The Queen's Diamonds

The Queen's Diamonds

The splendor and sparkle of the diamond is unmatched by that of any other gem in the world. As status symbols or emblems of endless love, diamonds have been worn, collected, and presented as lavish gifts since the earliest days of antiquity. Today, steady sales—and borrowed baubles on the arms of starlets—indicate that diamonds remain among the most sought-after gemstones. But few, if any, private collections surpass that of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen’s Diamonds takes readers on a tour of the magnificent royal inheritance of diamonds from Queen Adelaide in the 1830s to the present day. The book features more than seventy awe-inspiring pieces of jewelry from one of the finest collections in the world. With three hundred full-color photographs—many newly commissioned for the book—the dazzling display ranges from the flawless pink diamond presented to Princess Elizabeth, as she was then known, for her wedding in 1947 to nineteenth-century diamond diadems to the Cartier “Halo” tiara worn most recently by The Duchess of Cambridge at her wedding in April 2011. As informative as it is stunningly beautiful, the book includes information on many items of international importance and great historic significance.

 

Published on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, The Queen’s Diamonds offers the first authorized account of this iconic and unparalleled collection of diamond jewelry. The photos superbly encapsulate the breathtaking beauty of the subjects, and the descriptions are packed with fascinating details.

 

Diane Keaton: House

A luxurious, graphically compelling vision for contemporary domestic living, as observed and artfully presented by the Oscar-winning film star. House is Diane Keaton’s stunning portrayal of the way we may and do live now, in rusticated, reimagined, or repurposed spaces across the country. Inventive designers, including Annabelle Selldorf, Roy McMakin, Rick Joy, and Tom Kundig, have brought their talents to bear upon the structurally old, the disused, and the antiquated, finding in these buildings the hidden beauty that lies beneath the surface of neglect and decay, and through their work revealing to us the many possibilities we might bring to our own domestic spaces.Through innovative design and repurposing, industrial structures and farm buildings, crumbling commercial lofts and rusting hangars are transformed and vividly revealed as thoroughly engaging spaces for living. House presents a graphically striking vision, frequently marked by strong geometries and primal coloration, that ignites the imagination of those intent upon redefining the possible as it pertains to one’s space—work that is joyous and rooted in our most basic understandings of home.