The Pearl

Pearl tells the story of the arrival of the pearl in the West, its enchanting mythology, man's fascination with its origins, and the role it has played in jewelry and art throughout the ages. It also explores the significance and impact the pearl has had on different cultures: how it was believed to possess Medicinal and talismanic powers, and mystical symbolism. With georgeous color illustrations of brooches, pendants, and hundreds of other collectibles gathered from cathedrals, museums and private collections, this new book takes the reader on a visual tour of lavish design through the ages.Author Biography: Sylvia Malaguzzi earned her degree in art history from the University of Siena, where she studied pearls and their symbolic significance in paintings from the Renaissance to the Baroque. A collector and scholar of antique jewelry and the history fo gems, she is the author of numerous publications on the subject.

This book is published to coincide with an exhibition on The Pearl, scheduled for Fall 2001 at The American Museum of Natural History in New York and traveling in to the Field Museum of Natural history in Chicago in Spring 2002.