Crafts & Collections > antiques & collectibles

This book sets out to show that there are few pastimes as fascinating, enjoyable and rewarding for the enthusiast of modest means as collecting books.

"Wristwatches" presents illustrated portraits of all the popular watch brands - some of them long since unavailable - from America, Germany, Japan, France and, of course, from the world's major manufacturer of timepieces, Switzerland. In its technical chapters, it explains all the highly complex operations going on underneath the face and tells the fascinating story of the watch, of its design and its various forms and looks. Rounded off by a thorough glossary and a chronology of watchmaking that spans a hundred years, this book is... read more

Gems still exert a powerful influence on the modern world, enlightened though it is said to be: once poverty-stricken, Botswana has recently found sudden wealth under the desert sands, where diamonds have been hiding for a hundred million years. In the Congo, Zaire, and Angola, civil war in our times has been inspired partly by mineral riches. And the rivalry of East and West over the African continent is concerned almost entirely with natural resources.This absorbing and often astonishing history of legendary gems is told with sty... read more

Beautiful and valuable books, these are the mainstays of the fascinating world of antiquarian books. Kay Craddock has lived in that world for over forty years. She embarked in buisness from very modest beginnings and overcame considerable cultural and personal obstacles to reach pre-eminance in the international rare book trade.

This practical guide is the outcome of many years' hands-on experience and is the sort of book the author would have liked to have been able to access at the time he started, some twenty years ago, to clean and repair pocket watches.Using as examples six of the most typical types of watch from a period spanning the late 18th century to the early 2

Mini Watch Bible, the new substantial reference book about the world's most remarkable time pieces. This highly imaginative work shows you hundreds of photographs of stunning luxury watch designs.

This is the perfect gift book for any man who loves watches. Internationally, there are 27 watch-related magazines. There has been a resurgence of interest in watches with the Swiss watch market up by 30 per cent year on year. In May 2006, watches accounted for one billion Swiss francs of export. The US is the industry's largest single export market. Future titles in this series include: "Shoes", "Teddy Bears", and "Vintage Gems".

Whether you are a novice collector, dealer or enthusiast, this book has been designed to provide you with a practical source of reference, wherever your collecting takes you. It will help you to tell when, where, by whom, and with what quality of metal most silver items are made. It will enable you to identify a piece of silver, tell whether it is English, American or Continental and, if you have ever wondered what 'sterling' silver actually means, or what a crowned harp or the figure of Britannia signify, the answers are in this b... read more

Michael Jackson was one of those rare human beings who can truly be described as a legend. As with Elvis and John Lennon, everyone will remember where they were when they heard about the death of Michael Jackson. He was just fifty when he died, yet had become a superstar by the time he was eleven, ensuring his music was part of the fabric of everyone's life. Though his days of greatest success were behind him, Jackson was standing on the threshold of what could well have been one of the biggest comebacks in showbiz history. It wasn... read more

This book offers an introduction to collecting antiques, brought to life by one of the longest-serving members of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow team. It provides an invaluable introduction to the different collecting areas, ranging from furniture to ceramics, silver to glass. Eric Knowles describes the items available to the amateur collector and enthusiast, and how to get started. Organized by genre, the book introduces each category's major stylistic eras, telling the reader what to look out for. Each item has been valued by Eric, ... read more

The history of great diamonds is intimately interwoven with the lives of emperors and conquerors, great kings and queens, with statesmen and soldiers, the rich and famous - but also, inevitably, with those who lead more shadowy lives. Diamonds have been objects of passion, sometimes of war, violence and theft. As well as being objects of exceptional beauty and rarity, they were once thought to possess magical properties that protected their owners from enemies. Initially a male prerogative reflecting status and authority, these inc... read more

Decade by decade, the lavishly illustrated Vintage Jewellery recounts over 100 years of hsitory. Accompanied by archive images, fashion photography and specially commissioned photographs of period pieces, the most collectable and beautiful bracelets, necklaces, rings and brooches are showcased. The book concludes with a shopping guide, which offers pointers on sourcing and caring for original antique pieces.

Rings are perhaps the most common and yet the most evocative pieces of jewellery. Worn as a sign of love or as a fashion accessory, to mark weddings, remember the dead, or show religious faith, the unbroken circle, decorated or elegantly unadorned, holds a multitude of meanings for every wearer. From simple medieval hoops worn to ward off disease to the glamorous 'rocks' worn by Hollywood starlets, to the stunning works of art created by contemporary artist jewellers, this book offers a beautifully illustrated introduction to rings.