The colour and exuberance of traditional jewellery has always attracted collectors and travellers. African beadwork, North American Indian silver, jade from the Far East and shellwork from the Pacific - these are just some of the beautiful pieces surveyed in this book. A team of experts explains how such jewellery has been made and worn, the relationship of the materials the culture, and how the techniques of manufacture have survived for centuries. Even today traditional jewellery is still being made, although the repertoire is constantly enriched by new materials and influenced by modern taste.