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Books about Gemstones
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Amber
Window to the Past
by David A. Grimalsi
The unique properties of amber (fossilized tree resin) have long intrigued many people and never more so than now, in the wake of Michael Chriton's fictional Jurassic Park and real scientific breakthroughs in achieving what Chriton theorized: the cloning of an ancient DNA sequence of amber. Originally published to accompany the hugely popular 1996 exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Amber: Window to the Past explores thoroughly the various aspects of this remarkable material, from its part in delineating evolutionary history, through the study of folklore surrounding it, to is use in decorative arts and jewelry. The 230 gorgeous and amazingly varied photographs and drawings, 115 in color and never before published, vividly illuminate the roles of amber in both nature and art. This engrossing and readable book will delight lovers of science, history and art as well as anyone intrigued by stories of how we and our world have evolved. Soft cover, 9" x 11", 216 pages.
The Amber Book
by Ake Dahlstrom and Leif Brost
Amber has been one of humankind's favorite decorations and personal adornments throughout the ages. People have always been attracted to and fascinated by these beautiful fossil resins that may contain trapped insects and plants from an earlier geologic time. The Amber Book explains how amber is formed and describes its geologic setting in the Baltic region and elsewhere. The authors explore the role amber plays in the folklore of many cultures, and provide practical advice on how to care for amber jewelry, how to use it for lapidary purposes, and how to detect fake amber. Profusely illustrated, The Amber Book is a basic source of knowledge for anyone who appreciates amber, including jewelry buyers and art collectors. Hard cover, 7" x 9", 134 pages.
Diamonds
by Fred Ward
Carat for carat, fine diamonds are among the most desirable and expensive items on Earth. Diamonds provide the standard of price, beauty and value against which all other gemstones are measured. More than unsurpassed in beauty and sparkle, no other gemstone has so many desirable attributes combined. In Diamonds, well known and authoritative gem and mineral author Fred Ward provides superb photos to illustrate his discussion of this gem. Chapters include History and Lore, The Hunt for Treasure, Romancing the Stone, Jewels and Artifacts, Synthetic and Industrial Diamonds, and Buying and Caring for Diamonds. Diamonds is sure to be appreciated by anyone with an interest in the history, lore and characteristics of this incomparable stone. Soft cover, 6" x 9", 64 pages.
Emeralds
by Fred Ward
Emeralds are the premier gems in the beryl family. For more than 4,000 years, emeralds have been among the most valuable of all jewels. In Emeralds, well known and authoritative gem and mineral author Fred Ward provides superb photos to illustrate his discussion of this gem. Chapters include History and Lore, The Hunt for Treasure, Romancing the Stone, Jewels and Artifacts, lab-Grown Emeralds and Imitations, and Buying and Caring for Emeralds. Emeralds is sure to be appreciated by anyone with an interest in the history, lore and characteristics of this precious stone. Soft cover, 6" x 9", 63 pages.
Gem and Jewelry Pocket Guide
A Traveler's Guide to Buying Diamonds, Colored Gems, Pearls, Gold and Platinum Jewelry
by Renee Newman
Get good value for your money by using the Gem and Jewelry Pocket Guide. You'll find out what to look for when buying gems and what questions to ask jewelers. You'll discover how gems are enhanced to make them appear better than they really are and how marketing terms are used to mislead you. You'll even learn how to avoaid hassles with customs.Soft cover, 4.5" x 7", 156 pages.
Gem Care
by Fred Ward
Because gems have different characteristics, there is no single safe way to care for them. Much depends on the hardness of the gem, its toughness, and its susceptibility to heat, light and acids. By using and the tips and sound advice in this book, your gems and jewelry should be safe and look new for decades. Among the stones and metals covered are amber, beryl, chalcedony, coral, cubic zirconia, diamond, emerald, garnet, ivory, jade, lapis lazuli, opal, pearl, peridot, quartz, ruby, sapphire, spinel, tanzanite, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise, platinum, gold and silver. Gem Care could be literally be worth more than its weight in gold if it saves you from making a single mistake in caring for your gems and jewelry! Soft cover, 6" x 9", 33 pages.
Gem Identification Made Easy
A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying and Selling
by Antoinette L. Matlins and A.C. Bonanno
Gem Identification Made Easy is the first and only book that explains in non-technical terms how to identify diamonds and colored gems and separate them form imitations and look-alikes. The book's approach is direct and practical, and its style easy to understand. In fact, with this highly accessible guide, anyone can begin to master gem identification. Using a simple, step-by-step system, the authors explain the proper use of essential but uncomplicated instruments that will do the identification tasks, what to look for gemstone by gemstone, and how to set up a basic lab at modest cost. Three of the instruments are inexpensive, portable, pocket instruments which, when used together, can identify almost 85% of all precious and popular stones. The key to avoiding costly mistakes and recognizing profitable opportunities is know both what to look for and what to look out for. Gem Identification Made Easy will help you: Open your eyes to the types of imitations, synthetics, look-alikes and fakes in the gem market today. Learn how to tell the difference between them. Quickly spots synthetics, including synthetic emeralds and diamonds, filled diamonds, diffused "blue" sapphires and "red" rubies, and much more. Discover how to identify new gems such as "red" emerald and "Mandarin" garnet. Know when to seek help from a professional gemologist or lab. Become more professional in you business or hobby. Hard cover, 6" x 9", 330 pages.
The Gem Merchant
How to be One - How to Deal with One
by David Stanley Epstein
What's the "REAL" price? How could I get a break on the price of that stone? Is the gem with more green or more yellow in it worth more? Is that gem merchant treating me fairly? How can a jeweler sell more high-profit colored stone jewelry and tie up less capital? These are some of the questions answered and some of the secrets revealed by this famous gem merchant/cutter and author. If you have asked questions like these and found evasiveness or silence as your reply, you should read this book. The Gem Merchant is not just a must for gem merchants, gemologists and appraisers; it is a book particularly for the jeweler who wants to make more money with colored stones, and for gem lovers in general. Soft cover, 6" x 9", 158 pages.
Gems and Precious Stones
Edited by Kennie Lyman
Simon & Schuster's Guide to Gems and Precious Stones provides both the connoisseur and the casual collector with a compact, easy-to-use volume describing the more than 100 rare varieties of minerals whose beauty and mystery have possessed our imaginations from time immemorial. More than 450 brilliant photographs accompany profiles of each gem, covering such aspects as appearance, physical properties - density, hardness, refraction - occurrence, and how to judge quality and value. Additional sections describe the process of cutting gemstones and the techniques professional gemologists use to evaluate a stone's weight and optical properties. Detailed and comprehensive, this book is essential for anyone interested in the study of gems and precious stones. Soft cover, 5" x 7.5", 364 pages.
Gemstone Buying Guide
How to Evaluate, Identify, Select and Care for Colored Gems
by Renee Newman GG
Buying colored gems is a challenge. To make a wise choice, you must be able to judge their color, flaws, transparency and brilliancy. The Gemstone Buying Guide will show you how. Written for both consumers and professionals, it's easy to read, has over 200 color photos and gives practical pointers on how to buy the best stone for the money. Whether you're interested in jade, opal, ruby, topaz, spinel, garnet, tourmaline or some other colored gem, you'll find the Gemstone Buying Guide to be a fascinating and valuable resource. Get straight talk on: Price Comparison, Quality Evaluation, Fake Stones, Gem Treatments, Gem Cleaning and Care and Savvy Buying. Chapters include: Colored Gem Price Factors in a Nutshell, Shape & Cutting Style, Carat Weight, Gemstone Color, Judging Clarity and Transparency, Judging Cut Quality, Evaluating Star & Cat's-Eye Stones, Treatments, Synthetic Stones, Deceptive Practices, Gemstone Descriptions and Caring for Your Gems. An appendix includes Birthstones & Anniversary Stones and Suppliers of Jewelry & Stones for Photographs. Also included is a comprehensive Bibliography and Index. Soft cover, 7" x 9", 156 pages.
Gemstones
by Cally Oldershaw, Christine Woodward and Roger Harding
What lies beneath the breathtaking beauty of the gemstones we see in jewelry shop windows, marvel at museums, and adorn ourselves with? Take a look at why they impart an aura of exclusiveness and worth that increases our desire to possess them as you admire the most popular and lesser known types in dazzling color photographs, many new to this edition. Examine uncut stones and gems in their natural state, find out how they are formed and mined, know how to distinguish the real from the fake, and inspect their structure and physical attributes. Among the exquisite examples you'll see are a Spanish Renaissance pendant with Columbian emeralds, a Mayan jadeite mask, and the Koh-i-Noor diamond. This feast for the eyes gives you entry into the alluring world of the rare and valuable. Soft cover, 8" x 8", 76 pages.
Gemstones of the World
by Walter Schumann
Gemstones of the World, the definitive guide to gems for over 20 years, takes the mystery out of appreciating, buying and selling all kinds. It covers everything from the romance and history of more than 1,400 gemstones to their geographic locations, scientific, physical and color properties, and the way they are formed, structured and mined. With many charts and diagrams Schumann offers full coverage of the optical features of gems - light and color, luminescence, refraction, and inclusions - and about densities and the chemical elements of each stone, with fascinating details on different cuts, polishing, synthetic and imitation gems, hardness, cleavage, classification, trade names, rarity and much more - all with an easy to understand text. And then there are the magnificent photographs of the stones themselves in brilliant full-color, with full data on the facing page. If you could have only one book on gemstones in your library, this would be the one! Hard cover, 5" x 8", 280 pages.
Gemstones
A Pocketful of Knowledge
by Emma Foa
Why are emeralds green? How does a pearl form? What is the "king of gems"? The answers to these questions and many more are packed within the pages of DK Pockets: Gemstones, a fascinating guide to the better-known varieties of precious stones, ranging from uncut gems to spectacular examples of finished jewelry, all photographed in full color. Featuring an easy-to-use color key, information on gem lore, gem care and how to make your own jewelry, DK Pockets: Gemstones is the ideal introduction to a multifaceted, glittering world. Soft cover, 4" x 5", 128 pages.
Jade
by Fred Ward
In Jade, Fred Ward presents the history and lore of jade. Chapters include In the Beginning, China and the Stone of Heaven, The Olmec, Maya and Aztec in Mesoamerica, The Maori in New Zealand, Jade today in Burma, China, Canada, New Zealand, Guatemala, Russia and the United States, and Buying and Caring for Jade. Any reader with an interest in gemstones and jade will appreciate this beautifully illustrated book. Soft cover, 6" x 9", 64 pages.
Legendary Gems or Gems that Made History
by Eric Bruton
This absorbing and often astonishing history of legendary gems is told with style and wit by expert gemologist Eric Bruton. Amid legends and intrigue are hard facts about gems - classification, valuation and engraving. Prospecting and mining details, plus the inside and sometimes sordid stories of how enormous stones were cut and dispersed in great secrecy, make this book a must for the gem fancier, collector, gemologist and jeweler. Much of the background for Legendary Gems or Gems that Made History was gleaned first hand by Bruton in the gem mines of India, Africa, Asia and South America. Hard Cover, 7" x 9.5", 239 pages.
Opals
by Fred Ward
In Opals, Fred Ward presents the history and lore of Opal. Chapters include History and Lore, Black Opal, Boulder Opal, Light Opal, Crystals and Fossils, Mexican Opal, Assembled Opals, Synthetics, and Simulants, Buying and Caring for Opal, and Play-of-Color. Any reader with an interest in gemstones and opals will appreciate this lavishly illustrated book. Soft cover, 6" x 9", 64 pages.
Pearls
by Fred Ward
In Pearls, Fred Ward presents the history and lore of pearls. Chapters include History and Lore, Natural Pearls, Cultured Saltwater Pearls, Cultured Freshwater Pearls, Mother-of-Pearl and Shell Products, Imitation Pearls, Buying and Caring for Pearls, and Determining Pearl Quality. Any reader with an interest in gemstones and pearls will appreciate this lavishly illustrated book. Soft cover, 6" x 9", 64 pages.
Rubies & Sapphires
by Fred Ward
In Rubies & Sapphires, Fred Ward presents the history and lore of rubies and sapphires. Chapters include History and Lore, The Hunt for Treasure, Romancing the Stone, Jewels and Artifacts, Lab-Grown Corundum and Stimulants, and Buying and Caring for Rubies & Sapphires. Any reader with an interest in gemstones and rubies and sapphires will appreciate this lavishly illustrated book. Soft cover, 6" x 9", 65 pages.
Secrets of the Gem Trade
by Richard W. Wise
It took 5,000 years, but glory hallelujah, at last a book about gemstones that puts the customer in the driver's seat. Whether you are a jeweler, collector, dealer or just plain jewelry lover, you will learn the true principles of connoissership, criteria that have, until now, been the exclusive property of a chosen few. Over 100 color photographs including some of the world's rarest and most costly gems including the Hope Diamond, the Dresden Green Diamond, the Caplan Ruby and the Rockefeller Sapphire. Major Sections include Becoming a Connoisseur, A New List of Precious Gemstones, and detailed discussions and photographs of Alexandrite, Amethyst, the Beryl Family, Chalcedonies, the Garnet Group, the World of Pearls, Ruby and Sapphire, Opal, Tourmaline, Fancy Color Diamonds, Lapis Lazuli and Spinel. This book is sure to be appreciated by anyone with an interest in gems and gemstones. Highly recommended. Hard Cover, 8" x 12", 273 pages.
The Spectroscope and Gemmology
by Basil Anderson & James Payne
The Spectroscope and Gemmology isa the first book devoted exclusively to the spectroscope and its use in gemstone identification. Until 1933 the refractometer and the microscope were the two principal tools in gem testing. Then B.W. Anderson introduced the hand spectroscope which quickly became the third vital instrument for the gemmologist. Today the use of the hand spectroscope is universal. This book provides an extensively edited, updated and enlarged version of Anderson's original work and a vital textbook wherever gemmology is used or taught. Written for gemmologists everywhere and incorporating the latest developments this book will prove indispensable to all engaged in gemstone identification. Part 1 includes the history and development of spectroscopy. Part 2 covers the absorption of gem minerals including ruby, spinel, pyrope, topaz, emerald, alexandrite, jadite, demantoid garnet, almandine garnet, peridot, sinhalite, enstatite, diopside, kornerupine, axinite, tourmaline, iolite, idocrase, actinolite, serpentine, sapphire, chrysoberyl, aquamarine, orthoclase, spodumene, jadite, andradite, epidot, zircon, diamond, rare earth elements, synthetic gemstones, glasses and more. Hard cover, 6.5" x 9.5", 268 pages.
Turquoise Unearthed
An Illustrated Guide
by Joe Dan Lowry and Joe P. Lowry
Turquoise. What otherTurquoise Unearthed showcases exquisite examples of rough and polished natural turquoise from more than twenty famous and classic mines including Lander Blue, Number 8, Bisbee and Lone Mountain. Appealing to rockhounds and serious collectors alike, Turquoise Unearthed is a definitive, contemporary visual guide. Here too are spectacular works by modern jewelers, along with fascinating ancient and historic Native American turquoise jewelry and ceremonial objects. Soft cover, 6" x 9", 74 pages.
World of Gemstones
by Rudolf Duda and Lubos Rejl
They have a magical life all their own. Passed off from generation to generation, they are silent witnesses of the distant past... Presented in World of Gemstones in 260 vivid color photographs are over eighty species and varieties of gemstones from across the world - in their natural shapes, cut, and mounted in jewelry. Included are not only the classic gemstones and precious metals, but also many recently discovered stones, others made by living things - pearls, amber and coral - and even some common rocks whose uniqueness stands out only after they have been cut and polished. Read about their origin and properties, their history, astrology, and legendary healing powers - and you might find a gemstone that could change your life! Hard cover, 5.5" x 8", 191 pages.
| 220 West Drachman, Tucson, AZ 85705 Phone: 520.882.8750 ©2000-2010 Reproduction of all content strictly prohibited without written authorization from Starr Gems Inc. |
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