Back in September, we told you about a new jewelry book that we couldn’t wait to get our beringed hands on. Well, after four months delay, our copy of “Sapphire: A Celebration of Color” has arrived and it was well worth the wait.
The book — by Joanna Hardy, edited by Robert Violette and published by Thames & Hudson (Jan. 25, 328 pages, illustrated throughout, $125) – is the third in a trilogy that includes “Emeralds” (alas, out of print) and “Rubies” (a must).
As with “Rubies,” the reader goes on a cultural tour of a gemstone made of the mineral corundum that has been traded from the Far East and Africa to Europe since ancient times. While the name comes from the Greek and Latin for “blue,” sapphires come in a variety of colors. (When they are red, they’re called rubies. Pink sapphires are called rubies, too, depending on the country you’re in.)
All of which is fascinating, of course, but what everyone wants to see are the photographs of the stars and the royals in their sapphire gems, and these do not disappoint. From Joan Crawford to Elizabeth Taylor to Cher, from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (whose recent 40th birthday portraits included one spotlighting her sapphire engagement ring, a memento of Diana), it’s a race to see who or what sparkles the most – these goddesses or their blue-heaven adornments. – Georgette Gouveia
For more, visit thamesandhudsonusa.com.
