See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

24 used & new from $0.75

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

I own the rights to this title and would like to make it available again through Amazon.

Tell the Publisher! I�d like to read this book on Kindle Don�t have a Kindle? Get yours here.

National Gem Collection (Hardcover)

by Jeffrey E. Post (Author)

4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.

5 new from $25.00 19 used from $0.75

Also Available in:	List Price:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Paperback (Bargain Price)			15 used & new from $8.00
Paperback	$29.95	$19.77	49 used & new from $4.50

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Gemstones (Smithsonian Handbooks)

by Cally Hall

4.6 out of 5 stars (26) $13.60

The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones: A Complete Guide to Appraising and Using Precious Stones From Cut and Color to Shape and Settings

by Judith Crowe

4.5 out of 5 stars (20) $19.77

Gemstones of the World: Newly Revised & Expanded Third Edition

by Walter Schumann

4.7 out of 5 stars (23) $16.47

Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem

by Richard Kurin

4.7 out of 5 stars (7) $11.21

Jewels: A Secret History

by Victoria Finlay

4.6 out of 5 stars (11) $10.88

› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This beautifully illustrated work commemorates the reconstruction of the gem and mineral hall at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Curator Post has compiled an informative work that highlights one of the world's most famous and visited gem collections. Following an introductory chapter focusing on gem basics (cutting, measurement, color) and a brief history of the collection, the five remaining chapters describe historical jewels in the collection, diamonds, corundum (rubies and sapphires) and beryl (emeralds), other important gems, gems with special optical properties (opals), and ornamental stones. Among the famous jewels profiled are the Hope Diamond, the Napoleon Diamond Necklace, the Marie-Antoinette Earrings, and the Hooker Emerald. This volume makes an excellent companion to Gems and Crystals from the American Museum of Natural History (LJ 1/1/91). Recommended for most libraries. [Natural Science Book Club alternate selection.]?Stephen Allan Patrick, East Tennessee State Univ. Lib., Johnson Cit.
-?Stephen Allan Patrick, East Tennessee State Univ. Lib., Johnson City
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
The National Gem Collection offers a complete overview of the world of gems, focusing on the more than 10,000 superlative gemstones and jewelry pieces in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Includes appendices & a glossary of gem-cutting terms. Index. 149 illustrations, 124 in color.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (September 1, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0810936909
ISBN-13: 978-0810936904
Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #563,355 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

#17 in	Books > Science > Earth Sciences > Mineralogy > Gems
#48 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Museums & Collections > Museums > Permanent Collection Catalogs
#63 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Field Guides > Rocks & Minerals

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Citations (learn more)

3 books cite this book:

Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem by Richard Kurin on page 283, page 332, and page 335
Gold Digger: The Outrageous Life and Times of Peggy Hopkins Joyce by Constance Rosenblum in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
The Hidden Kingdom: Journey into the Heart of God by Dale A. Fife in Back Matter

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	78% buy the item featured on this page: National Gem Collection 4.8 out of 5 stars (10)
	7% buy Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals (Smithsonian Handbooks) 4.8 out of 5 stars (28) $13.60
	7% buy Gemstones (Smithsonian Handbooks) 4.6 out of 5 stars (26) $13.60
	4% buy The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones: A Complete Guide to Appraising and Using Precious Stones From Cut and Color to Shape and Settings 4.5 out of 5 stars (20) $19.77

Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).

gemstone(90)

gems identification(44)

jewelry(22)

gem id(19)

reference books(16)

rocks(13)

jewelry design(13)

minerals(7)

jewelry making(11)

metalsmithing(7)

gem(4)

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very nice to peruse, June 25, 2001

By	Ray Barnes (Surrey, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is more suited to enjoying the pictures than the text, but both are fine in every way. Almost all the stones in the book have exceptional color - or colors as the case may be. The front cover, going roughly from top to bottom counter clockwise, features a 99.82 carat fluorite, sitting on top of the 858 carat uncut Gachala Emerald (and the original cover looks way better), the lower left features a 34.07 carat red spinel from Mogok, next is a 52.26 carat calcite, and to the right a 17.85 carat diamond crystal from Murfreesboro, Arkansas. The back cover has a spectacular 181.9 carat Cooper Pedy white opal, that I initially mistook for a black opal. This book is published by Harry N Abrams, Inc. of New York, and is well up to this company's superior standards - and that also helps to explain the rather high price. The book is divided into six sections: an introduction, some gems of signficant historical interest, a chapter on diamond, corundum and beryl, a chapter on other important stones, one devoted to stones with special properties (eg opals, cat's eyes and star sapphires) and finally ornamental gems. The appendix is also very useful and informative.

It is very helpful to use this as a reference for benchmark color. There is little or no commentary on evaluation, appraisal or strategic purchasing.

This book is expensive but there are few others like it. Recommended.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee-table book (large format, awesome pictures)., October 15, 1998

By A Customer

This book lightly covers sources and history of jewelry pieces and gemstones in the museum. It has incredibly well-done color photographs and a great many of them. It is a large-format, coffee-table style book. I'm quite pleased to have it in my library.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning photography; an amazing collection, May 4, 2004

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME) (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"The National Gem Collection," by Jeffrey E. Post, features photographs by Chip Clark. The book is a beautiful celebration of the title collection, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The informative text discusses the history of the collection, facts about types of different gemstones, and specific pieces in the collection.

The full-color photography is really stunning, and brings a rich assortment of gems to glorious life. Some of the historic pieces pictured are the blue Hope Diamond, the diamond Napoleon Necklace, the Hooker Emerald, and more. Also shown are a colorful collection of "fancy" diamonds, a rare red diamond, the 858-carat uncut Gachala Emerald, the delightful "pink tutu" (a band of dainty rose quartz crystals on a large smoky quartz crystal), a dazzling group of fire opals, a lapis lazuli carving from Afghanistan, and more.

I appreciate how the book celebrates gemstones at various stages: uncut, cut, and set in artfully crafted pieces of jewelry. Many different types of gemstones--aquamarine, garnet, spinel, chrysoberyl, turquoise, etc.--are covered. Features such as a scanning electron microscope photo of the inner structure of an opal give the reader a deeper understanding of the science behind gems. From start to finish, this book is a marvelous feast for both the eyes and the brain.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 10 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem on gems
Excellent information on the history of gemstones, understanding color and cuts. Exquisite examples, beautifully photographed. Read more

Published 17 months ago by B. Wolov

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Balance of Text & Photos
This review is for the paperback version of the book, which I loved. It has a lovely balance of terrific photos & explanations of the various sources of the featured gems. Read more

Published on December 28, 2005 by Love Gems

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
This is a beautiful book with lots of interesting information on the gem collection.

Published on September 30, 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Superlative Photography & Informative Text
If you have visited the National Collection and want a souvenir to remind you of the stunning array of unique World Class Gems then this is the book for you. Read more

Published on August 30, 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars The National Gem Collection
I agree with the other reviewer that it's a good coffee table book, but it's not worth the money. It has some good pictures and general historical information, but it could have... Read more

Published on December 30, 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful photography
This look at selected gems in the Smithsonian collection has impressive photography. The text is more informative than is usual with such 'coffee table' books. Read more

Published on September 15, 2000 by sbtier

5.0 out of 5 stars The National Gem Collection
Have you always wanted to own the Hope Diamond or Empress Josephine's diamond necklace, but just can't come up with the bucks? This book is the next best thing. Read more

Published on August 9, 2000 by Christine Saalbach

› See all 10 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; }

Customer Discussions

Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)

	Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
	No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

[Cancel]

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
science Creationists lie again to trick people into interviews for a "documentary"	62	3 minutes ago
science Create the controversy	9	8 minutes ago
science Global warming is nothing but a hoax and a scare tactic	8959	14 minutes ago
crafts Sewing Machines - What to buy???	23	42 minutes ago
crafts sewing thread	13	1 hour ago
travel Thailand Cosmetic Surgery	0	21 hours ago
travel Tell me about your adventure or expedition	4	5 days ago