Gems for Your Bookshelf

“Codognato Masterpiece”

A must-have for connoisseurs, Venetian jeweler Codognato counts the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lee Radziwill, Cindy Sherman, Elton John and Maria Grazia Chiuri among its clients and collectors. Written by William Middleton and prefaced by French writer Laurence Benaïm, this richly illustrated tome chronicles the history of the 158-yearold jewelry house, from its inception by art and antiquities merchant Simeone Codognato to the Baroque creations of his late great-grandson Attilio Codognato, who passed the creative reins to Francesca Amfitheatrof. 304 pages, 250 euros; Published by Assouline

“Bäumer: 30 Years of Art”

For the past 30 years, Lorenz Bäumer has cut an iconoclastic figure on Place Vendôme and that's a story best told by the people who saw the jeweler do it. Friends, clients and even professional rivals come together in this volume to shine a light on how this engineer by training — a graduate of the prestigious Ecole Centrale with a specialty in innovation — put down the bases for high jewelry lines at Louis Vuitton and Chanel, thought up the jewels that captured the hearts of clients like Charlene of Monaco, Alain Ducasse or Diana Picasso and created objects for the likes of Guerlain, Hennessy and Baccarat under his design studio. 184 pages, 50 euros; Published by Abrams

“Lydia Courteille: A Jeweller’s Odyssey”

On tony Rue Saint-Honoré, the window of Lydia Courteille is less a display of her latest precious creations than a portal into the fantastical universe of this expert in jewelry history-turned- gemologist. This second volume penned by Juliet Weir-de La Rochefoucauld dives deeper into Courteille's colorful creations blending vintage cameos, rare stones from around the world and a rich imagination built on myths, legends and the jeweler's determination to march to the beat of her own drum always.

388 pages, 45 pounds;

Published by ACC Art Books