THE STORY BEHIND THE PROJECT - Words From The Creators

Welcome to Dreams of Diamonds - THE MAIN EDITION

Dreams Of Diamonds is one of the most spectacular books to be published in recent times and is acknowledged as an outstanding work of art.

“Diamonds have always been credited with great spiritual clarity, their brilliance and hardness symbolic of the human soul and higher self. Each diamond is unique, waiting within the rough stone to be set free. Allegorically each one of us is unique, once we realise this and explore the process of individuation we enter into our true selves.” Dreams Of Diamonds extract from Foreword

Asphotographic artists and designers for over 25 years we have been involved in all forms of photography and printing. Throughout our commercial careers we our proud to have worked with many of the top publications and jewellers around the world. However it would be true to say that our greatest joys in photography have come from our fine art projects.

Over the years we have become known for our work with jewels, in particular diamonds. During this time it has been our privilege to photography many of the most spectacular diamonds in the world. We have always been inspired and shared a tremendous fascination for the exquisite beauty of these exceptionally rare stones and as a result of this towards the end of 2007 we began to explore the idea of creating a lasting work of art, exclusively devoted to diamonds.

We wanted something unique, which would stand the testament of time and become our legacy for the future. After 2 years of careful consideration we decided to create this work of art in the form of a giant super, book!

We have always been committed to large format images. The desire to push the boundaries of creative techniques to inspire, particularly with regards to size has always been present. On a number of occasions we were been fortunate enough to use the amazing 20x24 inch Polaroid Camera, creating exclusive collections of work in both Polaroid Transfer and Emulsion Lift mediums. We also specialized in Platinum Palladium printing and have successfully produced some of the largest platinum images in the world.

When taking into account all the large format work we had created throughout our career the idea of embarking on such a fabulous adventure and producing this magnificent book was a natural progression along a path we had already been travelling for many years.

This book goes beyond the professional to embrace our personal life and partnership it’s the embodiment of our aspirations and dreams. We are delighted and privileged to have been responsible for creating such an exceptional and unique work of art and forever extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved.

Dreams of Diamonds is our Magnum Opus.

Alastair Laidlaw and Christine Marsden

Dreams Of Diamonds - THE MAIN EDITION DETAILS

An Exceptional Work Of Art

The books have been distributed throughout the world to all the major national libraries, museums and diamond institutions. They have taken their place amongst the greats as an acknowledged piece of diamond history.

The book was produced as a limited edition of 500 copies.

INTERESTING FACTS

Over $500 million dollars worth of diamonds are displayed, including the two most expensive diamonds in the world.

The creators where also delighted to include the world’s largest, flawless, brilliant cut diamond the fabulous Cullinan Heritage.

Each page is a visual delight, highly creative and original. Every image is unique and has been created to stand as a work of art in its own right.

This Magnum Opus is the largest limited edition book ever published on diamonds. It is also in the top five largest publications to be produced in the last 100 years.

Placed with

The British Library

The Smithsonian Institution – Washington DC

The GIA ( Gemological Institute of America )

The Victoria & Albert Museum - National Art Library

The New Antwerp Silver & Diamond Museum

The Bodleian - United Kingdom

The London Library - Patron Queen Elizabeth II

Bibliotheque nationale de France

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek - The Bavarian State Library

The Albertina - Vienna

The Staatliche Kuntsammulungen - Dresden

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - accepted copy No 60 in her Diamond Jubilee Year

The Chow Tai Fook Museum - China

to name but a few

SPECIFICATIONS for MAIN EDITION BOOK

The book is 50 x 70 cms and when opened is 1 metre x 70 cms.
The end papers are made of Antik Ink Pearlised Metallic.
It is printed on ProfiSilk 250 gsm Art Paper, with a semi matt finish to give a luxurious silk feel.
There are 160 pages of stunning images and text.
The cover is Chromo Silver Library Buckram, with the spine being bound in Skipper Blue Eurobuckram.
The front cover is blind debossed with the title Dreams of Diamonds. The spine is also blind debossed with the title.

THIS IS A VERY LARGE AND HEAVY BOOK

This magnificent book has been exquisitely printed and bound to the highest standards by one of the finest teams of printers and binders in the world – Firmengruppe APPL and BELTZ BAD LANGENSALA in Co- operation with MÜLLER Buchbinderei GmbH.

PRESENTATION BOX

The presentation box for the book has been designed to emulate the feeling of the book. The lid is made from 3mm box card and covered with Silver Chromo Library Buckram and debossed with the special Dreams of Diamonds title. The base of the box is made from 3 mm box card and covered with Skipper Blue Eurobuckram. Both the lid and the base have an acid free lining for preservation purposes.

The approx weight of each book in its own presentation box is 15 kg.

A personal letter from the creators of Dreams of Diamonds – Alastair Laidlaw and Christine Marsden – which has been approved by the printers and binders, detailing instructions for care and storage accompanies each book.

PURCHASING A COPY OF Dreams Of Diamonds

A limited number of copies of Dreams Of Diamonds THE MAIN EDITION are available for purchase - please go to CONTACT for further details

Enjoy

Alastair and Christine