Fluorescence: Gems and Minerals Under Ultraviolet Light

One of the best books on the market for those interested in the topic!

This is an outstanding effort in explaining and documenting the science involved in mineral fluorescence. It fills a void in the literature, bridging the gap between technical treatises and gem hunters' field notes. Robbins presents what is known about the causes of fluorescence in minerals, relating it to atomic structure and behavior in a clear fashion for the non-technical reader.The next chapters detail some of the classic localities and types of fluorescent minerals, with comprehensive summaries of their characteristics. A final chapter describes ideas for investigations into the nature of fluorescence that are easy enough to be carried out with simple equipment. This may be a valuable resource to secondary school Earth Science teachers.The book is written in an engaging fashion. It reveals many issues that are still unresolved. I wanted to grab my UV light and go collecting as soon as possible!

As a guide to everyone, who is interested in collecting oridentifying various fluorescent minerals, this book is aninvaluable tool! It basically covers almost every kindof fluorescent mineral that comes from the depths of theEarth, along with their mining locations. I would havegiven this book 5 stars, if not for a very seriousflaw: nowhere in the book the reader is warned aboutthe *EXTREME DANGER* posed by the shortwave ultravioletlight to the human vision!!! When operating an SW UVlamp, UV protection glasses *MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES*when the lamp is on by everyone in the room, where thelamp is operated! SW UV also can cause skin burns, sono one should put their hands in the beam of SW UV light!Longwave UV lamps are less dangerous, but the eyeprotection is strongly advised when operating them aswell! Please stay safe!