Secret Language of Victorian Jewelry by Amy Azzarito

 This was such an interesting book! The title and cover was what really drew me in and I was not disappointed in the contents. The term 'secret language' refers to the symbolism behind the different motifs of Victorian jewelry versus an style of communication done using jewelry. It's a small distinction but one that does change your expectations of the book. Amy Azzarito chooses to go through the selected jewelry motifs in alphabetical order which I as reader appreciated. 

I do feel like there was even more Victorian jewelry motifs that could have been included but that is just me wanting more of this book. I truly appreciated the variety of jewelry that Amy Azzarito included in the book. There was the more standard jewelry that one thinks has meaning like different gemstones but there were other jewelry motifs shown that I had no idea had meanings - such as horseshoes or buckles even.

 I really enjoyed the way that Amy Azzarito intermixes her writing about the motifs and showing the ways that they were used in real life. The pictures that Azzarito shows in the book show a wide display of motifs usage which included statues, jewelry pieces and hair pieces. 

I really enjoyed this book and I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes Victorian jewelry and anyone who wants to just learn a little bit about this topic.