Ginny Redington Dawes (1945–2022)

This is both a lovely and informative guide to plastic jewelry. The pictures are in themselves reason enough to buy the book: large and in full color. Each is accompanied by a typical price. Prices, of course, can become rapidly obsolete but this book is very informative. There is an explanation of types of plastic, tips on identifying the composition of a pieces, advice on collecting, and a list of both vintage and contemporary designers. There is also a bibliography and index.

In terms of the amount of information, I would prefer Lillian Baker's Plastic Jewelry of the Twentieth Century, although I am happy to have both, especially for the pictures.

A couple of books that complement this with other types of high-quality costume jewelry are: Fabulous Fakes by Carole Tanenbaum (which focuses more on glittery stuff), and Victorian Jewelry: Unexplored Treasures by Ginny Redington Dawes and Corinne Davidov (which cover things like pebble jewelry, aluminum and iron jewelry).… (más)