mascetti

Focusing solely on the 19th century, Age of Grandeur expands on Daniela Mascetti and David Bennett’s best-selling Understanding Jewellery, bringing with it over 250 new colour photographs.

From the authors of Understanding Jewellery, considered to be one of the most important and frequently referenced books on jewelry ever produced, Age of Grandeur focuses solely on the 19th century, bringing with it over 250 new color photographs of jewelry from this most celebrated era.
Taking the reader through the history of jewelry over the decades, we learn how and why particular styles came about and then changed. From Napoleonic classicism and Victorian sentimental and memorial jewelry, through the Romantic era and its penchant for naturalism, the Gothic style and recreation of the Renaissance and, finally, the unique designs of the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau periods, this comprehensive study enlightens and fascinates. With stunning photographs accompanying us on our journey through the decades, creating a rich visual history that brings the text to life, this book remains the essential bible on 19th-century jewelry.

David Bennett is the Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division and the Chairman of Sotheby’s Switzerland. He has sold four out of the five most expensive jewels in auction history. Having worked as an auctioneer at the firm since 1978, Bennett is renowned internationally as an authority on jewelry. He played a key role in numerous illustrious sales, such as the ’Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor’ (1987), a tiara from the Collection of Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck (2011) and Henry IV of France’s Beau Sancy (2012). Daniela Mascetti is Sotheby’s Chairman of Jewellery in Europe. She joined Sotheby’s in 1980, opening the firm’s Milan-based department. She is one of Sotheby’s most experienced scholars in the history of jewelry, and has collaborated extensively in the sales of historic collections. Her research has assisted with several notable auctions, from The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor to the collections of Elton John and Gina Lollobrigida.