Product Description: Buying gems is a challenge, especially when they're unusual stones from faraway places. Exotic Gems, Volume 3 will show you with close-up photos how to make visual judgements about clarity, transparency, color, cut quality and brilliance...read more

Product Description: This is a full-colour guide to identifying and evaluating alexandrite, andalusite, chrysoberyl, cat's-eye, kyanite, sillimanite, common opal, fire opal, dinosaur gembone, tsavorite, rhodolite, spessartine, demantoid, malaya, grossular, and other garnets...read more

Product Description: This is the first in a series of books that will explore the history, lore, evaluation, geographic sources, and identifying properties of lesser-known gems. This volume has 288 colour photographs of mounted and loose tanzanite, ammolite, zultanite, rhodochrosite, sunstone, moonstone, labradorite, spectrolite, andesine, amazonite, bytownite, orthoclase and oligoclase...read more

Product Description: This guide helps buyers to evaluate these spectacular gems and it updates professionals on new treatments and sources of corundum and emerald. Using close-up photographs, the book shows how to make visual judgements about clarity, transparency, cut quality and brilliance...read more

Product Description: Over 200 pages of records including transcribed wills, land and court documents, and merchant records. Primarily Somerset, Dorset and London, including merchant activity of the London family within Colonial Virginia. Also there are some records for Devon, Gloucester, and Oxford...read more

Product Description: This handbook updates jewellery professionals and serious diamond buyers on the new developments in diamond grading, treatments, synthetic diamonds, fancy-colour diamonds and lab certificates. Using close-up photographs, it shows how to make visual judgements about clarity, transparency, cut quality and brilliance...read more

Product Description: If you would like to look good in your jewellery and be a smart buyer, consult this Handbook. It's like a 'Jewellery 101' course on the fundamentals of jewellery metals, settings, finishes, necklaces, chains, clasps, bracelets, rings, earrings, brooches, pins, clips, manufacturing methods and jewellery selection and care...read more

Product Description: Clueless about diamonds? You won't be after you read this book! Packed with close-up photographs, this reference shows you how to judge diamonds on the basis of how they look, rather than just on how they are graded. Diamond grading reports don't tell you everything you need to know to make wise diamond purchases...read more

Product Description: The book tells you everything you need to know about pearls to fully understand and appreciate them, and avoid any unexpected (and costly) disappointments, now and in future generations. This easy-to-read, easy-to-understand, practical resource covers: the rich history and romance surrounding pearls; differences between natural, cultured, and imitation pearls: what they are, how they differ, and how to tell them apart; how to judge pearl quality, with tips on how to see differences with the naked eye; comparisons of all types of pearls, in every size and colour, from every pearl producing country in the world; what to guard against: artificial enhancements and misrepresentation; how to wear and care for pearls; pearl prices: from affordable to astronomical; magnificent pearl jewellery -- conversations with the world's leading jewellers; exclusive interviews with the world's leading pearl experts, who offer "insider" insights and advice; important resource information, including sample lab reports, a pearl glossary, and more...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: These guides feature full-color photography throughout and help consumers and professionals make the smart choice in their purchase of precious and semiprecious gems and metals. (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Buying a diamond ring may be one of the most important jewelry-related decisions you will ever make. The Diamond Ring Buying Guide was designed to help you get the best buy possible. Written in clear, everyday English, with lots of color photos, the book shows you step-by-step how to evaluate diamonds and settings...read more

(view table of contents)

Product Description: Have you ever had a chain break right after you bought it? Have any of your stones fallen out of their settings? Do you wonder if your 'gold' jewellery is really gold? This guide shows you how to spot poor craftsmanship and imitation gold or platinum and gives you a wealth of information on chains, mountings, multi-coloured gold, and platinum alloys...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

A guide to judging pearl quality and value for the amateur.

Offers advice on shape, cutting style, carat weight, color, and clarity for those purchasing colored gemstones, with a brief description of different types of stones (view table of contents)

Product Description: The 6th revised edition of this step-by-step guide on how to evaluate diamonds and settings in clear everyday English. It gives information on quality evaluation, price comparison, fake stones, proper gem care, synthetics and more. (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: These highly informative guides by Renee Newman are an indispensible aid to anyone interested in being a "savvy" buyer of gems and jewelry. A comprehensive mix of technical and practical information, illustrated in full-color and sharp B/W photos...read more