Behind the Brooch: A Closer Look at Backs, Catches, and Pin Stems Hardcover – May 28, 2014

As a lover of brooches, and a collector of images of the reverse side, I'm thrilled that the author had the brilliant idea to actually propose a full book of such details, find a publisher to entertain the idea, and put in the many, many hours of hard work to curate the collection and lay out the pages. The result is totally a keeper. Encompassing a range of styles and materials, each brooch selected for the book has at least one detail that is captivating. These artists know that the backs won’t be typically seen by anyone but the maker and the wearer, and yet often enough the back is even more beautiful than the front. In that sense, the book is very intimate, a peak into a hidden world that we wouldn’t normally be able to visit.The book itself is gorgeous, with beautiful layout, glossy color pages, and generally an artist’s eye. The statements from the artists add a brief glimpse into their motivations. Many of the artists were well known to me from the handmade studio jewelry community, yet there were breathtaking unknown works that caused me to rush to my computer to see what else that maker had to offer in their online body of work. That’s really the thrill of a book like this – the opportunity to peruse at length the work of known masters while also learning a little bit new from the rising stars.

The premise behind this book is sound, but it is let down by poor layout and typography choices. As bad as those decisions are, the photography quality is a mixed bag and really hurt this book. In fairness, several pictures were clear and detailed, but there were a high number of others which were not. The lack of consistency on photography standards, which a book like this should have, is a clear miss by the author. This lack also limits the value of this book for beginning metal artists in that a number of examples are so unclear as to be useless. It is a shame that a book which promised so much is let down by what appears to be a draft product with too many substandard photos.

Interesting coffee table tome. I had hoped for less a modern approach and a study of the progression of how broaches are attached to clothing and the what the backside of yesteryears looked like. Instead the author chose to use all modern day artists (and some are very good) and show how artisans are crafting the backsides of broaches and pins. Not a lot of depth to this tome but yet....interesting and worth a glance.

I just received my copy of Behind the Brooch today. As soon as I unpackaged it and held it in my hand the first thought that crossed my mind was 'what a beautiful book.' Mind you, this was before I even opened it. The size, the cover, the dust jacket and the quality of the paper were beautiful in themselves. The content is awesome, but even more importantly what really shows through to me is the thought and care that was taken to produce this book.This isn't one of those 'let's produce a book as fast as we can so I can say I wrote a book,' books. It is obvious that this was a labor of love and came directly from Lorena's heart. The quality, thought, and care, of everything written and the arrangements of the brooches and the idea itself shines through. It felt that she treated each piece as if it were her own. This book is a work of art in every aspect.

Lorena Angulo's book "Behind the Brooch" arrived in my mailbox today and after a brief perusal, I must say that I am overwhelmed with the plethora of fantastic art brooches shown in this book. I love brooches...they are such versatile pieces of jewelry! But what makes this collection special is that the backsides of the brooches have their own story to tell. If the front of a brooch can be compared to a treasure chest, the back of the brooch is all the wonder contained within! I am so looking forward to spending time devouring each page of delicious "eye candy", reading the descriptions of every piece, and what the artist has to say about his/her work.Thank you, Lorena for a lovely book!

Lorena Angulo has finally done what so many of us wished for, a book to discuss the back of the beloved brooch. As jewelers and metalsmiths are taught to value every piece of the handmade object and the brooch is one that is dissected and most often the back of the piece is the real star of the object.The brooches featured in this wonderful book range from all kinds of materials and catches, from enamel to paper and it's wonderfully done with also a range of kinds of artists from veterans to recently graduated students.Thank you Lorena for fulfilling this metalsmiths dream of a book!

This is such an excellent book. Very inspirational. Lorena Angulo did a super job gathering the images. I thank her for coming up with the idea of documenting the backs of hand made jewelry pieces, brooches in this case. Lots of terrific work on display in the book. Schiffer did an excellent job with the publication. It is very well laid out and the images are eye catching with the vibrant colors. I can't recommend this book highly enough, it is a treasure.

Thank you to Lorena Angulo for putting together such an inspiring study of the brooch from a perspective rarely viewed. I am so glad a purchased this beautiful book. It is an inspiration to all who endeavor to make beautiful, thoughtful brooches and to collectors as well. The pictures are exceptional and the artists' statements capture the essence of why we should all look at the back of a brooch. Well done!

This is a wonderful and inspiring book - I just wish I'd discovered it when it came out!It features a broad cross section of intriguing work from jewellers across the globe, with many juicy photos to illustrate the stories and techniques featured. Highly recommended for both up and coming designers trying to learn new and different approaches to age old challenges, and for seasoned pro's in search of eye candy.

Está muy bonito y lleno de fotos de excelente calidad, buena presentación , sin embargo no es lo que esperaba, pensé que tendría también instrucciones

There is some lovely work featured but I feel the layouts and typography are rather old fashioned and overpower the work.

This is a great little book for anyone looking for inspiration on making pins or brooches. I suggest buying the hard cover though, there are more pictures, more of everything in the hard cover versus the paper back. I was thrilled with my paperback edition until I had a chance to see the hardcover version.

Love love love this book, interesting, easy read and reference, beautiful designs!!