Antique Diamonds

Chasing Rainbows: Collecting American Indian Trade and Camp Blankets

Book Description
The dazzling Indian trade blanket has become one of the hottest categories in collecting. Icons of Adirondack and Western décor, these stunning geometric-patterned blankets remain a staple of Native American life and are regularly featured in design and shelter magazines. CHASING RAINBOWS is the only book to trace both the fascinating story of the commercially produced wool trade blankets from the 1892-1942 "golden age" and the equally collectible 1910-1942 cotton Indian camp blankets. Illustrated throughout with hundreds of rare blankets, historic photographs of Native Americans and original blanket manufacturers' catalog pages, this definitive work advises where and what to collect and how to care for vintage blankets. The author, Barry Friedman, is known internationally as the ultimate authority on vintage Indian blankets and this book is unquestionably the collector's Bible. Formerly a highly successful Hollywood comedy writer, Friedman presents his information in a wildly entertaining style.

About The Author
Barry Friedman is the pioneer collector/dealer of Indian trade blankets and has bought and sold a staggering 26,000 vintage blankets in his 40 year career. Stories about Mr. Friedman have appeared in hundreds of publications ranging from USA Today and the Los Angeles Times to the Antique Trader and he's been profiled on TV programs such as "Good Morning America". He has lectured at many institutions including the Baltimore Museum of Art and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and was the first non-Indian ever invited to give the keynote address at the Pendleton Woolen Mills national sales meeting. In a previous life he was a Hollywood television comedy writer and received six Emmy nominations and wrote stand-up material for scores of comedians ranging from Johnny Carson to Jerry Seinfeld. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Clutching at Straws (Jake Diamond, Private Investigator)

From Publishers Weekly
A worthy successor to Catching Water in a Net (2000), Abramo's second in the San Francisco-based Jake Diamond PI series is a clever and well-crafted detective novel, gritty enough to satisfy hard-boiled readers but not so dark that it will put off more traditional mystery fans. Hired to break into a local judge's house and extract money and papers from a wall safe, Lefty Wright, a small-time thief, stumbles over the judge's corpse and is immediately surrounded by policemen. Wright later calls Diamond from prison, where he awaits trial for murder, and convinces the PI of his innocence. As Diamond proceeds with his investigation, the police, the governor and especially prosecuting attorney and DA candidate Lowell Ryder all make it very clear that they don't want him involved. When Wright is killed "trying to escape" en route to court, things get really interesting. Scrambling to make a case, Diamond trails crooked cops and even resurrects his dormant acting career to appear in a bit part in a movie to get close to a key suspect. Throughout the book, Diamond is reading Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo, which parallels his current case.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This workmanlike second entry in the Jake Diamond series finds the San Francisco PI searching for the real killer of an unpopular local judge after one of Diamond's clients, an accomplished burglar having a very bad night, is fingered for the murder. The deeper Diamond digs, the more folks end up dead--starting with his client and continuing with a low-level mobster, a misguided rich kid, and a couple of cops. The clues point to a rising-star prosecutor running for district attorney, but Diamond has a rough time making his case. The hard-boiled detective with a soft-boiled heart provides most of the book's low-key charms. Diamond is refreshingly direct with his questioning, listens to his conscience whenever possible, and has a knack for tying classic novels into the action at hand. His football-groupie assistant, Darlene, heads an appealing supporting cast that includes flaky flunky Vinnie "Strings" Stradivarius and Mob-connected confidant Joey Russo. Although the story is light on action and suspense, it's comfort food for PI fans. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

Product Review
Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed is the glass-half-empty follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel. While Guns, Germs, and Steel explained the geographic and environmental reasons why some human populations have flourished, Collapse uses the same factors to examine why ancient societies, including the Anasazi of the American Southwest and the Viking colonies of Greenland, as well as modern ones such as Rwanda, have fallen apart. Not every collapse has an environmental origin, but an eco-meltdown is often the main catalyst, he argues, particularly when combined with society's response to (or disregard for) the coming disaster. Still, right from the outset of Collapse, the author makes clear that this is not a mere environmentalist's diatribe. He begins by setting the book's main question in the small communities of present-day Montana as they face a decline in living standards and a depletion of natural resources. Once-vital mines now leak toxins into the soil, while prion diseases infect some deer and elk and older hydroelectric dams have become decrepit. On all these issues, and particularly with the hot-button topic of logging and wildfires, Diamond writes with equanimity.

Because he's addressing such significant issues within a vast span of time, Diamond can occasionally speak too briefly and assume too much, and at times his shorthand remarks may cause careful readers to raise an eyebrow. But in general, Diamond provides fine and well-reasoned historical examples, making the case that many times, economic and environmental concerns are one and the same. With Collapse, Diamond hopes to jog our collective memory to keep us from falling for false analogies or forgetting prior experiences, and thereby save us from potential devastations to come. While it might seem a stretch to use medieval Greenland and the Maya to convince a skeptic about the seriousness of global warming, it's exactly this type of cross-referencing that makes Collapse so compelling. --Jennifer Buckendorff

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In his Pulitzer Prize–winning bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, geographer Diamond laid out a grand view of the organic roots of human civilizations in flora, fauna, climate and geology. That vision takes on apocalyptic overtones in this fascinating comparative study of societies that have, sometimes fatally, undermined their own ecological foundations. Diamond examines storied examples of human economic and social collapse, and even extinction, including Easter Island, classical Mayan civilization and the Greenland Norse. He explores patterns of population growth, overfarming, overgrazing and overhunting, often abetted by drought, cold, rigid social mores and warfare, that lead inexorably to vicious circles of deforestation, erosion and starvation prompted by the disappearance of plant and animal food sources. Extending his treatment to contemporary environmental trouble spots, from Montana to China to Australia, he finds today's global, technologically advanced civilization very far from solving the problems that plagued primitive, isolated communities in the remote past. At times Diamond comes close to a counsel of despair when contemplating the environmental havoc engulfing our rapidly industrializing planet, but he holds out hope at examples of sustainability from highland New Guinea's age-old but highly diverse and efficient agriculture to Japan's rigorous program of forest protection and, less convincingly, in recent green consumerism initiatives. Diamond is a brilliant expositor of everything from anthropology to zoology, providing a lucid background of scientific lore to support a stimulating, incisive historical account of these many declines and falls. Readers will find his book an enthralling, and disturbing, reminder of the indissoluble links that bind humans to nature. Photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Collecting Antiques For Pleasure And Profit

Product Description
Text extracted from opening pages of book: COLLECTING ANTIQUES FOB PLEASURE AND PROFIT The narrative of twenty-five years search for antique furniture, prints, china, paintings and other works of art, copiously pictured with many fine examples. BY FELIX GADE G* P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK 1922 HiAKM'S II LM'MI KK CMUM'i'nu um*< sl. uul A f! KXQW?< The author wishes to acknowledge the courtesy of the authorities of the Victoria and Albert Museum in allowing the publication of Chip pendale, Haig & CoSs account to Garricti* Figs. 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 85, 87, 39, 50, 61, 6b, 68 are now the property of Messrs Gill & Reigate, to whom he is indebted for the illustrations of these examples, also to Messrs Restall, Brown & Clenell for Figs. 89, SO. Figs. 49, 56, 58, 85 are at present in the Melbourne Museum, and the author is indebted to the authorities of that Institution for their kindness in supplying photographs of these exhibits, also to the Rev. E. A. Downman for permission to use the Blue Dash Charger on the jacket. INTBODUCTION PART I. SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. CHAPTER I. LACQUER AND MARQUETRY . 29 Simple Oak Furniture. The Restoration a period of Luxury and Magnificence. Encouragement of Art and Beauty. Craze for Lacquer Work. Superiority of Oriental productions. The ideal existence of the Oriental craftsman. Difference between Oriental and European specimens. Quiet English marquetry. The * Seaweed/ II, TWIST-LEG FURNITURE AND GATE TABLES . 86 Value of Twist-leg furniture. Its variety. Good colour in oak furniture. Scarcity of good Gate tables. The Crutch table. Jacobean mouldings. French work. Local characteristics. III. CROMWELLIAN CHAIRS 42 Special charm of old pieces. Suitable coverings for Cromwellian chairs. Evidences of faking. Differences between Continental and English examples. Farthingale chairs. IV. OAK CHESTS 46 First piece of household furniture. Linenfold panels. Nonesuch chests. The Marquetry of Siena. Variety of Moulding, Patent Paint Re movers. Collecting Antiques PART II. EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. CHAPTER I> ACIE I. QUEEN ANNE FURNITURE 5ft Exquisite simplicity. Worm-eaten furniture. Old Colour which cannot be imitated, English styles copied abroad. An English cabinet-maker at Ix* g horn. Copies by Italian workmen. Lack of finish. The effect of careful restoration. Black Italian furniture. A fine piece from Wales. Modern reproductions of the antique.. The romance of some Queen Anno needlework. C* eso work* An old-time popular design. II. THE CHIPPENDALE PERIOD . 64 Chippendale's career. The house of Hatpf and Chippendale* Account rendered to Gurriek, Contemporary books of deaijw. The * Venus Martin.' Painted furniture. The Artn should bt* combined. One ot Chippendale's happient in spirations. An untouched old farm-houHc. Au early example. The adoption of French tlcsignw. The necessity of careful examination. An unusual piece of furniture. A ffrent increase in value* The value of old gilding. The purchasing power of money. III. THE HEPPLEWHITE AND SHERATON PERIOD Hi The pleasure of the search. A country farm house sale. A purchase in pieces. A mistake in restoration. A point to be remembered* A Settee for sale* The result of too gnsHt length in a fine specimen. Valuable Wine cooler*. Au unusual side table* PART III. MISCEJLLANEOUS* L CLOCKS 00 Nil Desporandum. Clocks that have Uad tlie base cut down, A loss to the town of Exetor. Th* high standard of English clock-making. The flmfc domestic clock. The Sh* p* head clock. An old Pansian sale book. The French ctockmaker** 8 Contents CHAP : PAGB The purchase of old clocks. Will Grymes de Cricklade. Superiority of English methods. High esteem for artists in bye-gone days. II. NEEDLEWORK 108 Excellence of present-day reproductions. The differences between the new and the old. Great revival in the art of needlework. Decorative old curtains. The restoration of old needlework. The property of an eighteenth century Oxford student. Work begun in 1795 still incomplete. A very old

Collecting Japanese Antiques

Product Description
Collecting Japanese Antiques shows what makes Japanese aesthetics so different from other countries. Antique hunters will benefit from the practical and cautionary advice in this book; newcomers will appreciate information on the basics of collecting; while other sections might reawaken interest in experienced collectors. Striking photographs highlight the beauty and craftsmanship of items such as solid wood chests and elegant prints and ceramics. A glossary explains antique-related Japanese terms.

About The Author
Alistair Seton graduated from Oxford University and Aberdeen College of Education, and spent five years in Arab and West African countries before coming to Japan in 1972. Since then, he has taught at various universities and was a guest lecurer for eight years at Kobe University. He is a professor at Tezukayama Gakuin University. In 1993, he founded and still edits Daruma, a quarterly magazine on Japanese antiques and art. He lives in Kobe with his university professor wife and their two children.

Collectors Guide To Antique Radios: Identification and Values (Collector's Guide to...

Book Description
Radios of all types, styles, and ages can be found in most every antique store or flea market. There are now thousands of diehard collectors searching for these beautiful and often colorful radios. Radios are part of our memories and bring nostalgia into our modern day. John Slusser, collector, full-time radio dealer, and well-known figure in the radio field, along with the staff of Radio Daze, have compiled this updated and expanded sixth edition of our popular series. Filling the need for an easy-to-use, complete guide to these collectibles, Collector's Guide to Antique Radios, Sixth Edition, gives descriptions and current values for approximately 10,000 models of antique radios with over 600 full-color photographs. Most other guides just list radios by model number -- our guide gives complete descriptions of every radio along with selected full-color photos and information about the radio manufacturers. The informative text provides explanations for the many confusing terms and abbreviations used in the radio field. Listed alphabetically by company, the radios are accompanied by current collector values. The book is devoted to the golden age of radios, the 1920s through the 1950s. Although the majority of these radios have long since vanished, many still remain as living examples of the quality and charm of products from this period.

About The Author
John Slusser pursued an education in electrical engineering and has been involved in the computer systems and telecommunications arena for over 27 years. He renewed his interest in radios as a casual hobby and quickly became obsessed. In the mid-1990s he started Radio Daze, LLC, in upstate New York to service and sell classic radios of the 1920s to 1950s.

Consigned to Death (Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries)

From Publishers Weekly
In Cleland's satisfying cozy debut, a New Hampshire antiques dealer, Josie Prescott, formerly employed by a big New York auction house, turns sleuth after a potential client, wealthy recluse Nathaniel Grant, is found stabbed to death in his mansion in Rocky Point, N.H. Cleland, who herself was once an antiques dealer in the Granite State, puts her insider knowledge to admirable use in depicting what is often a cutthroat business, from price setting and haggling to handling difficult clients and competitors. She also proves adept at shifting suspicion from one character to another, including a well-established professional rival of Josie's, his harpy of a wife and the slain man's greedy granddaughter. A few valuable paintings of uncertain provenance that have gone missing and a soupçon of romance for the wary Josie help raise the excitement level. Readers will want to see more of her. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Josie Prescott left a good job at a New York auction house after blowing the whistle on her former employer in a price-fixing scandal. Her new business in a small New Hampshire coastal town is doing well. She is busy setting up an auction when the chief of police shows up to ask questions about a murder. A potential client is dead, and Josie has become a murder suspect. With a great deal to lose and no desire to leave her new life, she must clear her name. Using her knowledge of the art and antique trade, she starts searching for the killer with a bit of help from her lawyer and an enterprising young reporter. The fact that the chief of police is quite attractive--and Josie could use some romance--provides a bit of extra motivation. Josie is a nice addition to the ranks of female sleuths, and the antique-auction milieu provides an interesting background. Barbara Bibel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Consumer Guide to Diamonds, 2nd edition

The Midwest Book Review, December, 2003
An excellent laymans guide…a highly affordable "must-read" for anyone considering a hefty monetary investment in these precious stones. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Book Description
Are you going to spend a fortune on a diamond engagement ring?

Are you afraid you will make a mistake?

Do you know what an ideal cut diamond is?

I assume your answers to these questions are yes, yes, and no (or maybe). Consumer Guide To Diamonds was written to help you to spend your fortune without making a mistake and to tell you in great detail what an ideal cut diamond is.

Judging by the number of pretty bad diamonds I see as a jeweler, gemologist, and appraiser, people are not going about looking for diamonds correctly. Consumer Guide To Diamonds offers real-world guidance in purchasing this high-anxiety, esoteric, and very expensive product, which most people buy at least once in their lives.

The book is deliberately concise, not straying from too far from the practical business of real-world diamond shopping for ordinary people.

The four C's of diamonds, clarity, color, carat weight, and cut, are thoroughly explained, but the emphasis is on cut, the angles and proportions of the diamond, which determine its brilliance and fire.

The cut, the most complicated and least understood aspect of diamonds, by jewelers and consumers alike, has the greatest potential for manipulation to fool the consumer. For example, diamonds are commonly cut to be smaller or larger in size than they should be for their weight. The former gives the illusion of more carats for the money, the latter of more size for the money. Both are discounted in price from a nominally sized diamond and both usually suffer in brilliance due to their poor proportions. And unwary consumers commonly buy both. The book tells you how to spot this common trick.

Although an interesting background about diamonds is given, the book also addresses at length the misperceptions and misinformation that underlie the considerable consumer anxiety about diamonds.

Price lists, and diamond grading papers are also discussed. In addition to engagement ring diamonds, other common jewelry products with small diamonds are covered. Numerous real life anecdotes and humorous asides are given.

The book also covers synthetic diamonds, imitation diamonds, diamond enhancements (yes, they doctor diamonds) and recutting diamonds to remove chips or improve appearance. Appraisals, an area with great problems of incompetence are discussed at length. Finally there is a section on practical tips about the mechanics of the jewelry itself: matching a wedding band, types of precious metals, cleaning, and care.

Please note: the third edition of Consumer Guide to Diamonds is now on sale at amazon. This edition brings the topics to life with 64 through-the-microscope photos of diamonds, 24 illustrations, and 3 facsimiles of diamond documents. A lot has happened in the diamond world in the 3 years since the second edition was published, especially concerning cut and ideal cuts. The new book is up-to-date on these developments. At 108 pages, it is more than twice the length of the second edition.

Denim and Diamonds: The Story of Emma Lee Turney's Round Top Antiques Fair

Denim and diamonds: The story of Emma Lee Turney's Round Top Antiques Fair

Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewellery 1381-1910

Diamond Handbook: A Practical Guide to Diamond Evaluation (Newman Gem and Jewelry Series)