"Adored by kings and queens, a symbol of the manufacture of ancient civizilation and the countercultures of the young, a constant inspiration for artists, stylists and designers, the chain is one of the most loved jewellery items of material culture and the most worn in the history of costume. With an authoritative critical essay and large selection of photographs, this book retraces the symbolic and aesthetic evolution of chain from early history to modern day and its intersections with art, fashion, design, manufacture and new technologies. A fascinating and skilfully illustrated journey that shows how extraordinary jewellry, able to link the past to the future in the same of creativity, beauty, and innovation, can be generated form such a simple functional element."-- from back cover
Chains: jewellery in history, function and ornament