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60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding from cover to cover!, April 22, 2010
This review is from: Collecting Rocks, Gems & Minerals: Easy Identification - Values - Lapidary Uses (Paperback)
I bought this for my rock hounding kids and I as we learn about the various rocks we hound. Though we already have all of the common rock & mineral books, this one is clearly the best of the best! The photos are extraordinary and unmatched by any other book on the market. The information is clear, concise and very useful. It includes sections on the basics for rock hounding with is excellent for beginners and useful for the experienced.
This is clearly a must have book for anyone interested in rocks and minerals. If you had any doubt before reading this review, trust me, you have to buy this one over all others.
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45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for rockhounds, June 17, 2010
This review is from: Collecting Rocks, Gems & Minerals: Easy Identification - Values - Lapidary Uses (Paperback)
This is a gem of a book, if you will pardon the pun, and a welcome addition to my collection. I already have seven books on identifying gems and minerals and another twenty or so on where to find them, so what is special about this book? First of all I noticed the pictures, beautiful pictures, but more importantly pictures which I could relate to. In my other books I get an erudite description, but usually the pictures do not look much like the rocks I find or see at shows. Patti has chosen the rocks to photograph so well that they all look like the rocks and minerals I have, or have seen. I found the introductory thirty pages on equipment and practical collecting very clear. If I had never been on a field trip I would now know what to expect: the picture of a flat tire in a remote area is a timely warning that there are risks in our hobby. But it was the 230 pages of examples of uncut materials, polished items and completed jewlery which really caught the eye. The classification and illustration of the various categories of agate is splendidly done as are the other groups and minerals. Bravely Patti has added the 'value' of each item, listed by pound, ounce or gram. This is a very valuable resource, although it may go out of date very quickly depending on the value of the dollar and popularity and availability of each item. It has led me to rethink what rocks and minerals I have now, and to look again at the items which I have partially discarded as my 'yard' rocks. Patti Polk's enthusiasm for our hobby flows through this book and we must be thankful that she has filled a gap in the literature available to rockhounds.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Each entry is enhanced with detailed information about that particular gem or mineral's characteristics, June 15, 2010
This review is from: Collecting Rocks, Gems & Minerals: Easy Identification - Values - Lapidary Uses (Paperback)
In "Collecting Rocks, Gems & Minerals: Easy Identification - Values - Lapidary Uses", author Patti Polk draws upon her more than twenty years as a skilled lapidary artist and gem cutting expertise and experience to compile a profusely and beautifully illustrated, 272-page compendium of superbly organized and presented minerals for amateur 'rockhounds' and professional collectors alike. Each entry is enhanced with detailed information about that particular gem or mineral's characteristics. "Collecting Rocks, Gems & Minerals: Easy Identification - Values - Lapidary Uses" is more than a simple encyclopedic presentation of assorted gems and minerals as Patti Polk also provides informed and informative information on what these gems and minerals are, as well as their uses for lapidary and display. Of special note is the entry on 'Buying and Selling Rocks, Minerals, and Gemstones'. Providing an illustrated wealth of information and examples, "Collecting Rocks, Gems & Minerals: Easy Identification - Values - Lapidary Uses" will proved an enduringly popular and valued addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library reference collections.
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