The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones: A Complete Guide to Appraising and Using Precious Stones From Cut and Color to Shape and Settings Hardcover – September 18, 2012

I have a "library" of jewelry (fine, costume, new & vintage) books and THIS, to me, is imperative to understanding how to go about LOOKING at a possible gem & asking the right questions to help me determine what it really is. I DON'T use it to appraise anything. I use it, though, to learn why many gems, semi-precious stones, fakes, achieve status. If you want an extensive methodology for determining the value of "something" skip this text. But, for ME, it's a must-have for helping to learn even more about what makes an "item" valuable OR not.

I'm currently enrolled in classes to become a bench jeweler, but don't know as much as I would like about gemstones. This guide was informative and helpful for a (mostly) beginner when it comes to gems. I hope to expand my knowledge with some gemology coursework, but until then, this book has been useful in giving me a general overview and I'm much more comfortable speaking about gems with potential clients.

The book is a superb treasury of information on shopping for and using gems, however it is a bit hard to read, especially white print on a black background.

This is a great reference book for us amateurs. The descriptions are concise and the pictures are clear and informative. There are sections on what to look for when buying gemstones, how to handle the stones, and resources. I definitely recommend this book.

I am an amateur, when it comes to jewelry design and I am always curious about the innate qualities of the materials I am working with as well as how to arrange and present them to best advantage. I'm impressed with this book in all aspects: Judith Crowe is an expert gemologist with a master designers eye. I am continually delighted with the explanations, the history of usage and especially the fine layout of every single page included in this book. The gemstones and the jewelry chosen are wonderful examples that spark imagination. Well done, Ms Crowe!

Not quite what I was looking for when I bought it, its become indispensible in my studio.

There is absolutely nothing negative to say about this book. Easy to read, words used in the Jewelry trade are explained, pictures are beautiful and it's chocked full of information.

I've been a hobbyist jewelry studeng for some little while now, and what sets this book apart is the section on using each gemstone... this is the part that tells you how to approach setting the stone into jewelry, how hard or brittle the stone is and what features of the stone might make setting it easier or harder. Other books may give you more scientific/ gemological detail, a greater range of stones, and a better idea of price ranges. If you want to know what your stone is, whether it's a good specimen of its kind and if you paid a good price for it, this book may or may not tell you that. BUT... if you know what stone you have, this book will tell you how to care for it, and, if you're crazy enough to want to set it yourself, this book might just tell you how best to do that, and give you some idea whether, just this once, you should hire it done by someone who's already gone around that learning curve...

Very pleased with my purchase, has clear and concise information, places stones in families and covers MOHs scale of hardness etc very informative and interesting as it also covers mining and treatment too!! A good read! Plus I bought my book as used and it was immaculate from a seller on here so thank you to that seller too!!

Having studied silver jewellery making, I've started to use more interesting gemstones and beads. I ordered the book after reading a previous review about how the book gives examples on uses in jewellery making. I read it from cover to cover when it arrived! It has lots of lovely photos with inspiring setting ideas and tips on how best to use the stones. I found it fascinating learning more about all the stones - both popular and more unusual - in an easy to follow way. A real 'gem' to add to my reference books!

Not good. Too simple. I found myself several times having to google things for more insight. It has allot of images and pictures but the actual information feels lacking and incomplete. I bought this book after reading allot of the reviews but with hindsight I noticed most people bought this book as a gift, so why they chose to make reviews having never read it I dont know?!I have returned it.

Highly recommended

Very good present for my daughter in law who has interest in gemstones.