Schumann largely focuses on minerals but does give proper descriptions of organic and synthetic materials as well.

Some of the terminology takes a bit of getting used to but a fascinating read about gemstone production, history, type, where found and loads more.illustrated cloth covered boards, hardcover; 256 pages; black and white and color illustrations; lightly edge-rubbed boards with a lightly edgeworn dust jacket else very good. The book concludes with charts of traditional astrological stones, the more recent birthstone-by-month designations, and some remarks on medicinal uses of stones (clearly not recommended by the author, but added for the curious).

Physical and chemical properties of each gem or gem group is identified in a header on the top of the left page, followed by notes of interest and specific varieties. Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. It has information on finding, mining, cutting and more, there are also 1,900 photographs to help identify crystals for beginners like me. With amazing info from why the name and where they are found naturally to Mohs' scale and cleavages there is something for everyone, from shiny new beginner to seasoned collector. It covers everything from the romance and history of more than 1,800 gemstones to their geographic locations; scientific, physical and colour properties; and the way they are formed, structured and mined.

He vaguely describes the treatment as creating a thin metal layer on the stone, similar to a foil backing. Second UK edition hard back binding in publisher's original pale olive paper covered boards, blocked and lettered gilt back. Charts and tables help you identify unknown gemstones and-when you're in the market-how to check for authenticity.