Understanding Jewellery was first published in 1989 and since then it’s been translated and published in several languages, among these Hungarian, Russian and Japanese. We are very excited to be bringing Understanding Jewellery to a brand new Chinese speaking audience and the timing feels particularly auspicious.
Interestingly, in the instance of the Japanese language version, its publication coincided with an increased awareness of and the desire to participate in the vintage sector of the international jewellery market – an area previously under-considered and not valued as it is in Europe and North America.
A similar phenomenon is taking place in China, in recent years interest has focused on the history of jewellery and the evolution of design. Active and inquisitive jewellery collectors of Western jewels are starting to emerge and they want to find out about and understand their acquisitions. The Chinese language version of Understanding Jewellery is therefore uniquely placed as a respected reference work to satisfy this demand for education in jewellery which we’ve seen develop in mainland China from around 2019.