Tiara

Tiara's are facinating pieces of jewellery. They sit on the head like a halo and bring to life the myths of royalty, aristocracy and an apparent lifestyle of unlimited money.This book presents a stunning array of Tiara's with many photos that you would be hard pressed to find in any other book.Having said that, it is the photos which let this book down, not the text which is very interesting in it's self. Each Tiara is photographed in colour, but they appear to have been cut out from their photographed background and superimposed on the book's creme page background. This gives the Tiara's a feeling of slight unreality and flattens them out taking away their 3D reality.There is also a facinating array of photos of people actually wearing these Tiaras, and it would be worth buying the book for that alone, except the majority of these pictures are produced at thumbnail size or stamp and you need a magnifiying glass to see them well. A shame as it wastes amazing photo research, and does not enable me to see well photos I otherwise would have been astonished to see.Having said all this, if you have any interest in Tiara's or jewellery history this book is a must, but beware of it's shortcomings. An exhibition cataloge it must have been stunning to see this array "in the flesh".

Wow! Other reviewers were not kidding about the postage stamp sized photos. The pages above that say "Look Inside" with 3 photos across, actually show some of the LARGER photos. Many of the other photos actually are, literally, the size of a postage stamp. What were the editor's thinking? I've been holding off buying this one because of those descriptions, but finally gave in, as many of the other photos are full page. I bought this used for less than the cover price, and I think it's worth it for that price. However, if you can only buy one tiara book, pick one of the Geoffrey Munn books. The photographs are much better in his.

A beautiful catalog from the exhibition "Crowning Glories: Two Centuries of Tiaras at the Museum of fine Arts ,Boston. I checked this book out of the library multiple times before buying it, so I knew what I was getting. It offers lots of information about these "crowning glories" of jewelry. The large photos of the tiaras are splendid. There is a good introductory essay by the curator Diana Scarisbrick. Only complaint: More larger photos of the tiaras actually being worn have been a bonus. Only regret is that I missed seeing this exhibition in 2000. I am completely satisfied with this purchase, and it arrived on time. The condition of the copy was exactly as described.

I ordered this book and within 3 days I was in my chair buried in the stories of gorgeous jewelled tiaras. I bought the author's other book "Ancestral Jewels" and read it several times a year. It is a "jewel" of a book and I loved the personal stories of the tiara owners. The author is discreet about provenance of some of the tiaras. This is NOT just a coffee table book. You HAVE to read the stories behind the pieces.

The pictures alone are worth the cost. While one would like to see more text, the book is a great start for anyone interested in the history of this fascinating subject.

I love the larger photos in this book but the small ones are the size of a postage stamp. They are interesting old prints and photos but it hurts my eyes to study more than a few at a time. The book is wonderful and worth the price, well researched and keeps your interest.

Lots of interesting information.

It is a very comprehensive and detailed book. The photographs are exquisite.

19世紀-20世紀の王侯貴族や上流階級の貴婦人達の頭上を飾った豪華なティアラばかりが載っている本です｡ティアラの写真はすべてオールカラーでクオリティも高いです。実際につけている写真も載っています｡やはりティアラも時代時代によってデザインも変化しているのがわかります。特に20世紀初期のアールデコ時代はシンプルでモダンなデザインが多いです｡私はビーズでティアラを作りたくてデザインのヒントになるかと思って購入しました。