Summary

Gemstones have been a source of delight and fascination for many thousands of years, from the fiery brilliance of diamond and the soft iridescence of pearl to tough jade gems once used in weapons and the pink topaz that was so popular in Victorian jewellery.This book looks at each of the world’s known types of gemstone in turn, exploring their unique beauty, rarity and durability.

Gemstones have been a source of delight and fascination for many thousands of years, from the fiery brilliance of diamond and the soft iridescence of pearl to tough jade gems once used in weapons and the pink topaz that was so popular in Victorian jewellery.This book looks at each of the world’s known types of gemstone in turn, exploring their unique beauty, rarity and durability. It reveals how each of the gem minerals form, where they are found and mined, and how they are identified. The book also explains how to distinguish the real from the fake, cutting and polishing techniques, and their use in adornment, from more than 4500 years ago right up to the present day. Sumptuously illustrated with colour photographs throughout, Gemstones is a dazzling insight into the world of the rare and the valuable.