Treat your best girlfriend (and yourself!) to a jewellery book! Here is my selection of half a dozen most-covetable coffee table additions, encapsulating good reading material and fabulous photographs of superb jewellery pieces.

Vogue The Jewellery By Carol Woolton

I have had the opportunity on several occasions to meet Carol Woolton, the current Jewellery Editor of British Vogue, who over the years has become a leading authority on jewellery, by lecturing and writing about historic and antique jewels all over the world. Vogue the Jewellery is her fourth book, and a definitive curation of over 300 images of jewellery from Vogue archives. A dazzling array of brilliant pieces, both costume and fine jewellery, featured on the pages of British Vogue and perfectly capturing the dazzling array of styles and moods over the years. Available on Amazon.

Jewelry by CHANEL

I have always been enamoured with CHANEL jewellery, and have been lucky enough to collaborate with this fantastic and timeless brand on several occasions. CHANEL is well-known for its arresting jewellery, both fine and costume. Throughout her life Coco Chanel was an ardent lover of fabulous jewels and exceptional stones, and designed pieces which were unsurpassed in their emphasis on luxury and refinement. In this chic book, you will find direct re-creations of the 1932 collection as well as the newest interpretations of comets and stars, plumes and feathers, and the camellia, Chanel’s signature flower. Jewellery by Chanel encompasses both the classic images from the archives and the exciting new photography to bring old and new together. Available on Amazon.

Emerald: Twenty-one Centuries of Jewelled Opulence and Power by Joanna Hardy 

The lavish Emerald book is a definitive guide to the vivid green gem, twenty times rarer than the diamond. With its rich, emerald silk cover and gold-foil blocking, this chic tome is almost as stunning as the fine historical and modern jewels it celebrates. Here, we see a dizzying array of splendid pieces worn by celebrities ranging from royalty to movie sirens, all alongside classic images of emeralds from art, advertising and fashion. The stunning images are accompanied by an enlightening text by editor of Vogue Italia, Franca Sozzani. Available on Amazon.

Assouline is widely known for its sumptuous coffee table books, and one of its newest releases does not disappoint. Jewels of The Renaissance does a spectacular job of capturing the history of jewellery during the Renaissance period. This fabulous book by Dr. Yvonne Hackenbroch, a foremost authority in the world on Renaissance jewellery, is both incredibly informative and beautifully composed. Jewels of the Renaissance is brimming with luxurious imagery perfectly demonstrating the incredible creativity and unsurpassable craftsmanship of the Age of the Renaissance. Available on Amazon.

Pearls by Beatrix Chadour-Sampson

‘A pearl is always right’, Coco Chanel once family said. Every girl needs this wonderful and informative book celebrating the seminal pearl exhibition that took place at the V&A almost three years ago. For thousands of years, pearls have been treasured for their exquisite beauty and associated with royalty, glamour and status. This book traces trees the fascinating history of these natural and much coveted gems across cultures and over centuries, and offers images of some of the most splendid pearl jewellery pieces in the history of man. Available on Amazon.

Bejewelled: Treasures of the Al-Thani Collection

Bejewelled: Treasures of the Al-Thani Collection is one of my favourite V&A jewellery exhibitions of all time. This splendid book published to accompany the exhibition is a 21st century window into a bygone world of opulence drawing a dizzying array of 100 of the most spectacular pieces from a single private collection. This book also examines the influence that India had on the avantgarde European jewellery design. Available on Amazon.

Thanks for stopping by! What is your personal best jewellery book? Leave me a message in the comments below.

I am extremely happy to announce that my new jewelry book – GEMOLOGUE: Street Jewellery Styles & Styling Tips – is now on Amazon. I’m so excited. It’s the first book of its kind solely dedicated to jewellery. 

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GEMOLOGUE jewelry blog by Liza Urla is a celebration of fine, fashion and vintage jewellery featuring talented jewellery designers, trendy urban street style, exclusive interviews and rare jewellery reviews. This jewellery blog’s goal is to encourage and educate about jewellery online in a fresh and original fashion to inspire women and men across the globe in a fashion and travelling context.

Jewellery blogger, writer Liza Urla, the founder of GEMOLOGUE, is a London-based and NYC-educated gemologist, who has travelled to and lived in many countries. She is now one of the most influential digital jewellery tastemakers. Her jewellery influence has been acknowledged by Financial Times, The New York Times, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

*Styling and Art Direction by Liza Urla. All photos belong to GEM Kreatives for GEMOLOGUE.

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