Jewelrymaking through History: An Encyclopedia

“One hundred thousand years of jewelrymaking?” Author Rayner W. Hesse was initially daunted by the long tradition and changing fashions of adorning the body, but this entertaining and accessible encyclopaedia – two years of research condensed into 200 pages – provides a concise introduction to the subject. Beginning with a timeline, Hesse's book covers the world history of jewellery, from African beads in 98000  bce to the largest diamond unearthed to date in 2006 (also in Africa), in 60‐plus categories covering precious metals, trends, terminology and materials.

Each entry includes key facts, such as a definition, and dates and place...