In the middle of New York City lies a neighborhood where all secrets are valuable, all assets are liquid, and all deals are sealed with a blessing rather than a contract. Welcome to the diamond district. Ninety percent of all diamonds that enter America pass through these few blocks, but the inner workings of this mysterious world are known only to the people who inhabit it. In Precious Objects, twenty-six-year-old journalist Alicia Oltuski, the daughter and granddaughter of diamond dealers, seamlessly blends family narrative with literary reportage to reveal the fascinating secrets of the diamond industry and its madcap characters: an Elvis-impersonating dealer, a duo of diamond-detective brothers, and her own eccentric father. With insight and drama, Oltuski limns her family’s diamond-paved move from communist Siberia to a displaced persons camp in post–World War II Germany to New York’s diamond district, exploring the connections among Jews and the industry, the gem and its lore, and the exotic citizens of this secluded world. Entertaining and illuminating, Precious Objects offers an insider’s look at the history, business, and society behind one of the world’s most coveted natural resources, providing an unforgettable backstage pass to an extraordinary and timeless show.

A tour of the diamond industry explores the historically rich network connecting Communist Siberia, Israel, and New York's diamond district, and profiles some of the industry's more colorful characters, including the author's father.

This collectible luxury volume features the master jeweler’s most exquisite objects reproduced in color at actual size and including detailed technical specifications. Presented in a luxurious silk slipcase with ribbon closure, this tome is a tribute to the most precious objects in the Cartier Collection: from opulent gold and black enamel vanity cases set with platinum and rose-cut diamond fleurons to intricate Chinese powder compacts and diamond-encrusted platinum and onyx cuff links, these creations are works of art. This handsome volume recounts the history of the House of Cartier and its sublimation of often everyday items, illustrated with more than 550 pieces along with rare archival material.

The exhibition catalog is the first survey of Gothic ivories in English. It contains essays by seven leading international scholars, including Peter Barnet (Gothic Sculpture in Ivory: An Introduction), Elizabeth Sears (Ivory and Ivory-Workers in Medieval Paris), Richard H. Randall, Jr. (Popular Romances Carved in Ivory), Harvey Stahl (Narrative Structure and Content in Some Gothic Ivories of the Life of Christ), Charles T. Little (Opera Francigeno et Germania: Gothic Ivory Carving in Germany), Danielle Gaborit-Chopin (Polychrome Decoration of Gothic Ivories), and Paul Williamson (Symbiosis across Scale: Gothic Ivories and Culture in Stone and Wood in the Thirteenth Century). Nearly one hundred of the most important examples of Gothic ivory carving from collections in Europe and the United States are catalogued by leading specialists. They are illustrated with mostly new photography and collateral photographs where appropriate. The publication conveys to the reader the major changes that occurred in art and society during the Gothic period and the rise of ivory carving for both religious and secular purposes. Organized chronologically, the catalog tells the story of the development of this art form; the people who carved, commissioned, and made use of ivories in the Middle Ages; and the impact historical developments had on the growth and eventual demise of the art form.

From the former director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, a timely and passionate case for the role of the well-designed object in the digital age. Curator and scholar Glenn Adamson opens Fewer, Better Things by contrasting his beloved childhood teddy bear to the smartphones and digital tablets children have today. He laments that many children and adults are losing touch with the material objects that have nurtured human development for thousands of years. The objects are still here, but we seem to care less and know less about them. In his presentations to groups, he often asks an audience member what he or she knows about the chair the person is sitting in. Few people know much more than whether it's made of wood, plastic, or metal. If we know little about how things are made, it's hard to remain connected to the world around us. Fewer, Better Things explores the history of craft in its many forms, explaining how raw materials, tools, design, and technique come together to produce beauty and utility in handmade or manufactured items. Whether describing the implements used in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, the use of woodworking tools, or the use of new fabrication technologies, Adamson writes expertly and lovingly about the aesthetics of objects, and the care and attention that goes into producing them. Reading this wise and elegant book is a truly transformative experience.

The enchantment of the House of Cartier’s latest collection is celebrated in this breathtaking new volume. Dedicated to Cartier’s new collection of high jewelry and precious objects, this volume celebrates the legendary house’s unique ability to bring inanimate objects to life. These pieces reveal the magical universe and exceptional creativity of the master jeweler and watchmaker that make them veritable works of art. Cartier weaves its magic into every jewel and every object, from its sparkling diamonds to the incredibly lifelike pieces from the animal collections, and from Cartier mystery clocks to the extraordinary skill of the house’s expert artisans. Internationally acclaimed for its excellence, Cartier continually renews its sources of inspiration while perpetuating the iconic themes that have brought the house such widespread renown.

An exquisite volume documenting Cartier's most recent collection, which celebrates color in the realm of high jewelry. Consecrating Cartier's new collection of High Jewelry and precious objects, Coloratura: High Jewelry and Precious Objects by Cartier--with one hundred original and innovative pieces--is a celebration of an integral aspect of the iconic brand: color. Brimming both with striking contrasts and more delicate tones, the jeweler's palette positions itself in the midst of an intimate conversation between the art world and reality in all of its cultural diversity, allowing for the jeweler to expand his or her creative horizons unhindered. Through the exploration of continents and seasons, the juxtaposition of tradition with modernity, and the play on connotations associated both with stones and other more noble materials, Cartier continues to follow in the footsteps paved by its founding brothers, and to create breath-taking and unique pieces. All the world revels in color; and since High Jewelry and the notion of celebration are inextricably linked, Cartier's collection, with its astonishing rainbow-like palette, as immortalized in this volume, provides us with a new ode to joy, an ode to life in all its glory.