Product Description

This is a comprehensive guide to identifying, buying, using and caring for a wide array of jewels and gems. It covers the origins of gemstones and how to assess the quality, rarity, grade and cut of precious and semi-precious stones. There are clear illustrations and colour photographs to help you identify the different types of gemstone available and demonstrate how they can be used in a vast variety of designs and settings. A chapter on pearls is also included. Cuts and facets, settings - both old and new, designing your own settings, appraising, buying and handling gemstones as well as how to spot synthetics and fakes are also covered. The result is a complete guide to all you need to know about gemstones.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10822 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Review
"...This is the first book to deal comprehensively with all the considerations that need to be taken into account when using gem materials in jewellery." Association for COntemporary Jewellery (March 2007)

About the Author
Judith Crowe is a jewellery maker and gemstone dealer. Because she entered the trade as a designer and jewellery maker, rather than as a gemmologist, she has a different perspective to other dealers. She understands the process of jewellery design and is always looking for new ways of using stones rather than sticking with the traditional.

Customer Reviews

What a pleasant surprise!
As someone going to jewellery making classes, I bought this because I thought it would be a useful gemstone reference book, but found it to be much more geared up to jewellery making, which was a really big surprise! It not only tells you how to buy the stones, but has lots of examples of how they are best used in actual jewellery. The photographs are really good - you can see what these stones are supposed to look like in real life. I'd recommend this for anyone doing jewellery who wants to buy and use gems. I've seen a few other gems books but this is by far the best.

A Wealth of Knowledge
A invaluable guide to gemstones giving a full description of each type of gem and a wealth of information about variation of each stone and their sources. History of stone cuts are given and information on buying gems and synthetic reproductions given.

exploring the gemstones
exploring this book you find out the best about the gemstones. Makes you understand and appreciate the presious stones and recognise them easier. Especially if you want to purchase or try to make jewels yourself this is the best book to start using precious stones.