Quotes from some of the rave reviews of the 1997 gemological classic, Ruby & Sapphire, by Richard W. Hughes.

Ruby & Sapphire (1997) • Book Review Quotes

…See full reviews here

…I would award this book 9.9 out of 10…. This is a book that deserves to be described in superlatives: for its meticulous research, for its exhaustive content, for the author's honesty and attention to detail, and for its challenging yet informative format. In summary, this is the best book yet published on the corundum species of gemstones."
Grahame Brown, The Australian Gemmologist 

[A] magnificent chef-d'oeuvre… although I am not normally at a loss for words, this time I truly lack the appropriate vocabulary to express the tremendous impression [this] absolutely fabulous masterpiece left me with.
Dr. Edward Gübelin, Lucerne, Switzerland

…magnificent, wonderful, terrific, epic, engaging, fascinating, humorous… beautiful eye candy…
John Emmett,
JLE Associates, USA

…wonderfully written, beautifully illustrated, witty and interesting. Lillian Cole, Twelfth Street Booksellers, Santa Monica, CA

[I] read some more in your book today, too. Take this as a compliment, please: it's absorbing even to a Total Civilian such as me, i.e., one who has always passionately loved gems and jewelry but who has no noticeable scientific or technical knowledge of the gems themselves (beyond that gleaned from Fred Ward's yummy little books on the subject). I confess I only skimmed some of the exceedingly technical sections on crystallographic details and refraction angles, but I enjoyed the hell out of the sidebars and the section on the ingenuities of heat treatment was also fascinating.
Brenda Forman, freelance writer

[This] book is a deep contribution to the knowledge of gem corundum and I could compliment it for hours, so great a pleasure is it to read…. [The] Asian bibliography is so rich that it will be useful to generations of gemmologists…
Professor François-Hubert Forestier
     Nantes University, France

…Hughes has given us a book that is not only easy to read, but also a pure joy to read. An absolute must!
Peter Groenenboom, Holland Gem

In this unique book Richard Hughes doesn't so much ignore conventional wisdom as deliberately seek to stand convention on its head. In doing so he has created a tome without compare in gemmological literature.
Richard Cartier, 'The Canadian Gemmologist', Toronto

…such a beautiful book. Richard is one of the most respected writers in our industry.
Thom Underwood, San Diego

All gemmologists should buy a copy.
Michael O'Donoghue, 'The Journal of Gemmology,' London

…See full reviews here