Jewelry & Gems--The Buying Guide, 8th Edition: How to Buy Diamonds, Pearls, Colored Gemstones, Gold & Jewelry with Confidence and Knowledge

Comprehensive guide for people who love jewellery and want to increase their knowledge. Easy to read and understand.

This is a good book, with interesting info. and good pics.

I can see why it's referred to as "The Unofficial Bible" for Gem & Jewelry Buyers. I bought it for trying to value the 200+ colored gemstones I purchased in Thailand over a 2 year period (also has chapters devoted to diamonds & pearls). I realize that this is most accurately done by a gemologist with a GG certification issued by the GIA but this book had enough information to allow me to easily decide which stones were valuable enough to warrant the cost of a GIA appraisal and even to know which questions to ask for each variety of stone if that appraisal seems "off". It contains information on expected/accepted gemstone treatments used (ex. heat treatment) and undesirable treatments (diffusion, fracture filling) for each variety of gemstone. It also contains a price chart showing price per carat according to weight and color for every popular gem as well as many one might be unfamiliar with. There's also information about countries of origin, common carat sizes and newer gemstones gaining popularity. Also discusses all the ways a stones can be misrepresented and how to get exactly the gemstone you expect and for which you are paying.A father and daughter team have been writing and updating this guide since 1984. Out of curiosity I looked up the meanings of the letters following their names. Both have FGA, (Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain) following their names as well as PG (professional gemologist) In addition the father has an MGA (Master Gemologist Appraiser. This is the highest award offered by the American Society of Appraisers. To receive it, a person must complete the MGA course, pass the MGA tests and have a gemologist diploma, an accredited ASA gem lab, and at least 3 to 5 years appraisal experience) and an ASA (Accredited Senior Appraiser of ASA ( the American Society of Appraisers). Must pass an ethics and appraisal exam, submit sample appraisals for peer review, be an accredited member of ASA and have a minimum of five years of full-time appraisal experience) following his name. I don't think anyone can contest their knowledge and credentials.

This is a wonderful book. I have worn jewelry all my life but have had very little knowledge about different colors of gold or what carat really means. I didn't know about the hardness of gemstones or the different colors of some of them. I now know how to look at jewelry when I go to a jewelry store and what questions to ask. This is a good book for young women who are just starting to buy jewelry. It will educate them so they don't buy inferior quality stones at a high price.

This book & its author received outstanding reviews. I have a ton of books about every type of jewelry & I found this book useless. I would have returned it except I just forgot Amazon's return policy! There are plenty of great books you can buy at Amazon that offer you much more information than this one. Don't bother with it.