Product Description
One of the nation’s biggest suppliers of costume jewelry since the 1970s, Avon’s vast body of work is omnipresent in the antiques and collectibles market. Authors Monica Lynn Clements and Patricia Rosser Clements have compiled a complete tour of the subject for new and old collectors alike. Avon Collectible Fashion Jewelry and Awards is an indispensable guide to the full range of Avon costume jewelry, with approximately 450 detailed color photos and current market values for more than a thousand pieces. This volume encompasses the broad range of Avon’s jewelry products, from their popular holiday creations to replicas of historic masterpieces, from men’s watches to children’s charms, and from novelty wear to perfumed pins.
Any reader inevitably judges a book through his personal tunnel vision. My own tunnel vision is costume jewelry so I was disappointed that information and illustrations on Avon realia occupied so much space to the detriment of the costume jewelry. I bought the book because I needed information on Avon jewelry which appears with increasing frequency at estate and garage sales. Although the photography was excellent as in the authors’ Sarah Coventry book, I think that attempting to cover such divergent topics may have been too much of a stretch.
Even dilettante collectors such as I want as many pictures to increase their familiarity with collectible name brand jewelry–especially with manufacturers whose products are not promoted in magazines or newspapers or department stores.
When a person purchases a book at the book store, they may thumb through the pages to judge the qualifications of the book, the authors, and whether it fits their need or not. I am slowly learning who the good authors are in the collectible field to know whether to purchase their books on-line or not. This was definitely not the case with this book nor another book I purchased by these authors. I wanted an Avon book to help me identify and describe the collectible Avon Jewelry that I have found at various estate sales, and thought this book could help. I was definitely mistaken. Anyone can state, “Christmas Tree Pin with red stones, circa 1990″ as stated on page 62, instead of Avon’s description of “Victorian Tree Pin” with the actual date of 1992. Or on page 39, authors wrote “Abolone (sic – spelled wrong) set includes necklace with 14-inch silver metal chain, silver bracelet trimmed with gold, and ring set in silver, circa 1990s,” when there is nothing gold or silver about the set, except maybe washed in gold or silver, but definitely not true silver or gold; Avon advertised this set in their 1975 catalog, much earlier than 1990s. Then, the last straw for me is the beautiful set that Avon sold in 1971 (page 37); even though the authors got the date correct, they simply ignored the title to the set, but instead wrote, “pearl and gold set” when this set is Avon’s “Evening Creation” set. Did the authors do any research? I think not. Will I ever be so stupid as to purchase another one of their books? No way! I would resale this book, but I don’t want another person to be as disappointed as I was when I purchased this book on-line; not to mention that at the same time, I also purchased their waste of writing book entitled, “Sarah Coventry Jewelry.”