Jewelry & Gems The Buying Guide [electronic resource] : How to Buy Diamonds, Pearls, Precious and Other Popular Gems with Confidence and Knowledge / by Antoinette Leonard Matlins, Antonio C. Bonanno
to this edition In working with my own clients to acquire gemstones and jewelry since this book was first published in 1984, they have pointed out that most people buy "jewelry" and not "gemstones." Because the book offers so much practical advice and money-saving tips about buying jewelry, they urged me to change the title. So, in this edition The Complete Guide to Buying Gems has been changed to Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide. Consumer and professional response to the book has been very gratifying. Almost 14,000 hardcover copies are in circulation. We have received hundreds of letters, phone calls and in-person comments about the helpfulness and interesting information it provides. We thank you for encouraging us to make the book more widely available by bringing out this softcover edition. We have taken the opportunity of this softcover edition to update the price guides for diamonds and colored gemstones and, in light of the increase in both the popularity and price of pearls, to add a price guide for them in the "Guide to Popular Gems and Their Prices." Also, we want to take this opportunity to comment further on gem investยญ ment, taking into account major developments since the original manuscript was written in 1980
CONTENT
One Getting to Know Gems -- 1 Becoming Intimate with Gems -- 2 Factors of Importanceโ{128}{148}an Overview -- Two Diamonds -- 3 The Magic of Diamonds -- 4 The Importance of Cut and Proportion -- 5 Body Color -- 6 The Effect of Flaws -- 7 Weight -- 8 How to Spot a Fraud -- 9 Bait or Flamboyant Advertising -- 10 What to Ask When Buying a Diamond -- Three Colored Gemstones -- 11 The Mystery and Magic of Colored Gems -- 12 Determining Value in Colored Gems -- 13 Fraud and Misrepresentation in Colored Gems -- 14 Buying Colored Gems -- 15 Precious Gemstones -- 16 Other Colored Gems -- Four Important Advice Before you buy -- 17 How to Select a Reputable Jeweler -- 18 How to Select a Reputable Gemologist-Appraiser -- 19 A Word About Investment -- Sources for Additional Information -- A Selected List of Gem-Identification Laboratories -- National Jewelry Associations -- State Jewelersโ{128}{153} Associations -- Selected Readings
