NEW SAPPHIRE PAGES

Here’s a round of new books that feature sapphires, as an exceptionally beautiful material for jewelry, technology, and healing. They range from books that are works of art in and of themselves, to comprehensive encyclopedias, to a compact handbook for when you need to know about sapphires on the go.

Photo: Courtesy of Shop Bazaar.

There’s a new crop of books chronicling the 20th and 21st centuries of jewelry design. “Impossible Collection of Jewelry: The 100 Most Important Jewels of the Twentieth Century,” by Vivienne Becker (Assouline, 2013), is the cream of the crop. It presents iconic designs from Art Nouveau, through Deco, then Mid-Century, and on to Contemporary, with images so vivid and lush, you’ll want to pluck these jewels right off the large format pages.

Photo: Alexandre Reza. Sapphire and diamond ring.

Becker, a fine jewelry historian, award-winning journalist, and esteemed curator, scoops out luscious dollops of Cartier, Van Cleef, David Webb, and Belperron, among others. Alexandre Reza graces a page with the stunning sapphire and diamond ring, shown above.

This is a hand-bound edition, with 100 hand-tipped images, presented in a linen clamshell case.

Watch the pages turn in this video.

Photo: Courtesy of Amazon.

If you love contemporary high jewelry design, this book will make your mouth water. Over two dozen of the most creative, most impactful jewelry designers of the 21st century are featured here in "21st Century Jewellery Designers: An Inspired Style," by Juliet Weir de La Rochefoucauld (Antique Collectors Club, 2013). Dazzling photos of their works are accompanied by their stories and their own words. Sapphires and gems of every color dance on its pages.

The author, Juliet Weir de La Rochefoucauld, began her career at Sotheby’s in London. Her family operates Weir & Sons, founded in 1869 by her great grandfather,Thomas Weir. She is a fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain.

Photo: Courtesy of Amazon.

A different set of contemporary jewelry designers is featured in “Jewelry's Shining Stars,” by Beth Bernstein (Fine Points Publishing, 2013). Renowned jewelry designer, Stephen Webster, wrote the foreword. The book presents 38 top pioneer designers who have influenced the look, feel and even the definition of jewelry. This is a gorgeous glossy book that will add sparkle to your coffee table. And you will reach for it whenever you want some eye candy. These designers share their thoughts and stories as well.

From raw and rough to impossibly intricate, from organic to graphic lines, these sapphires and other  jewels will thrill you from one end of the design spectrum to the other.

Bernstein is a fine jewelry consultant, personal stylist, dealer, and writer. Her memoir “My Charmed Life: Rocky Romances, Precious Family Connections and Searching For A Band of Gold” was published by Penguin in the summer of 2012.

Photo: Courtesy of Amazon.

If you are a serious collector or jewelry-maker, you’ll want “The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones,” by Judith Crowe (Firefly Books, 2012). Crowe is an expert gemstone dealer and designer who shares insider secrets to sourcing and appraising gemstones. The book is full of photos and information about grading, cutting, and settings. You’ll learn expert tips about synthetics and fakes. You’ll learn how to buy. It will up your game.

Photo: Courtesy of One Spirit.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy compact reference guide to sapphires and other gems, check out the new Smithsonian Nature Guide: Gems book. Beautiful clear photos of sapphires and hundreds of other gems accompany the gem profiles, which are all written by gem experts.

Photo: Courtesy of Amazon.

Sapphires lend beauty to more than just jewelry. They’ve been used in industry for decades. “Sapphire: Structure, Technology, and Applications,” edited by Isaias Tartaglia (Nova Science Publishers, 2013), presents the latest advances in machining sapphire wafers, growing synthetic sapphires, microfabrication, directed crystallisation, and a myriad of new sapphire techologies.

Photo: Courtesy of Amazon.

Sapphire crystals are used for spiritual and physical healing as well. “The Encyclopedia of Crystals,” by Judy Hall (Godfield’s Press, 2013), is a comprehensive catalogue of hundreds of crystals, organized by color for easy reference. There’s a bit of science, as each crystal is identified chemically, and a bit of soul, as each lists the relevant chakra and describes spiritual and physical benefits.

Hall is a leading authority on crystals, with 40 years' experience in crystal healing, karmic astrology and past-life therapy. She is the author of over 40 books, including the bestselling Crystal Bible (2003) and The Crystal Bible 2 (2009). The Crystal Bible has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

Read about the beauty of Sapphire all this week, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact, including yesterday’s post, Sapphire Soul, a piece about ethical mining.

Get busy and enter the BN Competitions. Our theme this week is Sapphire. Send in your images and ideas. Deadline is 9.15.13.