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This text explores the pleasures and the pitfalls of collecting costume jewellery, covering methods, materials and makers from 18th-century paste to the jewels of 20th-century style-setters Schiaparelli, Tiffany and Chanel. The book contains specially commissioned photographs of necklaces, rings, brooches and bracelets. Arranged chronologically, it reveals how leaders of fashion like Sarah Bernhardt, Josephine Baker and Jackie Onassis have dictated jewellery trends, whilst the influence of exotic countries and past centuries has inspired costume jewellers to make such diverse pieces as Egyptian scarab necklaces and African-style wood masks. Included from recent years are contemporary classics such as John Galliano's bone and skull necklace and Butler & Wilson's paste lizards and snakes. A glossary of terms is provided.