Sign-In
Cart
Guide to Gems: Illustrated Guide to the Identification, Properties and Use of Gemstones
Paperback
Series: Firefly Pocket
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
ISBN13: 9781552978146
Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd
Published: Jan 1 2009
Pages: 224
Weight: 0.74
Height: 0.57 Width: 5.06 Depth: 7.72
Language: English
A reference guide to gems, semi-precious stones and crystals.
Gemstones and crystals are used for jewelry, industry, lasers and precision technology. Firefly Guide to Gems is a practical, compact guide to the identification and use of precious and semi-precious stones, novelty stones, agates and crystals.
An introduction explains geology, chemistry and gemstone properties in clear and accessible terms. Key aspects of gemstones are explained such as crystal structures and optical and physical properties.
The first section of the book focuses on precious gems in their many forms, with illustrations of priceless jewelry. Practical information includes:
- Fashioning and cutting
- Types and shapes of cut
- Collecting
- Handling and storing gemstones
- Weighing and measuring stones
The second and main section supplies complete descriptions of a wide range of gems, organized by chemical composition, for instance:
- Carbon (diamond)
- Aluminum oxide (saphire and ruby)
- Phosphate (turquoise)
- Silica (opal)
A fascinating profile of each gem is accompanied with color photographs of the raw crystal, common cuts, and finally polished for use in jewelry. At-a-glance charts provide technical details such as refractive index, crystal group, luster, hardness and cleavage for each gem.
Easy-to-read and abundantly illustrated, Firefly Guide to Gems is ideal for collectors and rockhounds.
Also in
Geology
Crystals for Beginners: The Guide to Get Started with the Healing Power of Crystals
Frazier, Karen
Paperback
When the Ice Is Gone: What a Greenland Ice Core Reveals about Earth's Tumultuous History and Perilous Future
Bierman, Paul
Hardcover
Rockhounding: A Beginner's Guide to Rock Hunting Around Lake Michigan
Wack, Jennifer
Wack, Scot
Paperback
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us
Brusatte, Steve
Paperback
Crystalpedia: The Wisdom, History, and Healing Power of More Than 180 Sacred Stones a Crystal Book
Perrakis, Athena
Paperback
White Light: The Elemental Role of Phosphorus-In Our Cells, in Our Food, and in Our World
Lohmann, Jack
Hardcover
Adventures in Volcanoland: What Volcanoes Tell Us about the World and Ourselves
Mather, Tamsin
Hardcover
Rock Painting for Beginners: A Complete Guide to Techniques and Supplies with 50 Original Designs to Inspire You
Rechl, Christine
Hardcover
Rocks & Minerals of Washington and Oregon: A Field Guide to the Evergreen and Beaver States
Lynch, Bob
Lynch, Dan R.
Paperback
The Secret Lives of Bats: My Adventures with the World's Most Misunderstood Mammals
Tuttle, Merlin
Paperback
Rocks & Minerals of the Pacific Coast: Your Way to Easily Identify Rocks & Minerals
Lynch, Bob
Lynch, Dan R.
Paperback
Niagara Falls: Survivor of the Ice Age: The Natural History of the Niagara River and its Gorge
Young, Paul a.
Hardcover
Agate Hunting on the Oregon Coast: A Guide to the 40 Best Agate Hunting Sites
Grover, M. J.
Paperback
Rocks, Gems and Minerals: A Fully Illustrated, Authoritative and Easy-To-Use Guide
Zim, Herbert S.
Shaffer, Paul R.
Paperback
Exploring the Geology of the Carolinas: A Field Guide to Favorite Places from Chimney Rock to Charleston
Stewart, Kevin G.
Roberson, Mary-Russell
Paperback
Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip
Johnson, Kirk
Paperback
Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Eastern California: Second Edition
Glazner, Allen F.
Sylvester, Arthur Gibbs
Sharp, Robert P.
Paperback
Agates and Other Collectibles of the Pacific Coast: Your Way to Easily Identify Agates
Lynch, Dan R.
Paperback
Is This an Agate?: An Illustrated Guide to Lake Superior's Beach Stones Michigan
Robinson, Susan
Paperback
Wisconsin State Parks: Extraordinary Stories of Geology and Natural History
Spoolman, Scott
Paperback
Petoskey Stone: Finding, Identifying, and Collecting Michigan's Most Storied Fossil
Lynch, Dan R.
Paperback
Locked in Time: Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils
Nicholls, Robert
Lomax, Dean R.
Paperback
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us
Brusatte, Steve
Hardcover
The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology
Winchester, Simon
Paperback
Geology: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Rocks, Minerals, Gemstones & Fossils
Kavanagh, James
Other
When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: Empire, Intrigue, Murder, and the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12
Feldman, Jay
Paperback
Minnesota Rocks & Minerals: A Field Guide to the Land of 10,000 Lakes
Lynch, Dan R.
Lynch, Bob
Paperback
Rings of Fire: How an Unlikely Team of Scientists, Ex-Cons, Women, and Native Americans Helped Win World War II
Hughes, Larry J.
Hardcover
Rocks & Minerals of California: Your Way to Easily Identify Rocks & Minerals
Lynch, Dan R.
Lynch, Bob
Paperback
Idaho Rocks!: A Guide to Geologic Sites in the Gem State
McFadden, Mark
Burch, John
Lewis, Reed
Paperback
Great Lakes Rocks: 4 Billion Years of Geologic History in the Great Lakes Region
Kesler, Stephen E.
Paperback
Colorado Rocks!: A Guide to Geologic Sites in the Centennial State
Miller, Marli
Donahue, Magdalena
Paperback
Rocks & Minerals of Wisconsin, Illinois & Iowa: A Field Guide to the Badger, Prairie & Hawkeye States
Lynch, Dan R.
Lynch, Bob
Paperback
How to Read a North Carolina Beach: Bubble Holes, Barking Sands, and Rippled Runnels
Neal, William J.
Pilkey, Orrin H.
Rice, Tracy Monegan
Paperback
The Anunnaki Connection: Sumerian Gods, Alien Dna, and the Fate of Humanity (from Eden to Armageddon)
Lynn, Heather
Paperback
The Beginner's Guide to Crystals: The Everyday Magic of Crystal Healing, with 65+ Stones
Butterworth, Lisa
Paperback
Fossils: A Fully Illustrated, Authoritative and Easy-To-Use Guide
Shaffer, Paul R.
Zim, Herbert S.
Rhodes, Frank H. T.
Paperback
The Practical Geologist: The Introductory Guide to the Basics of Geology and to Collecting and Identifying Rocks
Dixon, Dougal
Paperback
Rocks, Roots and Rocky Mountains: A Geologist's Journal: 33 Days of Enlightenment on the Colorado Trail
Eckert, Craig A.
Paperback
Aerial Geology: A High-Altitude Tour of North America's Spectacular Volcanoes, Canyons, Glaciers, Lakes, Craters, and Peaks
Morton, Mary Caperton
Hardcover
Cataclysms on the Columbia: The Great Missoula Floods
Burns, Scott
Allen, John Eliot
Burns, Marjorie
Paperback
The Last Day: Wrath, Ruin, and Reason in the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755
Shrady, Nicholas
Paperback