| Famous Jewelry Collectors
by Stefano Papi and Alexandra Rhodes
published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, NY. 1999.
Hardcover, color, 9" x 12", 208 pages, $49.50
Reviewed by June Culp Zeitner.
 This
is not just another book about jewelry. It is about celebrities, nobility, high
society, opulence, and about biography — who designed this glamorous jewelry,
who gave it to whom and why, and, of course, about the jewelry itself. It is full
of fascinating little-known or long-forgotten facts and is beautifully illustrated
with pictures of glamorous actresses, royalty, and heiresses who cherished and
wore the featured jewels.
Most of the jewelry discussed in this book was commissioned and one-of-a-kind,
and made only of the finest diamonds and precious stones. Many of the traditional
designs rely on extravagant use of diamonds or huge Oriental pearls for their
appeal. While these pieces are stunning and valuable, they may seem boring to
contemporary jewelry designers (with the exception of some of the Duchess of Windsor’s
jewelry, which is highly original). However, the authors did include some jewelry
with interesting and contrasting designs that made elegant use of colored stones
such as jade, coral, amethyst, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and chrysoberyl, as
well as flawless turquoise in magnificent settings.
Royal families, high society, and celebrities have long been known for their
costly jewels designed by such jewelers as Van Cleef and Arpels, Schlumberger,
and Cartier, to name a few. The authors have provided wonderful stories about
individuals of nobility and wealth that give the reader a background on various
jewelry collections. For example, Helena Rubenstein, who founded her own successful
business empire, had a more individualistic and diverse taste in jewelry than
most women of her time, whose collections were mostly gifts or adornments for
traditional formal events. But besides becoming acquainted with the wearers of
the jewels, readers can get to know the work of many jewelry designers, too.
The authors, Stefano Papi and Alexandra Rhodes, both Sotheby’s directors,
have done a tremendous amount of research, resulting in a book that should be
read and enjoyed by all who are interested in fabulous jewels or have their own
collection of fine jewels.
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