"This issue focuses on the museum's Alsdorf Collection of Renaissance jewelry, which comprises a splendid array of secular and religious jewels produced in workshops in England, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Among pieces represented in this issue are crowns, pendants, and cameos, crafted from a wide variety of materials and richly adorned with pearls, precious stones, and enamel. Designed as a companion to the installation at the museum of the Alsdorf jewels, this publication presents entries which capture the collection's geographic, chronological, and stylistic breadth. Also featured are introductory essays which explore the art of jewelry-making and the social and sacred significance of jewelry-wearing in Renaissance culture."--Page 4 of cover.