Inspiration Monday Book Review: Vintage Jewelry Design

Vintage Jewelry Design, by Caroline Cox

In all of my creative ventures, I find myself endlessly inspired by the past.  I especially have a weakness for vintage jewelry.  I want to wear it, collect it, and make my own creations based on the ways it inspires me.  Imagine my pleasure, then, in perusing Vintage Jewelry Design: Classics to Collect and Wear, by Caroline Cox.  This book gives a fantastic overview of jewelry trends and innovations over the last 100 years, with lots and lots of gorgeous pictures to drool over as you read.

Beginning with La Belle Epoque and continuing through the 1990s, Caroline Cox has collected a wonderful history of modern jewelry in this book.  In chronological order, the book goes through the last century.  In each section, we are given an introduction to the time period, an explanation of what influenced the trends in jewelry, key designers and trendsetters, beautiful examples of pieces from that era, and finally a concise visual summary of key looks from the decade.  This is a volume that you can come back to again and again for inspiration and for knowledge on the different modern design movements.

Cox also includes information on shopping and collecting, with advice on finding the true vintage jewelry treasure and how to spot a fake.  If you are a lover of jewelry, or of all things vintage, I highly recommend this book.  Find this gem of a book here, and improve your knowledge of jewelry history, gain insight into the world of vintage jewelry collecting, and most of all, be inspired!

-Megan