Gemstone Buying Guide: How to Evaluate, Identify, Select and Care for Colored Gems

This is a great introduction for the beginner. Lots of color photographs of both cut gemstones and finished jewelry make this a beautiful book. The author goes over shape and cutting style, carat, color, clarity, cut quality and treatments. She also explains the difference between synthetic and natural stones. The last part of the book has entries for various gemstones with detailed descriptions of the qualities of each. Again with lots of photos. After reading this I do feel comfortable comparing stones and prices.

Now in an updated second edition, Gemstone Buying Guide by experienced and professional gemologist Renee Newman is an authoritative, useful and "user friendly", no-nonsense guide to evaluating, identifying, and caring for colored gems, ranging from pearls and opals, to moonstone, topaz, turquoise, and more. Vibrant color photographs throughout add visualization to the tips, tricks, and techniques skillfully described in the text. If you are buying or selling any kind of gemstone then give Renee Newman's Gemstone Buying Guide is "must" reading.

If you are looking for a brief, concise, easy to read book that spells out the basics for gem buying, this is for you. It also has some lore and some of the most beautiful photographs of gems I have ever seen. Inexpensive and useful.

Excellent resource. Packed with pictures and data on gem types and sub types. Ranks stones that come in many colors by value. (e.g. tourmalines, spinel,sapphires, etc.). Tables on specific gravity, hardness, etc. help with positive identification. I echo the positive comments made in other reviews of this book.

Do you want a book which shows how a TRUE top gemstone looks like ? Buy it. Do you want to understand why you cannot buy a really! pigeon blood red ruby for 100 dollars a carat? Buy it. You cannot decide if the paraiba tourmaline, advertised on an internet auction for 135 dollars, may be a good business? Buy it