Handicrafts or handmade items reveal much about the person and culture that created them. By studying the materials, techniques, tools, and patterns, we can tell with reasonable accuracy the time in history that an object was produced, the location and the culture or tribe that created it, and in most cases, the purpose of the object, whether for everyday, ceremonial or decorative use. Titles in this new series examine the crafts of jewelry making, needlework, quilting, weaving, pottery, and metalwork, identifying the history and development of each craft through time, and the tools, techniques, and people who have made their contributions to the craft from all over the globe.This book allows the reader to view the different societies and periods that produced metalwork as part of a global, interrelated practice. Over 70 discrete entries on relevant time periods, cultures, makers, and processes present a general reference of this craft. The subjects span all the major metalworking periods and peoples, from the rituals of African iron smelting to the 20th-century studio movement. The volume includes eight pages of color plates, and black-and-white photos throughout.Entries herein include: Art Deco; Marianne Brandt; Dark Ages; Enamel; Engraving; Georg Jensen; Judaica; Metals and their Alloys; Plating and Leaf; Soldering; South America; and Samuel Yellin.