From the "AA PENDANT" ( a jewel in the Green Vault at Dresden) to "Zuni jewelry" (from New Mexico), here is a much-needed, fully illustrated dictionary which provides collectors, students and dealers in jewelry with an authoritative and comprehensive one-volume guide to the subject. Ever since the Stone Age, jewelry has appealed to peoples of all cultures in every corner of the world. This has resulted in a wonderful diversity of techniques and styles, employing many different gemstones and their characteristics, brief histories of some famous named jewels and gemstones, and biographical entries on designers and makers of jewelry from Benvenuto Cellini and other Renaissance masters down to modern times. The extensive system of cross-referecing, combined with selected bibliographical references for futher reading, make this an invaluable source book.