This is truly the ultimate one-volume book every hobbyist, jeweler, jewelry maker, and rockhound will ever need!

Following the spectacular success of the first four editions of Gemstones of the World, the revised fifth edition exhibits important updates and a beautiful new cover. All the gemstones ever discovered--now over 1,900--are treated in their many variations. More than 1,500 full-color photos showcase each precious and semiprecious stone in both its rough natural state and its polished and cut renditions. Each entry offers complete information on a gemstone's formation and structure, physical properties and characteristics, methods of working, cutting, and polishing. You'll find full treatments of lesser-known gems, from andalusite to vesuvian, and a special section devoted to rocks as precious stones, including alabaster, onyx, obsidian, and fossils. Organic gem materials, such as coral, ivory, amber, and pearl, are also covered along with new-on-the-market stones like charcoite. Additionally, this all-inclusive volume includes imitations, synthetics, and combined stones. Charts and tables help you identify unknown gemstones and--when you're in the market--how to check for genuineness.