Gemstones of the World

Newly published in a fifth edition, this definitive guide takes the mystery out of appreciating, buying, and selling gemstones. It covers everything from the romance and history of more than 1,800 gemstones to their geographic locations; scientific, physical, and color properties; and the way they are formed, structured, and mined. The book also fully covers the optical features of gems - light and color, luminescence, refraction, and inclusions - and key information about the densities and chemical elements of each stone, with fascinating details on different cuts, polishing, gems, hardness, cleavage, classification, trade names, rarity, and more. There are also many charts and diagrams as well as magnificent color photographs of the stones with data about them on the facing page. If you want only one book on gemstones in your library, this would be the one!