Gems and Gemstones: Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World

by Lance Grande, Allison Augustyn

Gems are objects of wealth, icons of beauty, and emblems of the very best of everything. They are kept as signs of prestige or power. Given as tokens of love and affection, they also come in a kaleidoscopic array of hues and can be either mineral or organic. Gems can command a person’s gaze in the way they play with light and express rich color. And they can evoke feelings of passion, greed, mystery, and warmth.

For millennia, gems have played an important role in human culture: they have significant value, both financially and within folklore and mythology. But just what are gems, exactly? This lavishly illustrated volume—the most ambitious publication of its kind—provides a general introduction to gems and natural gemstones, conveying their timeless beauty and exploring similarities among different species and varieties. Gems and Gemstones features nearly 300 color images of the cut gems, precious and semiprecious stones, gem-quality mineral specimens, and fine jewelry to be unveiled in a new Grainger Hall of Gems at The Field Museum in Chicago this October. The book and exhibition’s overarching theme will be the relationship between finished gems and their natural origin: while beautiful as faceted and polished pieces of jewelry, gems are often just as lovely—or even more so—as gemstones in their natural state. For example, an aquamarine or emerald as originally found in a mine with its natural crystal faces can be as stunning as any cut and polished gem prepared for a ring, bracelet, or charm.

Thoughtful of both ancient and modern times, Gems and Gemstones also includes fun-filled facts and anecdotes that broaden the historical portrait of each specimen. When Harry Winston, for instance, donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1958, he sent it through the U.S. mail wrapped in plain brown paper. And for anyone who has ever marveled at the innovations of top jewelry designers, Gems and Gemstones features a dazzling array of polished stones, gold objects, and creations from around the world. Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, amethysts, pearls, topaz, amber—every major gem gets its due in what will be an invaluable source on the subject for years to come.

Gems and Gemstones is the basis for the iPad app, available in the Apple iTunes App Store, Gems and Jewels.

Genres: Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I was looking for--so many books on gemstones seem to be focused on the jewelry industry, which, you know, makes sense, but that wasn't really the side I was most interested in learning about. This one also definitely talks about the jewelry side of things, but I felt like it took a much more scientific approach to the subject. It's organized into different sections: classification systems, the gemstones themselves by type, how they are mined, ethics, mythology, birthstones, the history of the collection and the Grainger Hall of Gems (in Chicago's Field Museum)...very, very informative. Each gemstone's section includes information on chemical composition, where it's found, hardness and other physical properties, how it's cut, general popularity, history...not to mention fantastic photographs of the stone in various states--original crystal form, cut, and included in a piece of jewelry. I believe all the photographs are of pieces that are actually exhibited at the Grainger Hall of Gems, and they have some truly incredible pieces--I'm totally dying to go visit now! Definitely worth a read if this is the sort of thing you're interested in.