Dorling Kindersley Handbooks : Gemstones

In this book, gemstone specialist Cally Hall explains how to recognize 130 varieties of stone, precious metals and valuable "organics" like amber and coral. Each gem is shown in its cut and rough state, with additional photographs of natural forms, and jewellery. The 800 photographs are annotated to highlight key features, with colour-coded panels to supply at-a-glance technical information, from crystal structure and chemical composition to optical quality.