The Material Landscapes of Scotland’s Jewellery Craft, 1780-1914

This book is a highly original account full of new information from contemporary letters, newspapers, novels, and paintings. It is essential for anyone interested in jewellery and wearable ornaments or in Scotland’s cultural history … This compellingly written and well-illustrated book is one you will return to repeatedly and is unquestionably worth the outlay. * The Decorative Arts Society Newsletter *

This extensively researched and beautifully illustrated book makes an important contribution to material culture studies. It puts the jewellery makers and their materials at the centre of the discussion, around which flow the currents of cultural, intellectual, aesthetic and economic aspects of their craft. The result is a brilliantly effective interdisciplinary account of making and meaning in Scottish jewellery practice in the long 19th century.

Sarah Laurenson is Principal Curator of Modern and Contemporary History at National Museums Scotland, UK. She is responsible for the Scottish collections representing cultural, social, political, military and domestic history from c.1750 to the present. Her research focuses on the relationship between material culture, landscape and nature from the late eighteenth century to the present day.