The gemologist's core library

I am often asked to recommend books in the field of gemology. Below are my top picks for books currently in print and available on Amazon.com. Look at this list carefully and compare it to your bookshelf. If you don't have each and every one of these, then either consider a new profession or click on the link to purchase them from Amazon.com. Lower down are other books I've found useful. Have I left something important out? Feel free to spam me with your suggestions.

Rubydick's pick of the litter

• Book of the Pearl: The History, Art, Science and Industry of the Queen of Gems – by George Frederick Kunz & Charles Hugh Stevenson. Reprint of the classic 1908 edition. Certainly the best pearl book ever. Also one of the best gem books ever.
• The Curious Lore of Precious Stones – by George Frederick Kunz. Reprint of the 1913 edition. Again, like all the Kunz books, a classic. See also the companion volume, The Magic of Jewels and Charms.
• Gem Testing by B.W. Anderson & E.A. Jobbins (1990, 10th ed.) – Anderson was perhaps the greatest gemologist of the century. This book distills over 50 years of gem-testing experience.
• Gemology: An Annotated Bibliography – by John Sinkankas (1993) – My pick for the greatest gem book of all time. No author ever worked harder on a single work. Over 6,000 entries, virtually all of which are annotated.
• Gems: Their Sources, Description and Identification – by Robert Webster (1994, 5th ed.) – No one who calls themselves a gemologist can be without this massive work.
• Gems & Gemology – edited by Alice Keller – This quarterly magazine from the GIA is a must for all gemologists.
• Gems Made by Man – by Kurt Nassau (1980) The finest book on synthetic gem materials.
• Gemstone Enhancement: History, Science and State of the Art – by Kurt Nassau (1994) – Virtually the only book on this important subject.
• Handbook of Gem Identification – by Richard T., Jr. Liddicoat (1993) – A classic from the now-deceased head of the Gemological Institute of America.
• Manual of Mineralogy (after James D. Dana) – by Cornelius Hurlbut & Cornelius Klein (1998; 21st ed.) – The classic college text on mineralogy.
• Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones – by Eduard Gübelin and John Koivula (1986)
  Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Volume 2 (2005) – see my review here
  Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, Volume 3 (coming Summer 2006)
  Among the five most important gemology books currently in print. Get 'em.2
• Precious Stones: A Popular Account of Their Characters, Occurrence and Applications With an Introduction to Their Determination, for Mineralogists – by Max Bauer, L. J. Spencer (Translator) Reprint of the 1904 edition, 2 Vols. – Although somewhat dated, there is still much to recommend about this book.
• Ruby & Sapphire – by Richard Hughes (1997) – Arguably the finest book ever devoted to a single gem species. It's all here, sources, prices, treatments, etc.

   

Other titles of interest

The following are numerous books on gems, jewelry and related subjects. I have copies of most in my personal library and have added comments on those I particularly like.

Amber

• Amber: Window to the Past – by David A. Grimaldi (1996) – Probably the best modern book on amber. Excellent photos!

Appraisal & gem business

• The Complete Handbook for Gemstone Weight Estimation – by Charles I. Carmona (1998) The be-all and end-all to the subject.
• The Gem Merchant: How to Be One, How to Deal With One – David Stanley Epstein (2003) – An excellent introduction to the wholesale gem trade.
• Gems & Jewelry Appraising: Techniques of Professional Practice – by Anna M. Miller (1999)
• The Illustrated Guide to Jewelry Appraising: Antique, Period, and Modern by Anna M. Miller (1999)
• Secrets of the Gem Trade by Richard W. Wise (2003) – Excellent discussion of quality analysis of gems, a sorely neglected subject.
• Standard Catalog of Gem Values – by John Sinkankas & Anna M. Miller (1994) – Excellent list of gem prices. This book is exhaustive and contains much that is found nowhere else.

Burma

• Land of Jade. A journey from India through northern Burma to China. – By Bertil Lintner (1996) Marvelous tale of a 1985 year-long journey across insurgent-held Burma.
• Twilight over Burma : My Life As a Shan Princess – by Inge Sargent (1997) – Heartbreaking autobiographical story of love and tragedy in Burma. Inge was the German teacher at my middle school in Boulder, CO when I was growing up. Today, she and her husband, Tad, are active in the overseas Burma democracy movement.

Color science

• Principles of Color Technology – by Fred W. Billmeyer & Max Saltzman (1981) – Classic of color science. Gemologists would do well to pay more attention to this important field.

Diamonds

• Collecting & Classifying Colored Diamonds – by Stephen Hofer (1998) – Simply the final word on the subject. Fantastic!
• The Nature of Diamonds – by George E. Harlow (Editor) (1997) – Beautiful introduction to diamonds, based on the American Museum of Natural History exhibit.
• Photo Masters for Diamond Grading by Gary A. Roskin – Photomicrographs of diamond clarity grades. A diamond grader's wet dream.

Fred Ward Gem Book Series

Each is a nice introduction to the subject, featuring terrific photos and reasonably priced.

• Diamonds
• Gem Care
• Emeralds
• Jade
• Opals
• Pearls

The Renee Newman Buying Guide Series

Buying guides geared towards the retail customer.

• Diamond Ring Buying Guide
• Emerald and Tanzanite Buying Guide
• Gemstone Buying Guide: A Guide to Buying
• The Gold Jewelry Buying Guide
• Pearl Buying Guide
• The Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald Buying Guide: Click here for a review of this book by Richard Hughes.

Gem & Jewelry Buyers' Guides

• Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide – by Antoinette L. Matlins, Antonio C. Bonanno (1998) – A popular layman's guide.

Gem Localities

• Gemstones of Afghanistan – by Gary W. Bowersox, Bonita E. Chamberlin (1995) – Terrific treatment of this important source of lapis lazuli, emerald, ruby and other gems.
• Gemstones of East Africa – by Peter C. Keller (1992) Beautiful photos and an excellent text make this an important work on gems from Kenya and Tanzania.
• Gemstones of North America Vol. 3 – by John Sinkankas (1997) – Like all of John's books, this is meticulously done.
• Gemstones of the World – by Walter Schumann (1997) Beautiful pictures in this book, but unfortunately the text contains many factual errors.
• Humboldt's Travels in Siberia 1837–1842: The Gemstones by Gustav Rose – by Gustav Rose, George M. Sinkankas (Editor), John Sinkankas (Translator) (1997) – Historical account of Russian gem & mineral localities.
• Yogo: The Great American Sapphire – by Stephen M. Voynick (1987) – The best book ever written on this intriguing locality for Montana sapphire.

Gems & Gemology

• Arab Roots of Gemology: Ahmad Ibn Yusuf Al Tifaschi's Best Thoughts on the Best of Stones – by Ahmad Ibn Yusuf Tifashi; Samar Najm Abul Huda (Translator) (1997) – First English translation of this important Arabic lapidary from the 13th century.
• Gem Identification Made Easy: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling by Antoinette L. Matlins, Antonio C. Bonanno (1997) – A beginner's guide to gemology.
• Gemology – by Cornelius S. Hurlbut, Robert C. Kammerling (1991) – This is one of the best discussions of mineralogical gemology, with excellent sections on crystallography and gemological optics.
• The Spectroscope and Gemmology – by B.W. Anderson, J. Payne, R. Keith Mitchell (Editor) (1998) – Fantastic compilation from the inventor of the gemological spectroscope.

Famous Gem Collections

• Gems & Crystals: From the American Museum of Natural History by Anna S. Sofianides, George E. Harlow (1991) – Terrific photos in this book about this famous New York gem collection.
• The National Gem Collection – by Jeffrey E. Post (1997) – Beautiful treatment of the Smithsonian gem collection.
• The Queen's Jewels: The Personal Collection of Elizabeth II – by Leslie Field (1997) – After looking at this, there is little doubt that the British Monarch is one of the richest people in the world. Can you say gift tax?

Jade

• Jade – by Roger Keverne (Editor) (1996) – The most complete coverage available for this fascinating gem material.
• Jade Lore – by John A. Goette (1976) – Reprint of this classic from 1936.

Jewelry

• Cartier: 1900–1939 – by Judy Rudoe (1997) – Coffee-table book of jewelry from the famous French jeweler.
• Jewelry Concepts and Technology by Oppi Untracht (1982) Probably the most complete book on the jewelry arts ever written.
• Warman’s Jewelry: A Fully Illustrated Price Guide to 19th and 20th Century Jewelry, Including Victorian, Art Nouveau, and Costume – By Christie Romero

Indian Jewelry & Gems

• Ancient Astrological Gemstones & Talismans: The Complete Science of Planetary Gemology – by Richard Brown (1996) Indian beliefs on gems, combined with photos of the author's stunning jewelry.
• Traditional Jewelry of India – by Oppi Untracht (1997) If you like Indian jewelry and jewels, this is a must purchase.
• Travels in India – by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier – Reprint of 1925 edition by Valentine Ball and William Crooke (itself a revision of 1676 French original). What can you say? A classic. Tavernier was a French diamond dealer who brought the Hope diamond, among others, to Europe.

Minerals

• A Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals – by Frederick H. Pough (1998) Classic field guide.
• An Introduction to the Rock-Forming Minerals – by Deer, Howie & Zussman (1992) – Standard college-level text.

Pearls

• Beyond Price: Pearls and Pearl Fishing – Origins to the Age of Discoveries – by Robin A. Donkin (1998) – Nice scholarly view of pearl history, covering the period of time when all were natural.

Thailand

• Five Years in Siam: From 1891–1896 – by H. Warington Smyth – 1994 reprint of the 1898 original. Much on early ruby and sapphire mining in Thailand and Cambodia.
• Exploring for Gemstones on the Upper Mekong. Northern Siam and Parts of Laos in the Years 1892–1893 – by H. Warington Smyth – Reprint of the 1895 original entitled Notes of a Journey on the Upper Mekong, Siam.

Gem-related Fiction

• West 47th – by Gerald A. Browne (1997) – Like all of this author's books, lots of fun and adventure.
• The Love of Stones – by Tobias Hill (2002) – Novel based on the jewelry business.

Other Good Stuff – Political

For those who wish to explore my picks for political reading, see the suggested reading list at my political web site here:

• Dogskinreport.com – Political pointers for those with a keen sense of smell

 

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Page updated April 23, 2008

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