Books

A simple necklace purchased in Cairo many years ago spawned a fascination with silver that lured the two authors on a global quest in a search for tribal and ethnic jewelry. The result has been an encyclopedic collection of more than 700 examples of silver jewelry from around the world. It includes material from Egypt to Indonesia to China as well as the Americas. This part of the collection is particularly strong in Taxco jewelry from Mexico. The collection was recently the subject of an exhibition titled The Lure of Silver at the Johnson Museum of Cornell University. This hefty book is an independently published survey of the collection. In addition to clear photos, in situ images, and succinct descriptions, the book also contains essays by fashion designer Oscar de la Renta; John Loring, design director for Tiffany & Co.; and Harold Koda, curator of the Costume Institute at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.