Beautiful Creatures by Marion Fasel.

This book is: a lovely look at jewelry inspired by the animal kingdom.
Other elements: birds, butterflies, snakes, jeweled beasts, The American Museum of Natural History.
Read it: If you love animal jewelry and beautiful pictures!

Beautiful Creatures by Marion Fasel is published in association with the American Museum of Natural History, as it was meant to be a companion book to an exhibit at the museum. The exhibit was postponed due to COVID and is set to open in 2021. The book is now out, however, and it’s gorgeous!

Divided into three categories – Air, Water, and Land – Beautiful Creatures – gives a stunning overview of animal-inspired jewels that fit into each category. Expect to see significant pieces from each category from across history and learn about both individual standout jewels and the overall patterns and trends that animal-inspired jewelry has followed throughout the years.

Fasel touches on famous jewelry collectors who were known for their creature-inspired jewelry and reviews the symbolism of different jewels. My favorite new-to-me jewelry factoid from Beautiful Creatures was learning about the bird brooches that were created as symbols of freedom during World War II.

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 an jewelry lover or animal aficionado in your life.

Hopefully we’ll get to see some of these works of jewelry art in the American Museum of Natural History eventually, but the book is a wonderful preview.

Click here to support independent bookstores by buying Beautiful Creatures by Marion Fasel through Indiebound.

Want more jewelry books? Visit my Jewelry Books page here, or my Jewelry Education archive here.

I received a free review copy of Beautiful Creatures by Marion Fasel, but my opinions are my own.

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