From Library Journal
The house of Miriam Haskell was to costume jewelry what Tiffany has been to fine jewelry. Museum curator Cera (Jewels of Fantasy: Costume Jewelry of the 20th Century, LJ 9/1/93) offers the first book about Haskell's company, from 1924 to the present. Miriam Haskell jewelry was prized by movie stars and sold in exclusive boutiques. The provenance of early Haskell jewelry was difficult to ascertain, but an identifiable style emerged: the use of elaborate clusters of colorful elements handcrafted as imaginatively as Tiffany's. As the company grew, leading designers produced distinguished works, and they and their pieces are profiled here. Collectors will also appreciate the hundreds of full-color photographs. Loring, who has written several books on Tiffany style (Tiffany Parties, LJ 2/1/94), here celebrates 100 years of precious jewelry prized in the United States and abroad. Hundreds of brooches, bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces, and accessories are shown in color against vintage photographs and drawings, including rare images from the Tiffany archives. Sometimes the busy backgrounds make the jewels difficult to see, but overall Loring provides a good overview. This and the Miriam Haskell volume prove that American creativity can be as rich as any. Design collections will have to have both, as will libraries where there is interest in jewelry as collecting.?Therese Duzinkiewicz Baker, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling GreenCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Tiffany's 20th Century is a stunning portrait of American high design and style as epitomized by Tiffany & Co., the world-renowned jeweler and purveyor of silver, crystal, and other luxury goods. This all-new treasury of exquisitely photographed images and anecdotal text and captions is the most complete chronicle to date of Tiffany's prodigious output and its great influence on American society from 1900 to now. The story of this century's reeling progress and change involves a dazzling cast of characters from Louis Comfort Tiffany himself to Tiffany & Co.'s design directors Van Day Truex and John Loring; stylemakers such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Babe Paley, and Diana Vreeland; and movie stars such as Audrey Hepburn, whom so many adored for her famed role in the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. The book's nearly 350 illustrations include many newly made photographs of dazzling jewels, silver, and objets from throughout this remarkable century. These are complemented by rarely seen archival photographs and drawings, as well as classic advertising and fashion photographs by such greats as Edward Steichen, Man Ray, and Richard Avedon.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal