The Necklace: From Antiquity to the Present (ISBN=9780500017678)

　　Somewhere between jewelry and bodyadornment, the necklace offers perhaps the mostexciting decorative possibilities of any article ofpersonal display. What is worn around the neckcannot be ignored - unlike the more discreet charms of ear and finger decoration - and the necklace as an emblem of wealth, status and proclivity has been shaped and reshaped through the centuries by successive fashions, techniques and materials, from the Egyptian broad collar and the Celtic gold torc, to the diamond sautoirs of the I92OS and the exuberant creations of the liberated sixties.
　　The major part of this book is devoted to the necklace in the 19th and 2oth centuries, as these are the most accessible to the potential buyer and collector. There are, however, substantial sections on the earlier history of the necklace form: the figurative pectorals of Egypt, Greek and Roman chains and medallions, the ornamental inspiration of Renaissance art, the advent of the pearl necklace in the 17th century.
　　The I9th century then saw the necklace come into its own. It was now an essential accoutrement of every well-turned-out woman, even if the materials of fabrication were sometimes a little extravagant, such as humming-bird feathers, and tiger claws. This century ended on one of the highest notes of creativity in jewelry design: the subtle refinements and innovations of Lalique and his fellow designers in the curvilinear Art Nouveau style.
　　The final section on the 2oth century up to our own day reveals changes in the necklace form in response to rapid shifts in social and dress fashion Very short or extremely long, precious or non-precious, wild experiment or traditionally crafted,the necklace has been an indispensable adjunct of fashion from Edwardian glamour to the Art Deco twenties, from the New Look to Power Dressing.With an authoritative text by two of the world's outstanding experts on the subject, superb illustrations of hundreds of examples, and an illustrated glossary, this will be a standard work for many years to come.