Gemstone/Art

Gemstone/Art: Renaissance To The Present Day examines the use of precious stones in decorative art, liturgical objects, and sculpture. It includes a chapter on the history of gemmoglyptics (stone-carving), and a portfolio of work by lapidary artists ("the first comprehensive view of the many contemporary artists who have devoted themselves to gem-stones as material").

The book is written in both German and English (its German title being Edelstein/Kunst), and many of its illustrations (including some magnificent medieval and Renaissance objects) depict works by German artists or artefacts from German museum collections. Editor Wilhelm Lindemann is also the author of the extensive historical section, much of which is not covered in books on jewellery design. There are detailed notes, though no bibliography or index.