Gem Identification Made Easy, Third Edition: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling
by Antoinette L . Matlins, Antonio C. Bonanno
List Price:
Our Price: $15.00
You Save: $21.95 (59%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.39 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Antoinette L . Matlins, Antonio C. BonannoEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-07
ISBN: 0943763347
Number of pages: 330
Publisher: Gemstone Press
Book Reviews of Gem Identification Made Easy, Third Edition: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling
Book Review: Essential Reference for Consumers, Hobbyists, Jewelers Interested in Gemstones.
Summary: 5 Stars
"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.
More Gem Identification Made Easy, Third Edition: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling reviews:
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
Summary of Gem Identification Made Easy, Third Edition: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling
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, coloured 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 recognising profitable opportunities. Essential reading for collectors, investors, jewellery lovers, hobbyists, jewellers, antique dealers, and gemmology students. With this highly accessible guide, anyone can begin to master gem identification.Jewelry Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Jewelry Books
A Century of Jewelry: Classy, Flashy, and Trashy! (Schiffer Book for Collectors with Price Guide)by Deborah Crosby
Schiffer Publishing; Published: 2007-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $35.93
Price in other shops:
Masterpieces of French Jewelryby Judith Price
Running Press; Published: 2006-10-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.86
Price in other shops:
Engraving on Precious Metalsby A. Brittain, P. Morton
Robert Hale; Published: 1993-11-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $23.10
Price in other shops:
Charming: The Magic of Charm Jewelryby Deborah Alun-Jones, John Ayton
Thames & Hudson; Published: 2005-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.24
Price in other shops:
Verduraby Patricia Corbett
Thames & Hudson; Published: 2002-10-28; Hardcover; Book
Graphic Art of the Enamel Badge Pbby Ken Sequin
Thames & Hudson; Published: 1999-02-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.95
The World's Greatest Treasures: Masterworks in Gold and Gems from Ancient Egypt to Cartierby Gianni Guadalupi
Thames and Hudson; Published: 1998; Hardcover; Book
Ancestral Jewels.by Diana. SCARISBRICK
Andre Deutsch; Published: 1989; Hardcover; Book
Diamonds; A Study of the Factors That Govern Their Valueby Frank Bertram Wade
General Books LLC; Published: 2012-01-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.13
Price in other shops:
Summer at Tiffany LPby Marjorie Hart
HarperLuxe; Published: 2007-04-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.43
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Secrets of the Gem Trade: The connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstonesby Richard W. Wise
Brunswick House Press; Published: 2006-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $25.22
Price in other shops:
Gemstones (DK Pockets)by DK Publishing
DK CHILDREN; Published: 2003-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.35
Price in other shops:
SE 3pcs Jewelers Eye Loupe 10x 30x Loupes + Dual 10X-20XTop Optifcal Instruments; Tools
Best price: $6.85
Price in other shops:
Colored Gemstones, 2nd Edition: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide: How to Select, Buy, Care for & Enjoy Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies and Other Colored Gemstonesby Antoinette L. Matlins
Gemstone Pr; Published: 2005-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.25
Price in other shops:
Gemstones of the World: Newly Revised & Expanded Fourth Editionby Walter Schumann
Sterling; Published: 2009-12-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.36
Price in other shops:
SE Mini 45X Brass Microscope w/ IlluminatorSE; SE; Toy
Best price: $1.40
Price in other shops:
Gemstone Buying Guide, Second Edition: How to Evaluate, Identify, Select & Care for Colored Gemsby Renee Newman, Ren'e Newman
International Jewelry Pubs.; Published: 2003-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.58
Price in other shops:
Simon & Schuster's Guide to Gems and Precious Stonesby Simon & Schuster
Touchstone; Published: 1986-03-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops:
The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones: A Complete Guide to Appraising and Using Precious Stones From Cut and Color to Shape and Settingsby Judith Crowe
Firefly Books; Published: 2006-10-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.79
Price in other shops:
Smithsonian Handbooks: Gemstonesby Cally Hall
DK ADULT; Published: 2002-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.23
Price in other shops: