Customer Reviews

Gem Identification Made Easy: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling, 2nd Edition

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you are a hobbyist, or desire a career in the gemological field, this book is something you should not be without. I would recommend all jewelry stores have their staff read this book BEFORE talking to potential customers. From using instruments to identifying stones, this book has it all! Technical books are usually so dry and boring, but this one is different. It actually covers the material in an easy-to-read, fun format! Have a good time with your gems - and LEARN! Get a copy for yourself.

This book is comprehensive, detailed, and it is not Dry Dull Reading as so many similar texts can be. If you are in the Gem and Jewelry business, or just a collector you will get something out of this book. Well worth the money!

"Gem Identification Made Easy" opens up the world of gem identification to the jeweler, hobbyist and the curious. I didn't come away with the impression that gem identification is easy, but that some kinds of identification are easy, inexpensive and FUN! Antoinette Matlins makes it clear that the bar to entry into gemology is low. Practice, diligence, and three small instruments that cost less than $200 will enable you to identify 80% of colored gemstones and their look-alikes as well as diamonds and most of their imitations. Since there are at least 3 different gemstones on the market in every color and no shortage of synthetics and enhancement treatments, the skills within the pages of "Gem Identification Made Easy" are invaluable to anyone shopping for gemstones. If gems fascinate you, this book will help you discover if you would like to pursue gemology as a career or serious hobby.

The bulk of "Gem Identification Made Easy" are descriptions of the instruments involved in gem identification, detailed instructions on how to use each, and what they can show you, including many charts which will help you identify stones. The 3 essential instruments that everyone will need are: loupe, Chelsea filter, and dichroscope. The loupe magnifies the stones, revealing inclusions, blemishes, and fillers. The Chelsea filter differentiates between some gems and synthetics. The dichroscope distinguishes single-refracting stones from double-refracting and allows identification of stones by the colors they exhibit. In addition, Ms. Matlins provides instructions for additional tools that one would need to set up a lab: UV lamp, refractometer, microscope. Less essential: spectroscope, polariscope, and immersion cell. For diamonds: SSEF diamond-type spotter and electronic diamond tester. These could cost nearly $3000, but shopping on eBay will bring the price tag down.

The author also dedicates a chapter to "Antique and Estate Jewelry", in which she discusses imitation and alteration techniques frequently found in antique and period jewelry. She advises on how to detect them and includes tables of synthetics and imitations, when they appeared on the market, and characteristics that will help identify them. This is followed by many useful Appendices: a list of gems and look-alikes by color, gem hardness, specific gravities, refractive index tables, tables of dispersion and birefringence, glossary of terms, list of organizations offering gemology workshops or training, equipment suppliers. These are in addition to the many tables and lists in the instrument chapters. Color photos are limited to a center insert, where there are photos of gemstone inclusions and a few other identifying features. "Gem Identification Made Easy" is an easy to understand, practical entry to the fascinating world of gemstones.

As a professional Gemologist having studied gems extensively and also someone who helps instruct already certified gemologist, aspiring gemologist, gem and jewelry retailers (many are not gemologists), gem cutters, hobbyist and consumers, I find Gem Identification Made Easy to be a very worthwhile purchase. It is comprehensively informative, accurate, resourceful, inspiring, and articulate as appropriate for the intended audience with a wide diversity of gemological knowledge. And, it's fun! Let's face it, gems, and jewelry containing them, are expensive toys, and though the money used to purchase them are typically discretionary, I don't know anyone who wants to pay for something that is not what it is represented to be. Very good, basic gemological information contained in this book will pleasingly educate the reader of any of the categories above, but can also potentially save the reader from mistakes worth multiple orders of dollar magnitude beyond the cost of the book (or the recommended basic tools which it explains how to use). The 3rd Edition provides updates that deal with new treatment processes, new synthetics and simulants and gemological evidence that will aid in their identification. I have many reference books on gemology in my library, and I proudly display and use this one. Highly recommended!

When I bought this book I was looking for a way to indentify various stones that I inherited from my Grandmother. This book if great if you're looking at selling or profiting from your stones AND willing to spend $$$ in advance to do it. The book basically lists equiptment, where to buy it, how much it costs, etc... and then how to use said equiptment to identify stones. I was looking for something that would help me to identify stones without spending $1000 before hand.

The book is quite complete however. I would recommend this book to someone who is wanting to get into the gemstone business. I wouldn't recommend this book to someone, like me, who is just curious about what lies in their hope chest.

I have never been very interested in science, but gems have always fascinated me and I wanted to know more about them. I actually got this book by mistake, but I'm so glad I did. It was really interesting to read, and very easy to understand. The authors are really gifted in their ability to explain what you need to know, and how to do it. I'm amazed at how much I now know and can do on my own when it comes to identifying gemstones-and my jeweler is also impressed by how many stones I can now accurately identify. Being able to identify gemstones has added a whole new level of excitement, and I would never have been able to do it without having stumbled onto this wonderful book. I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing how to identify stones and fakes, and especially to those who, like me, think it's a subject that's over their head, or "too technical" to be of interest. It isn't - at least not the way it's handled in this book!

There are at least 3 dozen gemstone ID or how to buy the perfect gem books on my shelves. The three that sit next to the computer are Walter Schumann's Gemstones of World and two by Antoinette Matlins - Gem ID Made Easy and Color Gemstone Buying Guide. As a Jewelry Design, Lapidary and Gemology student I am always reaching for for one or the other. Thanks Antoinette we always get your best effort!!!

I had looked through some gemology books in the past, but found them too scientific and intimidating. This book is very readable and informative. The reader will understand how three inexpensive tools can be used to evaluate the majority of gems. The book also describes how the reader can go about getting more information and further expanding their knowledge. This is a book well worth having for anyone wishing to learn about gemology.

This book has something for everyone. lots of tables to help in gem id as well as easy to read instructions on using gem id instruments. Whether brand new to gemology or been around gemstones for a while you will find something of use in this book. a great book for the beginer, a good referance for the intermediate, and the perfect refresher book for the pro.

I have been part of the gem and jewelry trade for over 30 years and a gemologist for over 15 years. When I was at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Shows 10 years ago, I bought a copy the first edition of this fabulous book. I was immediately struck by the way Ms Matlins was able to simplify complex instruments and techniques used to identify gems to the point that literally anyone could learn. On almost every page I learned either a new technique or an easier way to understand and/or use every instrument in my arsenal. I was so impressed that I later bought both the second and third editions so that I could keep up with all of the new developments. Ms Matlins should be congratulated for making this material so available to so many people.