These Were the Year’s Best Jewelry Books

It’s a trick question. There are always more jewels to be had, but a much more wallet-friendly gifting option is a good jewelry book, and there were several standouts in 2019.

Here are four any jewelry aficionado would love to add to their library.

Diamond Jewelry: 700 Years of Glory and Glamour
by Diana Scarisbrick

From Thames & Hudson, “Diamond Jewelry” charts the evolution of styles featuring the gemstone from late Gothic naturalism and the Renaissance to the Baroque and Rococo periods to today.

Through paintings, photographs and text it also highlights some of history’s most significant events and personalities, with jewelry as a continuous symbol of political power and authority.

Bejeweled: The World of Ethical Jewelry
by Kyle Roderick 

From Rizzoli, this highly anticipated coffee-table book highlights the designers who have dedicated themselves to ethical sourcing and responsible jewelry-making practices.

Featured are brands Coomi, Karma El Khalil and Sandy Leong, among several others, who are pushing the sustainability conversation forward.

“Bejeweled” shows just how relevant that conversation is. 

Gold and Gems: The Jewels of Marie-Hélène de Taillac
by Marie-Hélène de Taillac, Eric Deroo, et al.

Those who have visited Marie- Hélène de Taillac’s New York City jewel box of a salon won’t be surprised to know that the first coffee-table book dedicated to the designer is just as sumptuous as her colorful namesake collection.

Ensconced in a case featuring a rainbow of jewels, the lapis lazuli-colored tome, published by Rizzoli, is largely a visual catalogue of the brand’s designs over the years, interspersed with essays from the likes of New York Times Chief Fashion Critic Vanessa Friedman and fashion journalist Hamish Bowles.

Brooches and Badges
by Rachel Church

Antique jewelry aficionados will be delighted with this informative new read from Thames & Hudson’s series dedicated to accessories.

Charting the brooch’s origin as a practical garment fastener, author Rachel Church chart its journey to adornment, from medieval Pilgrim badges to Renaissance hat decorations and 20th-century political pins.