21st Century and Contemporary Collectibles and Curiosities

The first book on San Francisco’s three-Michelin starred restaurant Benu and its chef Corey Lee, hailed by David Chang as one of the best chefs on earth and voted Best Chef of the Year by Eater Since striking out on his own from Thomas Keller's acclaimed French Laundry...

Entertaining in Style: Nancy Astor and Nancy Lancaster: Table Settings, Recipes, Flower Arrangements, and Decorating Author Jane Churchill and Emily Astor, Foreword by Bob Colacello...

Written by Marion Fasel Creatures from the animal kingdom represented in exquisite jewelry by renowned masters Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co., JAR, Belperron, David Webb, Schlumberger, Boucheron, and many other brilliant jewelers. Many of the most imaginative designs by the world's great jewelry houses and artisans take inspiration from the animal kingdom. From Cartier's iconic panthers to Bulgari's snakes and JAR's butterflies, these spectacular objects dripping with precious stones are akin to wearable art. Beautiful Creatures depicts some of the most spectacular beasts ever transformed into sparkling treasures and accompanies a forthcoming special exhibition in the American Museum of Natural History's Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals. The 120 pieces featured date from the mid-1800s to the present, representing species from the realms of land, air, and water. Gorgeous studio photography of the jewelry is complemented by images of iconic personalities, including Elizabeth Taylor, Twiggy, and the Duchess of Windsor wearing famous animal- inspired jewels. Guest curator Marion Fasel relays the stories behind the individual pieces through entertaining anecdotes and reveals the colorful histories and fascinating symbolism of these remarkable creatures in precious gems and metals that intrigue and delight and that we never tire of wearing. About the author Marion Fasel is a jewelry historian and author of several books on twentieth-century jewelry. She is the founder of the online jewelry magazine The Adventurine. In 2018 Fasel was the recipient of the GEM Award for Media Excellence and the Jewelry Champion Award from Town & Country magazine. "The subtitle to Beautiful Creatures is Jewelry Inspired by The Animal Kingdom, but prepare yourself to see some of the most spectacular jewelry ever produced whose jumping off point was anything from a simple scallop shell or butterfly to some of the most incredible jungle inhabitants...The images are staggering, with accompanying text that offers you as much as you need to know as well as baiting you to want to see these pieces in the flesh, so to speak... This is a book for the jewelry aficionado as well for those who might have a passing interest in everything from ornithology to entomology to herpetology to batrachology to simple seashells. In other words, there are few creatures that have not been memorialized by these créateurs and incredibly gifted and skilled craftsmen. Get in line, wait for the opening of the exhibit at the Museum of Natural History, and get lost in the grandiosity of it all. In the meantime, you can be teased with the jaw dropping content of this book." - NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS "From Cartier’s iconic panthers to Bulgari’s snakes and JAR’s butterflies, some of the most imaginative designs by the world’s great jewelry houses and artisans take inspiration from the animal kingdom, creating spectacular objects dripping with precious stones to conjure wearable art. Beautiful Creatures: Jewelry Inspired by the Animal Kingdom depicts some of the most spectacular beasts ever transformed into sparkling treasures..." - ANTIQUES AND THE ARTS WEEKLY "Beautiful Creatures by Marion Fasel is smaller than the typical coffee table book, which means it’s more portable and affordable too. But still utterly gorgeous: this would make a fantastic gift for a jewelry lover or animal aficionado in your life."  "Beastly Bling: Jewelry in the shape of an animal often comes with extra meanings, writes historian Marion Fasel in her new book “Beautiful Creatures: Jewelry Inspired by the Animal Kingdom” (Rizzoli Electa). When Prince Albert got engaged to Queen Victoria in 1839, he gave her a gold engagement ring in the form of a circling snake, to symbolize everlasting love. This set off a snake-jewelry fad, illustrated in the book by a circa-1850 French snake bracelet made of emeralds, diamonds, silver and gold, with pink sapphires for the eyes. Animal jewelry can also carry a political charge. In the early 20th century, American suffragists were nicknamed Iron Butterflies in honor of their determination, and many wore small butterfly pins to signal their support of the movement. More frivolous highlights among the book’s 120 pieces are a starfish designed by Salvador Dalí and a zebra bracelet from American designer David Webb, who also made pieces that look like lions, fish and tortoises. A brooch in the form of a jellyfish, made of moonstones, sapphires, diamonds, gold and platinum, was designed by Tiffany’s Jean...

An invitation to enter the residences of some of the top interior designers in the world--see their style and practicality in action, and adopt some of their winning ways. With pillows fluffed and curtains pulled back, design secrets are revealed. From established masters of the field (Jamie Drake, Stephen Sills, Tom Britt, Jeffrey Bilhuber) to comparatively newer talents, the reader will learn about diverse approaches to decoration and the art of fine living from some of today's most successful interior designers--with wit, candor, and passion. Other featured subjects include Alex Papachristidis, Robert Couturier, Howard Slatkin...

Following up on their much-heralded first volume of interiors, this new publication presents the next evolution of Atelier AM--virtuosos of mixing antiques and museum-quality artworks with pedigreed design. "Alexandra and Michael Misczynski, the wife-and-husband team behind the Los Angeles-based AD100 design firm Atelier AM, are standard-bearers for the...concepts of quality and connoisseurship. In an image-driven culture, where novelty and extravagance so often masquerade as virtues, the Misczynskis remain steadfast in their belief that true style can emerge only from substance." --Architectural Digest Atelier AM has been the go-to designers for true connoisseurs since they opened their office in 2002. Taking on very few projects each year, each Atelier AM home is a complete masterwork--where design and art are fully integrated into the architecture and landscape for a rich and immersive experience. Eight new homes are featured in this new volume, and each features Atelier AM's signature reverence for patina mixed with the new: reclaimed wood beams and well-loved vintage modern furniture pieces mingles comfortably with century-old artifacts and antiques. The projects in this volume show a deep understanding of design history--from Spanish Colonial and English Classicism to contemporary. The mix of modern and ancient acknowledges and celebrates both the past and the future of design. With photography by their long-term collaborator Francois Halard...

A first edition of the art catalog, The New Icon of Modern: Robert Loughlin. Introduction by Carlo McCormick, USA, 2011. Softcover. Features 47 pages with...