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Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones
 
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Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones [Paperback]

Richard W. Wise (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
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Frequently Bought Together

Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones + The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones: A Complete Guide to Appraising and Using Precious Stones From Cut and Color to Shape and Settings + Gemstone Buying Guide, Second Edition: How to Evaluate, Identify, Select & Care for Colored Gems
Price For All Three: $59.71

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Every gemstone collector should have a copy of this book" -- Charles Lewton- Brain, Canadian Jeweler, June 2004

"Richard Wise has lifted the veil ...I highly recommend this book" -- Edward Boehm, Gems & Gemology, summer 2004

The author's writing style and command of the subject matter keeps the reader captivated. -- Stuart M. Robertson, G. G., Gem Market News, November 2003

Product Description

Secrets Of The Gem Trade is the first comphrehensive gemstone grading manual. The book divides into two parts. Section I describes the criteria used to quality grade faceted gems, cabochons, pearls, opals, star stones and Catseyes.

Section II applies the grading criteria to 35 of today's most important gemstones. The book covers diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, tourmaline, garnet, pearl, agate and opal

The book inludes 1st person travelogues from Mr. Wise's trips to the major gem bearing areas of the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia and South America.

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 274 pages
  • Publisher: Brunswick House Press (January 30, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0972822380
  • ISBN-13: 978-0972822381
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #50,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #6 in  Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectibles > Jewelry

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Richard W. Wise
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Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones
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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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118 of 120 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Gem Quality; Finally The Whole Truth, August 30, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones (Hardcover)
Every book on gemstones contains much the same information. Physical properties, sources, lore and what the Greeks (Theophrastus) and the Romans (Pliny) had to say about the specific gemstone. If you are looking to find out how you judge gemstones, how you tell the difference between a fine sapphire and something mediocre, forget-about-it. Even the so-called "buyers guides" waffle around the subject. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, blah!, blah!, blah! I think if I hear that old saw one more time I'm going to spit up.

Richard Wise tells the truth. Secrets Of The Gem Trade is the Bible! Straight non-technical talk! The first part of the book concentrates on principles of connoisseurship. The author tells you how to look at a stone, what the critera for evaluation is in faceted stones, cabochons, stars, catseyes, pearls and opals. this is stuff dealers never tell. He even tells you how to evaluate the light your using to look at the stone. Part II contains individual essays of about 40 of the most important gems.

And oh the photographs: four of the world's most famous photographers, About 120 beautiful photographs including some of the world's most famous gemstones. True color! The Caplan Ruby, Rockefleller Sapphire, Hope, Hancock and Dresden Green Diamonds. This is the real stuff!

Secrets Of The Gem Trade really does tell all. It is the first and only book that tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I read an excerpt in Colored Stone Magazine (they are excerpting it in every issue for a year) and couldn't believe it. The truth at last. I bought it! I love it!

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63 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The book I was searching for., June 24, 2005
This review is from: Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones (Hardcover)
In Secrets of the Gem Trade (The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones) Richard Wise leads you through the swamps of the gem trade.
With an almost novelistic penmanship he teaches you how to judge and grade quality in gemstones while clearing some dogma's along the way.
Wether you like to know what the best colour is in Tanzanite, or how to grade a Diamond, you will find it in this book. No other book I read before dealt with this topic is such detail as Richard Wise's masterpiece.

He will not bore you with large tables of refractive indices, nor will he try to make a gemologist out of you.
What he will do is make you an expert on colorgrading and judging quality through good old and fun reading.
Not holding back he tells you the secrets of gemdealers and how to act as a pro in the field.
This book opened my eyes and titillated my senses to a degree that I wanted to catch a plane to Thailand and try it myself.

This extensive work is a must for every professional in the gemstone industry. It should be made mandantory reading for all jewelry appraisal courses and every selfrespecting gemologist should have this book on his desk, not on his shelf.

A. van Acker FGA
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41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant Surprise, July 27, 2005
By Nancy Goulas (Diamondhead. MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones (Hardcover)
This book doesn't contain the type of information I thought I wanted. But the more I read a section here & there searching for gem valuations, I discovered that this book is much better than a price guide (especially since I also bought "Jewelry & Gems The Buying Guide" by Matlins)- it's a history of colored gems, the regions in which they're mined, past & present, and a treasure trove of obscure yet relevant information, some of which I'm sure many jewellers are unaware. It's a lttle pricey but for someone with a genuine interest in gemstones, I think it's probably money well spent.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy and read!
You should not miss this book if you like gems.
Written in a very didactic way. It is one of those books that must have a place in your library/book shelf.
Published 6 months ago by Ramon Franco Nebreda

5.0 out of 5 stars for better knowledge
I am not in gems trade I am only lover of the stones.This book gave me better
knowledge when I am buying something.It is good written so the readers can understand it. Read more
Published 6 months ago by N. Dobrasin

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative
As an admiring neophyte in the gem world I found this book to not only be very informative but also very entertaining. It almost reads like a novel. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Brenda Lakin

5.0 out of 5 stars THE best and most thorough introductory book on gems.
Richard Wise has written an introductory book to gemstones, the gem industry, and the purchase of gems which is completely original, insightful, and valuable. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Lynn D. Guindon

5.0 out of 5 stars Back to the basics of buying gemstones.
Great pictures of the various types of stones and cuts.

Great info about cut proportions, popular color types, location sources, etc. Read more
Published 18 months ago by DGG

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the top 10 books for your gemological library.
If his book Secrets of the Gem Trade has made Richard a rock star, it is because he has accomplished the notable feat of making the nuances of fine gems accessible, not only in... Read more
Published 24 months ago by E. A. Skalwold

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
I highly recommend this book. Although it doesn't cover a wide specter of colored gemstones, it does focus on the ones worth investing in and it goes into detail about what to... Read more
Published on July 14, 2008 by K. Melendez-alhaug

5.0 out of 5 stars Secrets of the Gem Trade
This made for a fascinating read and the pictures are fantastic. Is it worth the sticker price? Yes.
Published on June 29, 2008 by C. Buchea

5.0 out of 5 stars Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones
This book is packed with useful information. Anyone interested in gemstones will learn a lot of things you don't typically find in other books on this topic. I'm glad I got it.
Published on January 31, 2008 by Jewel Lover, USA

4.0 out of 5 stars Great information and images.
With wonderfully good information and great images, the writer introduces a wide reaching and vast amount of valuable information through a fascinating, personalized journey... Read more
Published on January 19, 2008 by Reluar A. Sierra

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Connoisseur's Corner by Richard W. Wise 9 February 2010
GemWise, a new blog from Richard W. Wise 0 July 2006
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