Customer Reviews

Jewelry & Gems, The Buying Guide 7th Edition: How to Buy Diamonds, Pearls, Colored Gemstones, Gold & Jewelry With Confidence and Knowledge (Jewelry and Gems the Buying Guide)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought a diamond in the NY wholesale diamond center and after taking it to an appraiser recommended by a friend, found out it was treated (it had cracks that were filled with glass so that you wouldn't see them)! The appraiser ordered me not to buy any more diamonds, or any other gem, until I went out and bought a book called "Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide." If I had read this book BEFORE I purchased the diamond, I would never have made such a mistake. First, the book tells about the exact treatment used on the diamond I bought, along with all kinds of treatments used on diamonds and other gemstones. Bit I really couldn't believe it as I read an example of EXACTLY what happened to me on 47th street. There is was, my story! I now enjoy shopping for jewelry more than ever, have discovered gemstones I never knew about before, and more importantly, following the information the authors provided, I now know exactly what to do to ensure I'll never be cheated again. I can't thank them enough, or praise this book enough.

This is an excellent book that will teach you virtually everything you need to know about buying gemstones. Unfortunately the world isn't a perfect place and there are unscrupulous people that will try to sell you gems that are treated, or outright fake.

Don't let this happen to you!

Buy this book and learn what you need to know to protect yourself. The book starts off with getting to know gems, how to use a loupe, and why the cut of a stone is important.

It has several chapters on Diamonds and will teach you how to judge a good cut, what color is and how to judge it, clarity and various imperfection, weighting and most importantly how to spot fraud and avoid misrepresentation.

If this was all the book did it would still be worth the money. But the book goes on to teach you about colored gemstones. This section teaches you how to determine the value in colored gems, the various synthetic and treated colored stones, how to judge peals and finally how to avoid fraud and misrepresentation with colored gemstones.

Finally the book tells you the stuff you need to know when buying, from what to ask the seller, to finding a reputable jewelry and choosing an insurer and appaiser.

This book can save you many times the cost of it on your first gemstone purchase.

All in all this is a MUST HAVE BOOK for the gemstone buyer.

I bought this book after reading another review, and it was one of the smartest things I've ever done. I love jewelry, but after reading this book, I'm now much smarter about what I'm doing and I'll never buy jewelry again the way I used to go about it! I was recently ripped off, but now I now know what to aak, what to get in writing, and where and how to confirm the facts!In short, how to avoid ever being ripped off again. I also have a much better idea of what the price should be (thanks to the excellent price guides). It is also filled with great tips to help you get the stone YOU want rather than what the saleperson thinks you should buy, and wonderful design ideas too. And there is also great info on stuff like gold (for example, did you know that white gold has nickel in it, which some people are allergic to!). I also learned how to take care of my jewelry, especially pearls, which jewelers seem to know nothing about. In fact, I've just ordered "The Pearl Book" by one of the authors of this book.

I never knew there was so much to know, or how many choices were available to me. Now I do, and I can't thank the authors enough for the great service this book provides for people like me who love it all--diamonds, gemstones, and jewelry of all kinds.

One thing that retail jewelers count on is that the public is unwilling to do its homework.

And if you've got tens of thousands of dollars to spend and don't much care where it goes, don't buy this book (but feel free to send me some of that money).

On the other hand, if you're like most of us, you want to get the best value for your money, and this book will definitely help by giving great tips when buying diamonds and other gems.

Not only that, this book can give you some creative ideas. Looking for something beyond the cheap "frozen spit" diamonds that are being sold all over these days? For the same money, you can buy a colored stone or cultured pearl that will look better and be a better value. Want a nice, bright green stone but haven't got $10k for an emerald? This book can give some affordable alternatives, like maybe a tsavorite.

This is a tremendous resource, written in an easy-to-understand style, and organized in a way that makes referring to it inviting.

The book is informative regarding specific information on jewels, and on some of the schemes currently in use to pass "slag" off as a precious gem. I give the book a HIGH rating on this type of information. (For clarity purposes, I use the term "slag" to include not only poor quality specimens, but also substitutes and synthetics.)

Unfortunately, it was my personal impression that the book had a definite bias towards pushing the reader towards a retail jewelry store. Most disappointing were the price tables, listing huge disparities in prices without specific guidelines on what deliniates them. The tables were at FULL RETAIL.

This is the age of E-Commerce. I bought the book from Amazon because I won't pay full retail for anything. The days of consumers paying double plus 25% over the true market are a bygone era. Anyone can buy gems direct from Antwerp, Israel and Thailand, direct. The book should provide guidelines more in line with current E-Commerce pricing.

I am not a geologist or gemologist but I am very interested in gems and jewelry. After purchasing and reading several other books on the subject of gems and jewelry, this was the most informative! I could not put it down. I buy jewelry of all sorts for re-sale, and this book is the only book that tells me all my choices whether buying diamonds, colored gemstones, or pearls. It is also the only book that describes the many clever ways that one can be deceived. I especially like their price charts for diamonds and colored gem stones because they are organized in a way that focuses attention on the impact of quality factors on value. The colored gem stone charts are organized so that it is easy to compare numerous stones of the same color. For example if my customer wants a green stone this book lists all of the stones available, and how they compare to each other in terms of price, durabilty, and availabilty in different sizes. No other book does this. I could go on and on, but I will sum it up in three words: It's the BEST!

If my husband and I didn't read this book before recently purchasing a diamond tennis bracelet, we would have definately been steered in the wrong direction. Early on in our search most jewelers were more interested in selling what they had in their showcase, not what was worth the money. After reading this book, we knew exactly what we wanted, what we should pay for it and how to go about getting it. We will never make another jewelry investment without referring to this Guide.

Great book. Authors definitely had MY interests at heart! Clearly written. Easy, informative reading, filled with money-saving tips and advice to prevent my being an unsuspecting victim. I especially appreciated the chapters on "Questions to Ask Before Buying" and "What to Get in Writing." The extensive price guides also provided a very helpful guide to whether or not I was getting good value. My wife also appreciated the tips provide on how to get a larger stone within our budget (and still have a beautiful diamond) as well as the innovative design tips. This book made a real difference in how we went about choosing the stone and making the ring. Couldn't have done it so successfully alone. Recommended for anyone about to buy any important piece of jewelry.

I have been buying jewelry for many years, and my biggest regret is that I have not taken the time to learn about the different types and quality of gems available. This book has certainly taught me a lot of things that jewelry store sales people never told me. I am sure that the information that I learned from this book will be of great help in my future purchases.

This is a very interesting and certainly colorful book, but not as definitive as some other reviewers might suggest. I would suggest it is more suitable for the novice collector than the specialist, and the price list in the middle should be used only as a guide and not as justification for appraisals. The writer has a very high level of scholarship and wears it lightly, which is excellent. I still prefer the work of Joel Arem in this area, but this work remains a strong contender. This is probably not a book to read cover to cover, but to keep handy for reference purposes, and it does get used a great deal. Recommended.