RRP £16.95 Lowest New Price £9.93

Lark Books,U.S. Number of pages: 360 Language: English (Original Language) Language: English (Unknown) Language: English (Published)

RRP: £16.95
500 brooches but not enough writing
Review date: 2006-09-01 Rating: 8 out of 10

Being a jewellery student i find books like 500 brooches useful tools used to broaden my horizons on the designing and making of jewelley. There are many excellent examples of designer brooches in this book, great photographs too, but mostly taken of the front of the brooch. I like to see the fixtures and fittings of a piece. Seeing these can also be useful as you see how they can be adapted and often form an integral part of the design of the brooch. There are a few brief pieces of writing by some of the artists that appear in the book which are interesting but very short. Although there is a description of materials used under each piece, there are no technical notes. I understand that it is not a technical handbook and that some artists may not want to give away technical secrets but a few explanations of how materials have been attached and manipulated would be very interesting, this is pariciarly from the view point of a jewellery maker. Although I have these critisims of 500 Brooches I still rate this book highly and recommmed it to anyone who is interested in art and design. I find it a useful reference point where i can find designs and makers that interest me and see how materials can achieve unexpected effects. From this reference point one can then go on to reasearch each designer and the materials used if desired.