Useful resources

There are so many ways to learn more about jewellery these days. This section includes information on books to read, places to find talks or further information, and ways to get into jewellery as a career.

Places to learn about jewellery

Interested in jewellery? Want to hear talks from contemporary makers or information about jewellery history? There are a number of groups and institutions which offer talks both online and in person listed here.

Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries meeting at Somerset House, London. Engraving by H. Melville after F.W. Fairholt.. Credit: Wellcome CollectionPublic Domain Mark

Great museums to see jewellery

One of the best ways to learn about jewellery is to look at it. Many museums collect jewellery but some have dedicated display spaces. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Galerie des Bijoux at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and its neighbour, the Louvre, the Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim, Germany are all fabulous places to see a lot of jewellery at once. I’ve written a round-up of five of these museums here.

Books on rings

Rings have attracted a lot of attention from jewellery historians and authors. Here is a selected list of books to read if you want to learn about them.

Books on brooches and badges

Brooches and badges are fascinating, meaningful jewels. If you want to know more about them – here is a selected list of books.

Mourning brooches containing the hair of a deceased relative.. Credit: Wellcome CollectionAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)