A resplendent visual history of jewelry during the last century! Whether they are precious stones or costume jewelry, beads and baubles have never failed to fascinate. Christie"s Twentieth-Century Jewelry tells the beguiling story of decorative jewelry over the past 100 years. This authoritative and beautifully illustrated guide details how jewelry fashion became inevitably entwined with the swirling rush of socio-political changes that characterized the last century-from the glittering wares of the affluent 1920s, to the cheaper yet highly innovative jewelry of the war years, to the dwindling years of the century when an exciting variety of sculptural designs proliferated. It also links the important technological advances of the 20th century with the creativity of such legendary jewelry artists as Boucheron, Cartier, Tiffany, Lalique, and Dali, along with such modern artisans as Jackie Mina, Gillian Packard, and Andrew Logan. Superbly illustrated with over 120 lavish images from Christie"s archives and private collections, this book is an essential gift for history lovers, nostalgia fans, collectors, and anyone else who is fascinated by the art of beautiful jewelry.