Can anyone recommend a book that shows backs of jewelry, and clasps?
There isn’t a book that deals specifically with construction. Some books are better at showing backs than others. Most don’t do much of it at all. Cathy [Gordon] & Sheila’s [Pamfiloff] book is the only one I know if that deals with this in depth, and of course, theirs is only about Haskell. The problem with studying backs and findings and construction is it really tells so little of the story. You can not ID a piece from the back alone, for the most part. There are some exceptions, but in general the back of a piece, the type of clasp used, etc. is really not the important part of jewelry. Finishes and clasps and findings were bought in bulk and used for years and years. So, even using them to date pieces is not very accurate. The same earring clip back could have been used for he last 60 years. There are SOME clues, but they are general. For example, in general, textured finished on plated backing was not used much before the 1950’s. Or, there’s a certain type of hinged pin stem that
