Smithsonian Handbooks Gemstones by Cally Hall (2002, Paperback)

The Smithsonian Handbook on Gemstones is a great little reference book. It is indepth but also a compact sturdy semi-hardback that is easy to take anywhere. I like the fact that I can easily refer to it when my customers ask me questions about the jewelry I sell. Now I can find the answers to almost any question regarding gemstones. The many colorful pictures are beautiful and the interesting descriptions are easy to read and understand. I would recommend this handbook to anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of gemstones as I am. I am buying a lot of gemstone jewelry on eBay to sell at flea markets and this book really helps me to identify and know the value of a lot of gemstones I previously did not know about. It is really helping to simplify and make the most of my eBay bids. I can now make more educated decisions and have more insight into the information jewelers and gemologists know. I know I will be using this book a lot so it was a great purchase. I highly recommend this book, because it is what you would expect from the Smithsonian; like an enjoyable walk through the museum. As a matter of fact, when I recently visited the Museum of Natural Science in Houston and the natural gemstones exhibit (which in the past I might not have had much interest in) I was very pleased at my ability to recognize, know something about, and appreciate the vast array of incredible gemstones, because of how it raised my interest in the subject to a new level, with the information and knowledge I gained from reading the Smithsonian Gemstone Handbook.

Very good photography of and explanation of gemstones. I recently started collecting gems, and found this to be a good start to my learning process. It is easy reading and yet has enough technical knowledge to keep someone (like me) with a scientific mind interested.

easy to understand and follow. would recommend as a great reference guide, there are great pictures of each gem so you can actually see what they are describing....good to have!

Smithsonian handbooks are always beautifully illustrated, well written, and very informative. I recommend all of the titles in this series.