Book Description
The world's fascination with the Russian imperial family endures, and with this stunning book a new spotlight is added. Jewels of the Tsars, the first book to examine the family's unparalleled collection, is illustrated with extraordinary photographs taken under special conditions at the Kremlin's Diamond Fund, and accompanied by 18th- and 19th-century portraits and photographs of the Tsars, their families, and their court. Prince Michael of Greece, a Romanoff descendant, writes with an insider's knowledge of his family's passion for rare and beautiful jewels, and their place in the troubled history of Imperial Russia.
Average customer rating:
- Essential Reference for Consumers, Hobbyists, Jewelers Interested in Gemstones.
- Valueable book for gem id
- Needs More Detail
- Great Gem Guide
- You NEEDThis Book...
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Gem Identification Made Easy, Third Edition: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling
Antoinette L . Matlins , and
Antonio C. Bonanno
Manufacturer: Gemstone Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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Similar Items:
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Gemstone Buying Guide, Second Edition: How to Evaluate, Identify, Select & Care for Colored Gems
-
Gemstones (Smithsonian Handbooks)
-
Colored Gemstones, 2nd Edition: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide: How to Select, Buy, Care for & Enjoy Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies and Other Colored Gemstones
-
Gemstones of the World: Newly Revised & Expanded Third Edition
-
The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones: A Complete Guide to Appraising and Using Precious Stones From Cut and Color to Shape and Settings
ASIN: 0943763347 |
Book Description
New, revised, expanded edition of the first and only book of its kind. Covers the latest gems, synthetics, treatments, and instruments. Easy to use. Practical. Non-technical. Shows how to identify diamonds, colored gemstones, and pearls, and separate them from fakes and look-alikes. Explains what instruments are needed, how to use them, where to get them, and what should be seen for each gemstone.No science background necessary.Faster than you can imagine, anyone can learn to identify most of the gems and imitations found in the marketplace. This practical volume is the key to avoiding costly mistakes and recognizing profitable opportunities. Essential reading for collectors, investors, jewelry lovers, hobbyists, jewelers, antique dealers, and gemology students. With this highly accessible guide, anyone can begin to master gem identification.Selected Contents:Setting up a basic lab.Description of Each Instrument: What It Will Show & How to Use It.Dark Field Loupe - Synthetic Emerald Filters - Immersion Cell - Synthetic Diamond Detector - Loupe - Chelsea Filter - Electronic Diamond Tester - Refractometer - Ultraviolet Lamp - Microscope - Spectroscope - Polariscope - DichroscopeWhat to Look For, Gem by GemAntique & Estate Jewelry - The True Test for the Gem Detective.Dyeing - Composite Stones - Foil Backing - SubstitutionsAppendices: Charts and Tables of Gemstone Properties, Schools, Laboratories, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Essential Reference for Consumers, Hobbyists, Jewelers Interested in Gemstones........2007-07-18
"Gem Identification Made Easy" opens up the world of gem identification to the jeweler, hobbyist and the curious. I didn't come away with the impression that gem identification is easy, but that some kinds of identification are easy, inexpensive and FUN! Antoinette Matlins makes it clear that the bar to entry into gemology is low. Practice, diligence, and three small instruments that cost less than $200 will enable you to identify 80% of colored gemstones and their look-alikes as well as diamonds and most of their imitations. Since there are at least 3 different gemstones on the market in every color and no shortage of synthetics and enhancement treatments, the skills within the pages of "Gem Identification Made Easy" are invaluable to anyone shopping for gemstones. If gems fascinate you, this book will help you discover if you would like to pursue gemology as a career or serious hobby.
The bulk of "Gem Identification Made Easy" are descriptions of the instruments involved in gem identification, detailed instructions on how to use each, and what they can show you, including many charts which will help you identify stones. The 3 essential instruments that everyone will need are: loupe, Chelsea filter, and dichroscope. The loupe magnifies the stones, revealing inclusions, blemishes, and fillers. The Chelsea filter differentiates between some gems and synthetics. The dichroscope distinguishes single-refracting stones from double-refracting and allows identification of stones by the colors they exhibit. In addition, Ms. Matlins provides instructions for additional tools that one would need to set up a lab: UV lamp, refractometer, microscope. Less essential: spectroscope, polariscope, and immersion cell. For diamonds: SSEF diamond-type spotter and electronic diamond tester. These could cost nearly $3000, but shopping on eBay will bring the price tag down.
The author also dedicates a chapter to "Antique and Estate Jewelry", in which she discusses imitation and alteration techniques frequently found in antique and period jewelry. She advises on how to detect them and includes tables of synthetics and imitations, when they appeared on the market, and characteristics that will help identify them. This is followed by many useful Appendices: a list of gems and look-alikes by color, gem hardness, specific gravities, refractive index tables, tables of dispersion and birefringence, glossary of terms, list of organizations offering gemology workshops or training, equipment suppliers. These are in addition to the many tables and lists in the instrument chapters. Color photos are limited to a center insert, where there are photos of gemstone inclusions and a few other identifying features. "Gem Identification Made Easy" is an easy to understand, practical entry to the fascinating world of gemstones.
Valueable book for gem id.......2007-05-24
Love it so much. A lot of information. This book will teach you how to setup a lab and making identificaiton of the gemstone without attending the gemology school - with very very reasonable price.
Needs More Detail.......2007-04-04
The book was good for a primer on gem tools and iidentification but lacked the detail I was seeking. It is an very good book for the beginner for it covers a lot of subjects about gem and the various tools used to identify them. I was seeking more exact detail and this book did not have it.
Great Gem Guide.......2007-03-31
Whether you're a beginner or advanced gemoligst, this useful guide will help you navigate the world of gemstones.
You NEEDThis Book..........2007-02-27
There are at least 3 dozen gemstone ID or how to buy the perfect gem books on my shelves. The three that sit next to the computer are Walter Schumann's Gemstones of World and two by Antoinette Matlins - Gem ID Made Easy and Color Gemstone Buying Guide. As a Jewelry Design, Lapidary and Gemology student I am always reaching for for one or the other. Thanks Antoinette we always get your best effort!!!
Book Description
For goldsmiths, collectors, jewelry-makers, investors, retailers and consumers.
The trade of gemstones is a highly specialized and often secretive business. Using
The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones, written by an expert gemstone dealer and designer, will provide any consumer with the insider knowledge needed to make accurate judgments of gemstones, to recognize low- and high-quality stones, and to make a good buy rather than a bad one.
Each full-color spread is packed with concise text, annotated drawings and beautiful photographs, including a showcase of virtuoso jewelry designs. Great for informed consumers, the book includes:
- Sources and grading
- Traditional and modern settings
- Cutting and faceting
- Designing a special setting
- Gemstone groups
- Appraising, buying and handling gemstones
- Diamond types and pearls
- Spotting synthetics and fakes.
Here is a sampling of the practical insider information in this book:
- Using a loupe to examine a stone
- Understanding laser cutting and carving
- Identifying synthetic diamonds
- Buying at gem fairs and from dealers
- Cleaning and storing stones.
No other book has this kind expert advice -- up-to-date, clearly presented and fully illustrated -- on evaluating and using gemstones.
Customer Reviews:
Libraries will find this holds wide appeal for a range of gem crafters........2007-07-27
Anyone interested in working with gemstones, from jewelers and jewelry makers to designers, will find THE JEWELER'S DIRECTORY OF GEMSTONES: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO APPRAISING AND USING PRECIOUS STONES, FROM CUT AND COLOR TO SHAPE AND SETTING an invaluable resource. Here a history pairs with tips on how to appraise and use gemstones properly, with color photos tying all topic together. Sections are divided into ideas on creating gemstones through mining and collecting, identifying types of stones, and using them in designs. Libraries will find this holds wide appeal for a range of gem crafters.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Very helpful.......2007-06-27
This book has a ton of interesting information for the collector. I would recommend it highly.
Appraising is not really addressed.......2007-05-29
This book is rich in accurate images of gems and minerals and has a scientific review of chemical composition, hardness and refractive properties. It is not, however, a guide for appraisal. I have seen a small booklet that determines the carats of gems based on the dimensions and shape of the particular stone. This information is what I had hope to get, but, unfortunately, did not.
Invaluable book for the serious gem colletor........2007-05-21
Highly authortative, well written, profusely illustrated and, simply, a wealh of information.
More than just info on stones.......2007-05-19
This book has valuable information about stones with good pictures, but it also has beautifully designed jewelry. A great addition to a jewelry library.
Book Description
The natural world has been a muse for artists throughout the ages, and jewelry designers have always shared that inspiration, their fascination with flora and fauna coming through in their work. Now, Jeweled Garden traces the evolution of garden-inspired jewelry from the 19th century to the present day in beautiful photographs and an absorbing text.
From Louis Comfort Tiffany's delicate realist creations of the Victorian Age to Cartier's 2006 Caresse d'orchides necklace encrusted with precious stones, the tradition's most beautiful pieces by master jewelers are represented. Featuring pieces from turn-of-the-last-century Art Nouveau, 1920s Art Deco, 1950s and 60s jet-set, and 1970s individualism, from Fabergé, Lalique, Tiffany, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, and even from fashion houses such as Chanel and Christian Dior, this gorgeous volume will delight jewelry aficionados and gardening enthusiasts alike.
Customer Reviews:
A visual ravishment!.......2007-08-09
A superb book! A visual ravishment!
The book is well researched and wide ranging in its study of flora based jewellery!
Focusing not only on the great jewellery houses but also on historical pieces, it makes for interesting reading for anyone who appreciate fine workmanship but also the history of jewels!
Great Jewelry Books.......2007-05-31
A "Must-have" for jewelry collectors, designers ..... Excellent pictures!!!! Great details!!! With lots of great masterpieces! 100% +++++ satisfaction in owning it!!!
Book Description
Secrets Of The Gem Trade is the first comphrehensive gemstone grading manual. The book divides into two parts. Section I describes the criteria used to quality grade faceted gems, cabochons, pearls, opals, star stones and Catseyes.
Section II applies the grading criteria to 35 of today's most important gemstones. The book covers diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, tourmaline, garnet, pearl, agate and opal
The book inludes 1st person travelogues from Mr. Wise's trips to the major gem bearing areas of the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia and South America.
Customer Reviews:
~~~Secrets Revealed~~~.......2007-09-16
This excellent book goes deep into the specifics of how to correctly identify gemstones. Also has accounts of the authors travels around the world searching for such stones. Highly recommended.
Well Worth it........2007-08-09
This could be the book that pushes me to follow my dream of becoming a gemologist...
Secrets.......2007-06-27
This book has lots of interesting and little known facts. It is a great read.
New approach to the gemstone book.......2007-05-24
Surprisingly this book is totally different than other book. If you looking for a gemstone valuation, identification, etc. - you will not find it here. However, the book is discuss every member of the family gemstone with very easy to read and understand. Love it so much.
Try Reading Before You Try Trading.......2007-03-14
This is a very well written book with great photos. Easy reading detailed information on specific gems mixed in with interesting tales of travel to exotic lands. Made me realize my thoughts of international jem trading had better be prepared with years of experience. For thousands of years neophytes have been seperated from their money by professional,usually generational traders. This book saved me alot of money just by convincing me to continue as a hobbyist, albeit a better educated one now. If you are interested in colored stones, I highly recommend "Secrets Of The Gem Trade"
Book Description
Since it was first published in 1962 'Gems' has become universally recognised as the most comprehensive and authoritative treatise on gem materials in the English language. This sixth edition, has been revised for relevance to today's practice and includes an expanded encyclopedic section.
'Gems' caters for the professional jeweller and student gemmologist, collector of gems and those with an insatiable interest in precious stones.
* Descriptive account of all gem materials used as ornament, along with their synthetic counterparts
* Contributing authors, at the top of the field, bring the latest developments to the reader
* The only encyclopedic reference for gemstones
Book Description
Nothing sparkles quite like a diamond, and no diamond sparkles quite like one in a Tiffany setting. This lush volume celebrates the glittering world of Tiffany diamonds through its captivating history and sumptuous jewelry. John Loring recounts how Charles Lewis Tiffany was crowned the "king of diamonds" in 1848, how the firm purchased the French crown jewels in 1887, and how Tiffany introduced the engagement ring as we know it today. Intriguing and often mysterious tales of the world's famous diamonds-the Koh-i-noor, the Regent, the Sancy, and many more-embellish the text, and anecdotes about the illustrious owners of Tiffany diamonds provide a rare glimpse into the glamorous lifestyles of these privileged few. Handsomely produced with archival photographs, sketches, drawings, and new photography of antique and contemporary jewelry pieces, this exquisite volume is the ultimate read for anyone whose eye has ever been dazzled by a diamond.
Customer Reviews:
Product Review.......2007-01-11
Book arrived in a timely manner and was in excellent shape. Would recommend seller to anyone. Great person and a pleasure to deal with.
Book Description
Throughout history, precious stones have inspired passions and poetry, quests and curses, sacred writings and unsacred actions. In this scintillating book, journalist Victoria Finlay embarks on her own globe-circling search for the real stories behind some of the gems we prize most. Blending adventure travel, geology, exciting new research, and her own irresistible charm, Finlay has fashioned a treasure hunt for some of the most valuable, glamorous, and mysterious substances on earth.
With the same intense curiosity and narrative flair she displayed in her widely-praised book Color, Finlay journeys from the underground opal churches of outback Australia to the once pearl-rich rivers of Scotland; from the peridot mines on an Apache reservation in Arizona to the remote ruby mines in the mountains of northern Burma. She risks confronting scorpions to crawl through Cleopatra’s long-deserted emerald mines, tries her hand at gem cutting in the dusty Sri Lankan city where Marco Polo bartered for sapphires, and investigates a rumor that fifty years ago most of the world’s amber was mined by prisoners in a Soviet gulag.
Jewels is a unique and often exhilarating voyage through history, across cultures, deep into the earth’s mantle, and up to the glittering heights of fame, power, and wealth. From the fabled curse of the Hope Diamond, to the disturbing truths about how pearls are cultured, to the peasants who were once executed for carrying amber to the centuries-old quest by magicians and scientists to make a perfect diamond, Jewels tells dazzling stories with a wonderment and brilliance truly worthy of its subjects.
Customer Reviews:
Great book on Gems.......2007-10-10
This book gave the history, stories, and myths about each stone. I loved this book. A very quick read.
A rainbow of gems and an interesting read.......2007-03-06
With this book - which is effectively a sequel to her book on colour - Victoria Finlay investigates the history, myth and reality of the jewels we often place so much status on. She starts with Amber the softest of the semi-precious jewels and works her way through to Diamonds, which are much more common and not as indestructible as the jewellers and marketers would have us believe.
This is an interesting read, and while not exhaustive, will still manage to tell some new stories about gemstones even if you have read many other books on the subject. A combination of travel diary, history and general knowledge this book is educational and may make some readers view the stones in their jewel box in a new light. And as for "birth stones" - read the appendix at the end, it may open your eyes on one of the great marketing hoaxes.
Jewels - Not Only for Jewel Lovers .......2006-09-08
For anyone who is interested in the fascinating story of some of the worlds most popular types of jewels, this book is for you. For anyone who is interested in visiting little know and remote parts of our planet, this book is for you. For anyone who is interested in better understanding why people are mesmerized by beautiful objects and why other people undertake dangerous jobs to find them, this book is for you.
The author not only shares the fascinating history of how these jewels have been used throughout history but she tells the even more fascinating story of those who make their livings finding and selling them. Ms Finlay has not let distance or danger inhibit her desire to see first hand where the gems come from and to speak with those who spend, and often risk, their lives in their pursuit. Their stories are as interesting and varied as the stones themselves. Like Patrick Leigh Femor and other top travel writers, this author seems to be able to put almost anyone at ease and entice them to tell her their stories with amazing candor. She has then been able to blend historical facts and current circumstances into a really fascinating read.
For me, her quest was really to better understand why jewels which, while beautiful, are basically useless command so much time, effort and even in some cases human lives in their production. After reading this book I believe that each person will be able to form their own answer to this question.
Sparkling History.......2006-08-22
"It is an ordinary gemstone," writes Victoria Finlay of the sapphire in a ring given to her by her parents, "yet like most other ordinary gemstones it has a good story to tell, if you go looking for it." Go looking she does, not only for the story of that sapphire but for those of other gems, and yes, she found good stories and writes them up in _Jewels: A Secret History_ (Ballantine Books). Indeed, she values the stories more than the stones' rarity, perfection, or size. She set out to tell stories of nine different stones, from semi-precious to precious, and from two to ten on the Mohs hardness scale. The scale, invented in 1825 by mineralogist Freidrich Mohs, simply rates stones and other substances by what they can scratch and what scratches them; talc rates a one and diamond, the hardest substance known, rates a ten. Finlay ranges her chapters from softest stone to hardest: amber (Mohs somewhere between gypsum 2 and calcite 3), through jet, pearl, opal, peridot, emerald, sapphire, ruby, and finally diamond. (It is interesting that value tends to increase with hardness, indicating that we place a premium on durability.) Even the biggest stones, Finley notes, are objects that are really rather small, but the stories encompass great swaths of human history and technical expertise.
I will mention here only her quest for amber, for which she visits the Polish Baltic coast, a source for the stone. You may know the sticky sap that is oozed out when a pine tree is injured, and amber is the fossilized version of the same thing. Its origin is mysterious, because for amber to have become the geologic deposit as it is now found, huge numbers of evergreens (the species of tree is no longer with us) must have been hit with some sort of disease or other stress. Amber is the stuff that entrapped the mosquito that had dined on the blood of the dinosaur which yielded the DNA to build the monsters of the movie Jurassic Park. Its prices rose sharply when that movie came out in 1993, demonstrating our whimsical notions of value. Finlay goes to the University of Gdansk where is located the Museum of Amber Inclusions, and a guide indeed shows her insects trapped within. There is a particularly strange sample that looks like a long fly, only it has twelve legs; it turns out to be two flies caught by the sap during copulation. She attends the Amber-Washing Championships at Jantar, Poland, in the expectation that she would even herself be able to wade into the sea to fish out amber with the rest of the competitors, but finds that the sea no longer easily yields this treasure. Competitors on the beach were looking for amber pieces as big as shirt buttons planted by the organizers. "The whole thing was as exhilarating as a grape-peeling competition" she grumbles. The local supply of amber comes from a mine in an ex-Soviet Gulag "even bleaker than I had expected." It is a constant theme: gems may sparkle, full of richness, but the areas from which they are extracted are grimly impoverished.
Finlay has mined the historic literature for good stories; her debunking of the story of the curse of the Hope Diamond, for instance, is hilarious. She has also gone to the countries involved with each gem, and literally descended into the mines. She has funny stories, like being in a taxi stalled for an elephant parade in Sri Lanka (elephant parades are good for the sapphire business, as such a gem that has been worn on an elephant tusk is believed to have been blessed by Buddha himself). She has undergone no small amount of risk on these excursions. She has skillfully interviewed sometimes reticent subjects within the mines or within the business of bringing jewels to market, and employs judiciously the colorful anecdote. The historic and social results of our fascination for these useless rocks ("You can't eat them, you can't read them, you can't shelter under them ..." she quotes a Burmese taxi driver as saying) are on display here, as colorful and surprising as any of the gems themselves.
Average customer rating:
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Colored Gemstones, 2nd Edition: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide: How to Select, Buy, Care for & Enjoy Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies and Other Colored Gemstones
Antoinette L. Matlins
Manufacturer: Gemstone Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
-
Gem Identification Made Easy, Third Edition: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling
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Gemstone Buying Guide, Second Edition: How to Evaluate, Identify, Select & Care for Colored Gems
-
Gemstones of the World: Newly Revised & Expanded Third Edition
-
Gemstones (Smithsonian Handbooks)
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Jewelry & Gems the Buying Guide: How to Buy Diamonds, Pearls, Colored Gemstones, Gold & Jewelry With Confidence And Knowledge (Jewelry and Gems the Buying Guide)
ASIN: 0943763452 |
Book Description
Foremost gemologist presents definitive study of the magical abilities and strange characteristics of precious stones. Wide range of sources — Greek, Latin documents, medieval lapidaries, Eddas, Egyptian writings, Oriental gem books, the Bible — reveal magic, occult, medicinal and religious uses of dozens of gems. 65 plates, 8 in color.
Customer Reviews:
Nice addition to library.......2007-08-13
I enjoy gemstone lore and this is a nice addition to my collection. The language is a little dated, a little dry, and the pictures are not great, but the text is substantial. I enjoy reading it. I would recommend this book.
Excellent book, bad quality photo reproducing.......2007-02-06
The book itself is excellent, an important reference study and a very amusing book for the lover of gems. The author is a leading American scholar in his time, this one is his best: informative with sound statements and principal references. When you read it, you can touch the atmosphere of the great collections arranged by him and the greatest library on precious and semiprecious stones, which he had.
The only disadventage of this edition is the very poor photo reproducing of the original photos. The book contains many rare photos, but the reproducing is so bad, that they make you furious, if you see them.
So, 5 stars to the book itself and zero for the photo reproduction.
The foundation for the study of Gemstone Lore.......2006-10-06
This book ought to be required reading for all studying the occult aspects of gemstones, and even those that are interested in crystal healing. The material presented in this book is very informative, albeit outdated in some respects. Nonetheless, it is necessary to learn what the formative principles are in this field of study, and this book is an excellent look into the earlier work published solely on the topic of gemstones.
Classic on Gemstone Lore.......2006-09-17
I bought this book because Kunz's work has been the basis for much of what we know about ancient gemstone lore. Kunz's lifelong passion for rocks and gemstones began in childhood and as a gemologist and geologist, he was able to collect and organize vast amounts of gemstone lore. He was also a collector of stones, amulets and magical charms, many of which were donated to the American Museum of Natural History. His enthusiasm for the subject is evident and even though this book is nearly 100 years old, I found it surprisingly easy to read.
A precious book.......2006-04-11
Interesting book dealing about precious stone and their lore in the past.
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