This is a wonderfully colorful book with just over 250 pages of inspiring pieces of jewelry from the turn of the century though about 1970. The vast majority of pieces included are metal with the dutiful nod to celluloid, Bakelite and Lucite.

“Costume Jewelry” is a broad introduction to jewelry that may help you to determine a manufacturing style you are particularly interested in emulating or studying. It contains nine chapters covering information such as: basic introduction to costume jewelry including displaying, cleaning and repair; American made and imported styles; unmarked jewelry; styles in semi-precious metals as well as base metals; pricing and plastics.

There are many wonderful color pictures on almost every page along with discussions of the manufacturers, how the pieces were marked, the dates the companies produced jewelry, and estimated prices for the lines.

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Body piercing has been practiced by many peoples all over the world. This habit dates all the way from ancient times. The oldest mummified body discovered so far with an earring is that of Ötzi the Iceman (from about 3300 BC), which was found in an Austrian glacier. The earring measured 7-11mm in diameter.

* Nose piercing has been common in India since the 16th century.
* Tongue piercing was popular with the elite of Aztec and Maya civilization, though it was carried out as part of a blood ritual and such piercings were not intended to be permanent.
* Ancient Mesoamericans wore body jewelry in their ears, noses, and lower lips, and such decorations continue to be popular amongst indigenous peoples in these regions.

In the United States, it became quite poplar only after the 60′s, when it was adopted by women and men in the hippie and gay communities, and later the punk subculture, they used most body jewelry.

By the 1980s, male ear piercing had become somewhat common in the United States, although men usually only pierced one of their ears. Today, single and multiple piercing of either or both ears is extremely common among Western women, and fairly common among men.

Body piercing is returning to the mainstream of modern Western cultures as attitudes and values change. Piercings that don’t conform to cultural norms – for example, facial piercings or ear piercings for men – can still be considered inappropriate.

While some people consider body modification with Body Jewelry to be a sign of non-conformity, others deride body piercing as trendy. This can at times lead to prejudice or cognitive bias against those with piercings or visible signs of past piercings.

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