Amanda Mcgee
I found this book fascinating! It is easy to read, easy to learn from, and yet not a text book. You do not have to be a student to become captivated by the beautiful photography and interesting bits of history mixed with scientific data and just a bit of folklore.At times I was frustrated by the elusiveness about what a particular gem would be worth. The author reminds us selling and trading of gems might well be, if not the second oldest profession, one of the early ones.I recommend this book to anybody. If you pick it up because of the bright colorful images, you will be caught by the flowing enthusiasm of the author. Many a night, my forehead hit the pages as I realized my reading had kept me up way too late.

Cindy Taylor
I just love this book. It has helped me tremendously in identifing and buying precious and semi-precious stones. It has an index in the back where I can go to find what I am looking for in the book. It is easy to read and understand. I am so glad that I purchased this book.

Christopher Brown MD
As one of three books purchased on this subject, I have to say the images are what makes this book. But the information within is great too, albeit somewhat limited on certain stones. With my geology background, I really enjoyed seeing the categories of gemstones classified in terms of: chemical composition, Moh's hardness scale rating, cleavage, crystal structure and more. The care tips are also useful particularly if you make jewelry and want your customers to be aware of how to properly care for their gemstones (or for you when cleaning your own gemstones!). Some gemstones have many varieties and this is covered quite well (e.g. Garnet - eight species and their names, varieties within species, color(s), and other mineralogical data that is useful to those who really want to understand the detailed identification of the mineral/gemstone. The accompanying photos often cover all the species listed - so a great visual aid. Keep in mind the images are of finished, mostly faceted gemstones. I want to also mention another great image/layout and it is about Jadeite colors as seen on 36 cabachons. I wanted to know about this for some time and now by using this guide, I can get a general sense as to how to determine quality and value of this particular stone.I would recommend this book for beginner gemstone enthusiasts, but recommend other books, publications, and even talking with a true gemologist to help you understand specific topics in detail. I will refer to this book probably first when seeking an answer on most gemstone questions but will utilize other information when I need an in-depth knowledge review prior to purchase and analysis.

Tracy Young
Informative, printed on high quality paper with superior photos with true colors. Well written. The author notes the durability of each stone and provides good to know cautions like, " ... (the gem) melts in a jeweler's torch"

Dennis Thomas
It wasn't what I expected. I didn't like it for what I wanted.

Omar Gonzalez
Very informative book...gives details on gemstones, natural & synthetic, clarity, treatments, shape & cutting styles, carat weight, judging quality, etc. Most definitely worth the money.

Michael Lynn
This is an excellent book for a beginner such as I. It goes into detail on all aspects of gems, but not to such an extent that it would get boring. The color photographs are beautiful, and whet the appetite for more knowledge on the subject of gems. Highly recommended.

Donna Rodriguez
Good book. Straightforward and concise with nice diagrams. A lot of information that is well organized and easy to find. It took a while to receive in the mail but still within the time that was published. Additionally I am overseas right now and we don't get mail that often so I don't hold that against them.