Signed Beauties of Costume Jewelry by Marcia Sparkles Brown (2002, Hardcover, Illustrated)

This isn't a bad book, as long as you don't use it as a price guide. The prices are generally 10x higher than what you'd expect to pay or get for an item. The pictures are generally good, though not as sharp and clear as I'd like, and the information about the various designers is good.

In reviewing jewelry guides which are often used as price guides I am trying to take a couple random samples and show book values compared to actual values received on closed ebay auctions. It is as such....
pg. 19 Kenneth Jay Lan Frog Parure. Book value 395.00, actual ebay closing bid 59.05 with all pieces in excellent condition. (okay so not 10x value here)
pg. 188 Trifari zodiac brooch. Book value 35.00, actual ebay closing 3.50
pg. 229 Tortolani Market Street Trolly. Book value 125.00, actual ebay closing 9.51.

As you can see value in book do not indicate the value you'll receive if you sell an item or the price you'll have to pay for a piece for your own collection. Some of the highest end designers (i.e. Miriam Haskell) prices may be more accurate than others. Yes, books are not an guarantee of the value but should be an indication of the value of a piece. I think this book very much overvalues the jewelry pieces.

I would recommend this book to a collector who already has a few jewelry collecting books and is just looking to add to their collection to find more of the treasures and get a bit more information. It wouldn't be a good "first" book as the values are very off and doesn't include some of the more popular designers that are very collectible such as Coro.