Gem Identification Made Easy: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling

by Antoinette Matlins, Antonio C. Bonanno

Overview

Enjoy learning about using the tools of the gem trade from two renowned experts.

Revised, updated and expanded edition of the first and only book of its kind. Covers the latest gems, synthetics, treatments and equipment. Easy to use. Practical. Nontechnical. Shows how to identify diamonds, colored gemstones and pearls, and separate them from fakes and lookalikes. Explains what equipment is needed, how to use it, where to get it and what should be seen for each gemstone.

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 recognizing profitable opportunities. Essential reading for collectors, investors, jewelry lovers, hobbyists, jewelers, antique dealers and gemology students. With this highly accessible guide, anyone can begin to master gem identification.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780943763903
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	02/01/2013
Edition description:	5th Edition, Updated and Expanded
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Antoinette Matlins, PG, FGA, is the most widely read author in the world on the subject of jewelry and gems Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide alone has over 400,000 copies in print). Her books are published in seven languages and are widely used throughout the world by consumers and professionals in the gem and jewelry fields. An internationally respected gem and jewelry expert and a popular media guest, she is frequently quoted as an expert source in print media and is seen on ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, educating the public about gems and jewelry and exposing fraud. In addition, Matlins is active in the gem trade. Her books include: Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide; The Pearl Book: The Definitive Buying Guide; Colored Gemstones: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide; Diamonds: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide; Engagement & Wedding Rings: The Definitive Buying Guide for People in Love; and Jewelry & Gems at Auction: The Definitive Guide to Buying & Selling at the Auction House & on Internet Auction Sites (all GemStone Press).

Antonio C. Bonanno, FGA, ASA, MGA, was founder and president of the National Gem Appraising Laboratory and director of the Columbia School of Gemology near Washington, D.C. He held the coveted Master Gemologist Appraiser title (MGA), the highest distinction awarded to gem and jewelry appraisers from the American Society of Appraisers. He worked with gems and minerals for over sixty years, specializing in forensic gemology, and was frequently called as an expert witness in a wide range of court cases. A Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain with Distinction, he was highly esteemed in the field and holds a place in the prestigious Gemstone Hall of Fame. He founded the Accredited Gemologists Association, which created the Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology in his honor after his death in 1996.

Table of Contents

Contents
List of Tables • xi
List of Color Plates • xii
Preface to the Fourth Edition • xiii
Acknowledgments • xvii
Introduction by Anna M. Miller • xix
Part 1
Before Beginning
1. Before Beginning • 3
Part 2
Getting Ready
2. Setting Up the Lab • 13
3. Proper Lighting for Gem Identification • 37
PART 3
The Essential Instruments—What They Are and How to Use Them
4. The Loupe and Dark-Field Loupe • 49
5. The Chelsea Filter and Synthetic Emerald Filter • 77
6. The Dichroscope • 93
7. The Ultraviolet Lamp • 111
8. The Refractometer • 131
9. The Microscope • 149
Part 4
Optional Instruments—When and How to Use Them
10. The Spectroscope • 175
11. The Polariscope • 189
12. The Diamond-Type Spotter and Blue Diamond Tester—
Essential Tools for Diamond Buyers • 195
x CONTENTS
13. The Immersion Cell • 215
14. The Electronic Diamond Tester • 227
15. The Carbide Scriber—An Essential Tool for Diamond Buyers • 235
16. The "Synthetic Diamond Detectors" • 241
Part 5
Antique and Estate Jewelry
17. Antique and Estate Jewelry—
The True Test of Gem Identification Skill • 249
18. A New Type of Composite Imitation • 289
Part 6
Appendices
Gemstone Property Tables • 307
Glossary • 317
Recommended Reading • 325
Where to Go for Additional Gemological Training • 331
International List of Gem Testing Laboratories and Gemologists • 344
International List of Associations • 361
Selected List of Gem Identification Equipment Suppliers in the United States and Canada • 368
Inde x • 371