Gemstones of the World (hc) by Walter Schumann

This essential book, now in its fifth edition, takes the mystery out of appreciating, purchasing, and selling diamonds. It discusses everything from the romance and history of over 1,800 gemstones to their geographical locations, scientific, physical, and color attributes, and how they are produced, constructed, and mined. The book also covers the optical characteristics of gems - light and color, luminescence, refraction, and inclusions - as well as key information about the densities and chemical elements of each stone, with fascinating details on different cuts, polishing, gems, hardness, cleavage, classification, trade names, rarity, and more. There are also several charts and diagrams, as well as stunning color images of the stones with information about them on the opposite page. If you only have one diamond book in your collection, this is it!