Tiara

by Diana Scarisbrick

The tiara has played a glittering role in the lives of the elegant and extravagantfrom the doe-eyed Audrey Hepburn in the film classic Roman Holiday to generations of England's royal family—representing the height of sophisticated glamour. Worn for centuries by nobility and high society, tiaras are enjoying renewed popularity among today's movie stars and modern brides. Created in conjunction with an exhibition of tiaras at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, this magnificent volume showcases more than 75 of the world's most exquisite tiaras adorned with everything from delicate feathers to ornately decorated, gold fleur-di-lis scrollwork set in diamonds, pearls, and sapphires. An essay by Diana Scarisbrick, curator of the exhibition, traces the tiara's history, and dozens of photographs show tiaras worn by Russian princesses, British royalty, American socialites, and many others. Taking a lighter, popular culture approach to a traditionally high fashion subject, Tiara will delight aficionados as well as those less familiar with the tiara's artistry, who will be astonished by the array of styles, shapes, and showstoppers from around the world.

Genres: Jewellery, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this book clearly knows and loves her subject. Her writing style is both informative and interesting. The photographs that are large enough to see are very beautiful, and it’s nice to see some of the original owners and the occasions where they wore them.
But this has to be one of the most poorly assembled books I’ve ever encountered. From the tiny, tiny font to the incomprehensible organization, I started to wonder if the editor actually understood in the least how books are read. The “essay” presented at the beginning should have been broken down by subject and the related tiaras placed in these chapters. Instead, I spent most of the time flipping back and forth, and the font made it so difficult to read that I was forced to use a magnifying glass at times.
I’m glad I bought it (secondhand) because there are tiaras in there that even an enthusiast like me had never seen before. I am sad for the author that all of her hard work was treated so poorly.

[Tiffany Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

The editing and layout of this book took it from 5 to 3 stars -- so many TINY pictures. All we really want is to see the jewels, so when the pics are minuscule, what's the point?

[Ella Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review at The Court Jeweller: http://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2014/...