jared Diamond

Download or read book The World Until Yesterday written by Jared Diamond and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-12-31 with total page 727 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bestselling author of Collapse and Guns, Germs and Steel surveys the history of human societies to answer the question: What can we learn from traditional societies that can make the world a better place for all of us? “As he did in his Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond continues to make us think with his mesmerizing and absorbing new book." Bookpage Most of us take for granted the features of our modern society, from air travel and telecommunications to literacy and obesity. Yet for nearly all of its six million years of existence, human society had none of these things. While the gulf that divides us from our primitive ancestors may seem unbridgeably wide, we can glimpse much of our former lifestyle in those largely traditional societies still or recently in existence. Societies like those of the New Guinea Highlanders remind us that it was only yesterday—in evolutionary time—when everything changed and that we moderns still possess bodies and social practices often better adapted to traditional than to modern conditions.The World Until Yesterday provides a mesmerizing firsthand picture of the human past as it had been for millions of years—a past that has mostly vanished—and considers what the differences between that past and our present mean for our lives today. This is Jared Diamond’s most personal book to date, as he draws extensively from his decades of field work in the Pacific islands, as well as evidence from Inuit, Amazonian Indians, Kalahari San people, and others. Diamond doesn’t romanticize traditional societies—after all, we are shocked by some of their practices—but he finds that their solutions to universal human problems such as child rearing, elder care, dispute resolution, risk, and physical fitness have much to teach us. Provocative, enlightening, and entertaining, The World Until Yesterday is an essential and fascinating read.

Once Upon a Diamond

Author : Prince Dimitri
Publisher : Rizzoli Publications
ISBN 13 : 0847866912
Total Pages : 390 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (478 download)

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Book Synopsis Once Upon a Diamond by : Prince Dimitri

Download or read book Once Upon a Diamond written by Prince Dimitri and published by Rizzoli Publications. This book was released on 2020-09-08 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A remarkable history of jewelry told through the beguiling stories of the royal families of Italy, Greece, Belgium, Russia, and Yugoslavia. Renowned jewelry designer Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia recounts the enthralling exploits of his beloved family members and describes their extraordinary jewelry collections. Among the many royals whose stories are richly illustrated in this volume are his paternal grandparents Prince Regent Paul and Princess Olga of Yugoslavia; Grand Duke Vladimir and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia; his great-grandparents Prince Nicolas and Princess Helen of Greece as well as his maternal grandparents King Umberto II and Queen Marie-José of Italy. The exquisite photography and family albums of Grand Duchess Elena of Russia (later Princess of Greece and Prince Dimitri's great-grandmother) present remarkable never-before-seen images of prerevolutionary life of the Russian imperial family, their court, and their many European royal family members and friends. This luxurious tome also includes exclusive and previously unpublished designs by Prince Dimitri, which juxtapose uncommon materials and color in imaginative yet timeless forms.

Blood from a Stone

Author : Richard Hammer
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 0765386038
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (653 download)

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Book Synopsis Blood from a Stone by : Richard Hammer

Download or read book Blood from a Stone written by Richard Hammer and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2015-06-23 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The search for the Life Diamonds--the subject of the compelling documentary produced by the History Channel. They were known as Life Diamonds--rough uncut diamonds of high quality bought by Jews in Eastern Europe to use as passports to safety. After 1939 and the Nazi blitzkrieg, after the extermination camps began belching black smoke into the skies and the railroad station at Auschwitz II-Birkenau became the busiest train station in the world, they became Death Diamonds. Blood from a Stone is the amazing story of forty of those diamonds, of their journey across continents and oceans, from the mines of South Africa to the diamond centers in Antwerp and Amsterdam, to the Jews of Eastern Europe, to the Death Camps. . . and to the two American soldiers who liberated them from the SS, finally, and buried them in a forest in Alsace on the border between France and Germany. It is the story of the curse believed to lie over the fabulous wealth of these stones, bringing death and disaster to all who touched them. It is the story of Yaron Svoray, who spent more than a decade in search of one small foxhole somewhere in a thousand square miles of forest...and of his unbelievable success. Blood from a Stone is a unique story, a story unlike any to come out of World War II. Blood from a Stone will more than over a dozen exclusive photos from the two-hour History Channel documentary.

Diamonds are Forever

Author : Ian Fleming
Publisher : DigiCat
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 190 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (596 download)

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Book Synopsis Diamonds are Forever by : Ian Fleming

Download or read book Diamonds are Forever written by Ian Fleming and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-08-16 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Diamonds are Forever" by Ian Fleming. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Acres of Diamonds

Author : Russell H. Conwell
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (334 download)

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Book Synopsis Acres of Diamonds by : Russell H. Conwell

Download or read book Acres of Diamonds written by Russell H. Conwell and published by . This book was released on 1915 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Russell H. Conwell Founder Of Temple University Philadelphia.

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History

Author : Scott Andrew Selby
Publisher : Sterling Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 397 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by : Scott Andrew Selby

Download or read book Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History written by Scott Andrew Selby and published by Sterling Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Tells the story with the gripping pace of a true-crime 'Ocean's Eleven.'" The New York Post • "Like a diamond, this true-life caper is clear, colorful, and brilliant." Publishers Weekly ★Starred Review★ The Antwerp Diamond Center was one of the most secure buildings in the world. With hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of diamonds stored in its subterranean vault, it had to be. Located in the heart of Belgium's ultra-secure Antwerp Diamond District, it benefited from two police stations, armed patrols, extensive video surveillance, and vehicle barriers securing an area where 80 percent of the world's diamonds traded hands. But on February 15, 2003, a band of skilled Italian thieves — fronted by the charming Leonardo Notarbartolo, who spent over two years clandestinely casing the building — subverted every one of the Diamond Center's defenses and made off with a record amount of loot. Experts estimate they got away with nearly half a billion dollars in diamonds, cash and other valuables. They'd pulled off the biggest heist in history--everybody loves diamonds and they now had more than any thief before them. The robbers did it with stealth and smarts; no one was hurt or even threatened during what was quickly labeled the largest diamond heist in history. The bandits — members of a group of professional thieves known as "The School of Turin" — used cunning in lieu of violence, successfully evading security cameras, thwarting an array of electronic sensors, and penetrating a vault protected by a double-locked foot-thick steel door. Even when the police zeroed in on who committed the crime, how it was done remained a mystery, like something out of a heist movie or TV show. Flawless is a fast-paced global scavenger hunt uncovering the truth behind the daring Valentine's Day weekend heist. Tracking clues, sources, and documents throughout Europe — from seedy cafés in Turin, Italy to sleek diamond offices in Antwerp, Belgium — authors Scott Selby and Greg Campbell retrace Notarbartolo's careful discovery of the building's security flaws. They recreate the heist and its aftermath — detailing how the thieves brilliantly neutralized each element of the security protecting the Diamond Center's vault while inviting the readers into the secretive world of diamonds and diamond dealing. The result is a thrilling ride through the better-than-fiction heist of the century. "Fans of caper books and movies will be in seventh heaven." Booklist ★Starred Review★

The Engagements

Author : J. Courtney Sullivan
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307958728
Total Pages : 401 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (79 download)

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Book Synopsis The Engagements by : J. Courtney Sullivan

Download or read book The Engagements written by J. Courtney Sullivan and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2013-06-11 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A People Magazine Top 10 Best Books of the Year • The New York Times best-selling author of Maine returns with an exhilarating novel about Frances Gerety, the real pioneering ad woman who coined the famous slogan “A Diamond is Forever,” and four unique marriages that will test how true—or not—those words might be. "Sullivan is a born storyteller. Like its mineral muse, Engagements shines."—Entertainment Weekly Evelyn has been married to her husband for forty years, but their son’s messy divorce has put them at rare odds; James, a beleaguered paramedic, has spent most of his marriage haunted by his wife’s family’s expectations; Delphine has thrown caution to the wind and left a peaceful French life for an exciting but rocky romance in America; and Kate, partnered with Dan for a decade, has seen every kind of wedding and has vowed never, ever, to have one of her own. As the stories connect to each other and to Frances’s legacy in surprising ways, The Engagements explores the complicated ins and outs of relationships, then, now, and forever.

Diamonds

Author : Michael Gershman
Publisher : Mariner Books
ISBN 13 : 9780395735244
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (352 download)

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Book Synopsis Diamonds by : Michael Gershman

Download or read book Diamonds written by Michael Gershman and published by Mariner Books. This book was released on 1995-03 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ballparks are repositories of family memory, unique places that link generations. Until now, no single volume has focused on the historical development of these special spaces, from the crossroads of neighboring cornfields to the intersections of state highways. In Diamonds, Michael Gershman carefully traces the often curious genesis of these cultural landmarks that mirror, in many respects, the evolution of our urban landscape. All the great parks - Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Sportsman's Park, Ebbets Field, Shibe Park, Crosley Field, the Polo Grounds, Comiskey Park, Forbes Field, Tiger Stadium - and lesser-known gems - Baker Bowl, South End Grounds, Palace of the Fans, and Hilltop Park - are celebrated with a rich blend of meticulously researched history, illuminating anecdotes, rare photographs, and evocative illustrations. Diamonds also tells the story of more modern baseball palaces - Candlestick Park, the Astrodome, and Camden Yards - and describes parks that were proposed but ne

Diamonds in the Water

Author : Daniel McCrimons MD
Publisher : Balboa Press
ISBN 13 : 1504389093
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (43 download)

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Book Synopsis Diamonds in the Water by : Daniel McCrimons MD

Download or read book Diamonds in the Water written by Daniel McCrimons MD and published by Balboa Press. This book was released on 2017-09-29 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Diamonds in the Water explores the life of Windsor Langford Waterbury III, born in 1901 into a wealthy and privileged New York family and trained to become an empathetic and worldly respected physician. Early on, he is guided and directed by dear family members and close friends who instill a revered ethical standard in him. He was taught to use his hands as well as his mind to gain an appreciation for the sufferings of others, the value of hard work, and the distinct philanthropic use of money. By all accounts, his life appears perfect. As the story unfolds, the reader will come to realize that Dr. Waterbury’s life is anything but unblemished. He faces many challenges, including malicious manipulation, life-threatening illness, great love loss, and the unexpected and delayed revelation of a family secret about his highly regarded and influential grandfather. This secret offers curiosity and intrigue; it also precipitates the scrutinizing review of Dr. Waterbury’s life as he shares his grandfather’s memoirs with close family and friends. Throughout the novel, the author created characters who effortlessly encounter and interact with actual historical figures and events, who observe the emergence of scientific and technological discoveries, and whose lives are affected by the economic and social conditions of the time and place. Although the characters represent the full spectrum of fundamental personality expression, there will be a remarkably distinguished few who promote a better life experience for others. Like the world’s rarest, most precious diamonds, these distinct spiritually bound participants are resilient, unalterable, and priceless. And like the ongoing river waters seeking entry to the vast oceans, they individually continue their journey despite the obstacles and unpredictable turns; they are willing to move over, under, or around them to follow their path to its destination, shimmering and connected to life’s true forces.

Number and Time

Author : Marie-Louise Von Franz
Publisher : Northwestern University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780810105324
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (53 download)

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Book Synopsis Number and Time by : Marie-Louise Von Franz

Download or read book Number and Time written by Marie-Louise Von Franz and published by Northwestern University Press. This book was released on 1974 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: C. G. Jung's work in his later years suggested that the seemingly divergent sciences of psychology and modern physics might, in fact, be approaching a unified world model in which the dualism of matter and psyche would be resolved. Jung believed that the natural integers are the archetypal patterns that regulate the unitary realm of psyche and matter, and that number serves as a special instrument for man's becoming conscious of this unity. Writen in a clear style and replete with illustrations which help make the mathematical ideas visible, Number and Time is a piece of original scholarship which introduces a view of how "mind" connects with "matter" at the most fundamental level.

Graff

Author : Vivienne Becker
Publisher : Rizzoli Publications
ISBN 13 : 0847844811
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (478 download)

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Book Synopsis Graff by : Vivienne Becker

Download or read book Graff written by Vivienne Becker and published by Rizzoli Publications. This book was released on 2015 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A look into the exclusive world of Graff, the British-owned luxury purveyor of unique jewels, one-of-a-kind statement pieces, and the most famous diamonds in the world. The House of Graff is synonymous with the pinnacle of luxurious, sophisticated style, the exclusive glamour and exquisite craftsmanship of its creations a singular complement to the world-famous gemstones that have passed through its master craftsmen's hands. Laurence Graff's gift of releasing the hidden beauty within gems of unprecedented size and brilliance has led to Graff being renowned as home to "the most fabulous jewels in the world." Spotlighted are famed stones such as the 603-carat Lesotho Promise, which Graff daringly cut into a necklace of 26 perfect stones; the largest square Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond in the world, the 118.08-carat Delaire Sunrise; and the largest D Flawless round diamond in the world, the Graff Constellation, at 102.79 carats. This volume showcases the best of the House of Graff--the most dramatic, the most mesmerizing, and the most exceptional jewels in the world. Included is the story of the creation of Graff, portrayed through archival photos and the words of founder Laurence Graff.

Diamond in the Snow

Author : Jonathan Emmett
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781406373530
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (735 download)

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Book Synopsis Diamond in the Snow by : Jonathan Emmett

Download or read book Diamond in the Snow written by Jonathan Emmett and published by . This book was released on 2017-11 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Diamond Jewelry

Author : Diana Scarisbrick
Publisher : National Geographic Books
ISBN 13 : 0500021503
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Diamond Jewelry by : Diana Scarisbrick

Download or read book Diamond Jewelry written by Diana Scarisbrick and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A gloriously illustrated social history of diamond jewelry, told through the stories of the European rulers and socialites who commissioned and wore them. Diamonds have long symbolized political power and authority in Europe. This book explores the individuals who commissioned and wore extraordinarily precious diamond ornaments from the mid-fourteenth century to the present day. Exquisite paintings and breathtaking photography highlight the diamonds of figures as enduring as Louis XIV of France and Queen Elizabeth I of Great Britain, as well as screen icons such as Elizabeth Taylor. From Lisbon to London and Stockholm to St. Petersburg, these figures used diamond jewelry to reinforce their power. Like royal dress, diamonds were worn to dazzle and impress—at weddings, coronations, christenings, and state visits—and were presented as gifts, which often proved remarkably successful as instruments of diplomacy. More than three hundred illustrations capture the changing styles of diamond jewelry that mirror the trends of the time: late Gothic naturalism, the culture of the Renaissance, Baroque splendor, Rococo elegance and the imperial grandeur of the First and Second Napoleonic Empires. This book offers a fascinating overview of one of the world’s most iconic gems.