- Presented here for the first time, the life and works of the late Indian artist-jeweler extraordinaire Munnu Kasliwal Munnu: Vision & Passion traces the creativity and vivacity of the late Munnu Kasliwal. Kasliwal's magical designs put The Gem Palace, his family's jewelry house, and India on the fashion map of the jewelry world. The book follows the design journey of Munnu Kasliwal of The Gem Palace Jaipur, a jewelry house synonymous with luxury, sophisticated style, striking statement pieces, and exquisite craftsmanship. Munnu: Vision & Passion chronicles the metamorphosis of The Gem Palace from a local jewelry firm to an international jewelry house, an evolution synchronous with Munnu's life. From the creation of the 'T-shirt' necklace to dreaming up settings that fused gemstone and metal in unique ways, Munnu produced a new genre of jewels that bridged the historical past with an uber-stylish present. While Munnu loved and admired traditional Indian opulence and grandeur, he brought a unique vision and passion, a rare sensibility and elegance to all his designs, establishing his unique style. To Munnu, a piece of jewelry was a beautiful creation, to be liberated from the confines of the conventional. Published as a tribute to Munnu, this book documents his design journey for more than two decades.

- Diamonds Across Time features ten essays by scholars in love with the stone - They present new discoveries, explore historic collections, investigate the trade in diamonds, explain the spectrum of colors, and, most important, discuss the human stories that underpin the adoration for diamonds - The book is illustrated with incredible photographs of rarely seen gems and jewels from closely held collections and reconstructions of historical diamonds, done with the help of state-of-the-art computer technology Diamonds tell stories that are captivating and timeless. On the one hand, they are just stones, pieces of pure carbon with optical properties that make them glitter and sparkle like stars. On the other, they are mystical entities hypnotically drawing the viewer into a time machine as it were, wherein a cinematic montage of their journey unfolds. Diamonds Across Time presents a sweeping overview of diamonds across time and space, featuring ten essays by world-renowned scholars in love the stone. Here, these authors present new discoveries; explore extraordinary collections; investigate histories, science, and trade; the nature of diamonds; legendary gems, jewelry collections, and great designers. Above all, they tell the human stories that underpin the adoration of diamonds. Diamonds Across Time is a richly illustrated publication with high-quality images of gems and jewels, archival documents, rare drawings, and fabulous photographs. The volume places diamonds in the context of the time in which they were discovered, and on the political, social, and cultural stage on which their histories were etched. In a rapidly changing world, diamonds are eternal. They were created by nature and grew in the womb of the earth. They tell stories, and they record history. With this book, diamonds will finally have their own storytellers. The book was compiled and edited by the World Diamond Museum's chief curator and world-renowned jewelry expert Dr. Usha R Balakrishnan. She and nine other distinguished authors wrote ten monographs written in the order in appearance: Introduction; The Nizam Diamond: Bala Koh-i-Noor, in the Sacred Trust of the Nizam of Hyderabad - Usha R. Balakrishnan; Diamonds of the French Crown Jewels: Between East and West - François Farges; A Concise History of Diamonds from Borneo - Derek J. Content; Indian Diamonds and the Portuguese Duriing the Rise of the Mughal Empire - Hugo Miguel Crespo; Two Large Diamonds from India - Jack Ogden; The Romanov Diamonds: History of Splendour - Stefano Papi; The Londonderry Jewels, 1819-1959 - Diana Scarisbrick; Dress to Impress in Southeast Asia - René Brus; Powerful Women, Important Diamonds - Ruth Peltason; One in Ten Thousand: The Unique World of Coloured Diamonds - John M. King.

Since the early times, India has been famous for its expertise in creating innumerable forms of jewellery that have fascinated the world. One such jewellery tradition is that of kundan which is one of the oldest forms of jewellery made in India. Thanks to its patronage by the royalty during the Mughal era, it flourished. It was once a powerful symbol of regalia but the jewellery tradition has a lot of popularity even today. Today 'kundan minaakari' jewellery is synonymous with the state of Rajasthan whose capital, the city of Jaipur, is the main centre of this art form.The volume presents an interesting study of the genre of; kundan minakaariç' jewellery. It offers a kaleidoscopic view of the tradition through the annals of history. It takes the readers on a retrospective journey into the Mughal period during which this genre reached glorious heights of artistic expression.

A Companion to Late Medieval and Early Modern Siena introduces the once-powerful commune to a wider audience. Edited by Santa Casciani and Heather Richardson Hayton, this collection explores how Siena built a distinctive civic identity and institutions that endured for centuries.

Reproduction of the original: The Lives of the Saints by S. Baring-Gould

A beautifully drawn graphic novel that illuminates the conflicted land of Kashmir, through a young boy’s childhood.

This book commemorates the remarkable gift of over 400 works from the collection of Barbara and David Kipper to the Art Institute of Chicago. These outstanding pieces of jewelry and ritual objects offer a material record of vanishing ways of life. Used as portable forms of wealth, as personal adornment, and in religious practice, they represent a broad spectrum of cultures. The majority comes from the Himalayan region, including Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and Mongolia, and other pieces hail from Afghanistan, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The catalogue showcases stunning works--including delicate amulet boxes, other Tibetan Buddhist artifacts, and ornate Turkmen jewelry--through dramatic photography undertaken specifically for this publication. With five essays placing the objects in the contexts of their native regions, Vanishing Beauty offers a beautiful presentation of creativity and craftsmanship from across Asia.