Editorial Review:
A fully illustrated guide to gemstones Striking full-color photographs Detailed descriptions of each stone Additional artwork showing identifying features Published in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, America's foremost authority in history and science.
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
Misleadingly SMALL  2008-10-23
I had no idea that this book was as small as it is. I was very disappointed when I received it and did not see anything in the description that would make the buyer aware of this fact. You better read the fine print, if that's where the small size information is! I would not give it the minimum one star rating.
It was small  2008-04-28
I was expecting a regular sized book and was surprized when I got this to find that it was only about 3" tall with small writing. I was very diappointed.
Gem Identifications  2007-01-15
This is a very small pocket size book, maybe 3"x4". It is a good book to carry with you when you go shopping for gemstones but with it being so small I don't like it. It is a very detailed book and a color for each precious gemstone but not enough information as the other books I reviewed. I think if they enlarged the book it would be easier to use. For a beginner I don't recommend this book for now but can be added to your reference library later.
really nice, comprehensive  2006-04-20
For a book of this format and number of pages, covers amazing qty of infor on a large number of gemstones. Also includes very informative section on properties, currtting and polishing, real vs fake and a full page on resources for further reading and info. Pictures abound, color, high quality, beautiful. One of my favorite gem books.
In love with Gemstones! 2001-07-06
The cover of "Gemstones" makes this a wonderful coffee table book. The book is filled with a color photo collection of cut and uncut stones, exquisite pieces of jewelry and exotic sculptures. Some photos show gems in their natural state and you will just be amazed at how they can be polished and cut to perfection. An introduction entices you into reading about how gem minerals form, then the author delves into gemstones in history, why they are called gemstones, crystal structure, reflection and refraction, color and then cutting and polishing. Some stones are given special attention. There are full pages for diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, aquamarine, opal, amethyst, citrine, agate, jasper, tourmaline, topaz, peridot, zircon, garnet, chrysoberyl, spinel, jade, turquoise, lapis lazuli, moonstone, and labradorite stones. Since attractive rocks and minerals have the potential for being any ornament, some softer materials are ideal for carving. There is a section that shows rare and curious gemstones I had never seen before. Who knew that fossilized wood could also be carved and polished. A two-page map shows where gem deposits are found. The country name is followed by the gems found in that region. A grandmother may wear the birthstones of her grandchildren all in one ring or mothers may wear a necklace. One of the most beautiful rings I have seen had a diamond, emerald, amethyst and ruby and it secretly spells out "dear." I am in love with Moonstones for some reason. The clear ones are so amazing and can be worn as a necklace. They are said to be bits of moonbeams. Here is a wonderful quote about Gemstones: The rational person accepts that sapphire, September's birthstone, is an aluminum oxide crystal colored by traces of iron, titanium, vanadium, or chrome. But peering into the gem, you can just as well imagine, as did the ancient Persians, that it is a chip off the precious pedestal on which the earth balances, whose dancing reflections create the multifarious colors of the sky. They command your gaze. They escort you into the depths and facets of their crystalline and ordered universe. Gems-to-be are spewed from volcanoes and tossed up by ocean waves. Or they rest quietly in sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock, waiting to be unleashed by water, wind, or the pickax of a miner. -Suzanne Winckler This book might encourage greed. I only want one of each! Is that too much to ask for? ;)
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