AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: Gemstones (Earth Series) by R. Harding, C. Woodward ISBN: 0-11-310020-5 Publisher: The Natural History Museum Pub. Date: 31 December, 1987 Format: Paperback

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: In love with Gemstones!
Comment: 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? ;)

Rating: 4
Summary: Gemstones, a great book for beginners
Comment: In this book is explained the different kinds of stones, how they are cut, where to find them, collections, etc. A great book for a beginner to learn more about gemstones. Includes a beautiful pictures. Recommended!