All that glitters here IS gold--and it’s gorgeous! This addition to the popular Masters series focuses on a topic--gold jewelry--with mass appeal to a wide audience: jewelers, metalsmiths, collectors, museums, and just about anyone who loves beautiful workmanship. Leading jewelry expert Marthe Le Van has chosen 40 of the world’s best goldsmiths and presents their finest pieces. A short essay accompanies each eight-page section, along with choice quotes from the featured artists. The talented creators showcased here include: Eva Steinberg (Germany): Art Nouveau influences abound in her colorful earrings and pendants Namu Cho (Korea/United States): Cho employs the ancient technique of Korean damascene known as poe mok saang gum. Claude Chavent (France): He plays with the optical illusions of trompe l’oeil, bringing volume and movement to his dazzling flat pieces. Stuart Golder (United States): Golder weaves sheets and wires of gold on a loom, designing elaborate patterns based on traditional cloth weaving.

Goldsmiths were among the most highly regarded craftsmen in the medieval world, making extravagant objects from precious gold and silver, often enriched with rare stones and engraved gems. As well as royal and aristocratic patrons, much of their work was created for the Church, as it was thought that 'such display praised God'. For this reason many pieces that survive today were preserved in the treasuries of churches, where they escaped the ravages of history. In this wonderfully illustrated book, John Cherry explores the goldsmith's craft through works in the British Museum and from collections around the world. The British Museum holds some of the most splendid examples of medieval goldsmiths' work in the world, including the peerless Royal Gold Cup. With a description of the craft, its reputation in medieval times, and the raw materials used, the author offers an intriguing introduction to the expertise of the workmanship and the success of the trade. Who were the goldsmiths? Who did they work for? What influenced them, and how much freedom were they given to design? These questions and others are explored in this classic book, now redesigned in a lovely new format and illustrated throughout with new colour photography.

Explains the connection between goldsmiths and monasteries, describes the work of goldsmiths, and looks at their materials, methods, and finished work