Diamond Books

Easy to Read • Easy to Understand Practical • Complete Instant Answers ... to All Your Questions Completely Updated & Expanded 6th Edition!

Purchasing gems and jewelry can be a magical experience, filled with excitement and anticipation. But lack of information, error, or misrepresentation can make the thrill of buying a gem or piece of jewelry confusing, intimidating, overwhelming, and costly.

To help you avoid the pitfalls and keep the magic, two internationally respected experts on buying gems and jewelry put their inside knowledge to work for you in this easy-to-read, easy-to-use guide. It is filled with practical advice and is designed to make it easy for you to have all the information you need to buy gems and jewelry with confidence.

Recommended by consumer and jewelry trade reviewers around the world, it is already in use in over 100 countries and has been translated into Spanish, Arabic, Greek, Hungarian, and Russian. Over 300,000 copies are now in print and this revised, updated, expanded edition covers even more: buying and selling on the internet, dazzling new diamond cuts, recently discovered gems … and new treatments and trickery to look out for. There are fascinating mythical and magical tidbits, and practical tips that could only come from an insider.

In simple, straightforward terms you’ll learn about the four Cs and how to juggle them to get what you want, at the price you want to pay; what to look for, and look out for; all about gold and platinum, jewelry design, and some of the country’s leading designers. You’ll learn what questions to ask and what to get in writing, and even how to select the jeweler, appraiser, and insurer. The authors leave no stone unturned to give you everything you need to know—whether you are a novice or a connoisseur. With Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide, you’ll find the experience can be a joy, and the gems and jewelry you select a source of lasting pleasure!

Praise for Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide

"Restores the magic! [Will] entertain and enlighten all its readers and save some from heart-break. Recommended reading." — Paul Harvey, Paul Harvey News

"Includes all kinds of fun facts to know and tell ... an essential resource for the gem buyer." — Art & Antiques

"Takes the guesswork out of this important decision ... obtain the best value for your money." — Modern Bride

"A book designed to build trust between jewelry retailers and consumers." — National Jeweler

"An appropriate book for the uninformed public, but more than that, it is a good reference book for jewelers and their staffs, gem collectors, students of gemology, travelers, teachers, and even those who know gemology but want a state-of-the-art review." — Lapidary Journal

"We have seen no work more practical and accurate than [this book] ... the investor, or engagement ring buyer, who follows the dictates ... which are well explained and illustrated, will surely avoid being burned ... the best of its kind and likely to be of enormous value to anyone." — Frederick H. Pough, PhD Former Curator of Gems and Minerals, American Museum of Natural History, N.Y.C.

"Most certainly achieves its aim of helping consumers buy gems and jewelry with confidence and knowledge ... highly recommended." — Asian Jewelry

Since its discovery in seventeenth–century India, the Hope diamond, a glimmering deep blue gem weighing over 45 carats, has been shrouded in mystery and steeped in intrigue. In this groundbreaking work, Dr. Richard Kurin goes beyond the speculation to reveal the truth behind a legendary stone.

Kurin, a cultural anthropologist, spent more than a decade on the trail of the legendary gem. But the 'curse' that surrounds it, which Kurin puts to rest once and for all, is only one small piece of a long and lustrous story that moves between ancient religion and modern magic, royal power and class rivalry, revenge and greed. Richly illustrated, Hope Diamond works in a grand historical tradition––depicting the specific to reveal the universal.

The perfect pocket-sized companion for those traveling and thinking about purchasing jewelry or stones. Renee Newman, author of the highly respected gem and jewelry guides including Diamond Ring Buying Guide and Gold & Platinum Jewelry Buying Guide, has written a concise buying guide covering gems, gold and platinum that's a perfect handy reference.

Here's important information on how to select jewelers and appraisers; a chapter on notable gem sources and which countries are noted for specific gems; information on coral, ivory and amber; precautions one must take when buying from an unfamiliar source; and customs regulations, duties and how to use lab reports.

A beautiful look at the world's most alluring gem.

With images as fabulous as their highly prized subject, Diamonds is about the science and glamour of this magnificent gemstone.

The book takes a look at why we desire diamonds, where their characteristic fire comes from and why they are seen as the ultimate symbol of love. Known in pop culture today as bling, diamonds play a role in fashion and celebrity as well as jewelry. Also revealed are some of the amazing properties of diamonds that make it a vital material for modern technology and medicine as well as a "girl's best friend".

Filled with color photographs throughout, Diamonds features six chapters:

• Desire: why diamonds are so highly valued and their properties
• The Hunt: the diamond rushes
• The Cut: how the rocks are transformed into jewels
• Fame: some famous diamonds and their legends
• The Extreme: hardness, transparency, conductivity, durability
• Design: jewelry, antique and modern, on clothing and in film.

Designed for the luxury-lover or the mineral collector, Diamonds is sure to please.

Are you afraid you will make a mistake?

Do you know what an ideal cut diamond is?

I assume your answers to these questions are yes, yes, and no (or maybe). Consumer Guide To Diamonds was written to help you to spend your fortune without making a mistake and to tell you in great detail what an ideal cut diamond is.

Judging by the number of pretty bad diamonds I see as a jeweler, gemologist, and appraiser, people are not going about looking for diamonds correctly. Consumer Guide To Diamonds offers real-world guidance in purchasing this high-anxiety, esoteric, and very expensive product, which most people buy at least once in their lives.

The book is deliberately concise, not straying from too far from the practical business of real-world diamond shopping for ordinary people.

The four C's of diamonds, clarity, color, carat weight, and cut, are thoroughly explained, but the emphasis is on cut, the angles and proportions of the diamond, which determine its brilliance and fire.

The cut, the most complicated and least understood aspect of diamonds, by jewelers and consumers alike, has the greatest potential for manipulation to fool the consumer. For example, diamonds are commonly cut to be smaller or larger in size than they should be for their weight. The former gives the illusion of more carats for the money, the latter of more size for the money. Both are discounted in price from a nominally sized diamond and both usually suffer in brilliance due to their poor proportions. And unwary consumers commonly buy both. The book tells you how to spot this common trick.

Although an interesting background about diamonds is given, the book also addresses at length the misperceptions and misinformation that underlie the considerable consumer anxiety about diamonds.

Price lists, and diamond grading papers are also discussed. In addition to engagement ring diamonds, other common jewelry products with small diamonds are covered. Numerous real life anecdotes and humorous asides are given.

The book also covers synthetic diamonds, imitation diamonds, diamond enhancements (yes, they doctor diamonds) and recutting diamonds to remove chips or improve appearance. Appraisals, an area with great problems of incompetence are discussed at length. Finally there is a section on practical tips about the mechanics of the jewelry itself: matching a wedding band, types of precious metals, cleaning, and care.