I was expecting a bit more from this book! The reviews I read before purchasing this book all raved about how "complete" and "up to date" it was! It's obvious that the people responsible for those reviews don't have much experience in the Gemstone world! First off, the print in this book is FAR too small. The information is very crammed and the author barely brushes the surface when describing individual gemstones. There are also far too many gemstones left out of this book. Gemstone pictures represent about half of the book and are also very incomplete! If this book were larger (larger font), it would be far less crammed and much easier to read. If you are someone looking for a BASIC intro to Gemstones (the more popular ones), this book MAY suffice. However, if you are a Gemstone buyer, collector or hobbyist, this book will prove to be extremely incomplete. I'm really disappointed in the insufficient descriptions of individual gemstones and how crammed, small AND difficult to read, the text in this book proves to be.

This book on precious stones is brillant.I liked the quality and structure of the book.It's not a cheap paperback.Color photos and an abundant supply of them.Scientific data and historical background presented.It's ideal for those of us ,who are Reiki practitoners .This gem book is not Wicca related.Yet,it is quite facilitative for wiccans who use the healing stones and perform healing exercises.The depth of gemstone information is a farraginous mixture from almagest times until today.

This book is by far the best single source for gemological data for the price, anywhere. Pictures are excellent too, more than the other books I have reviewed. The only thing that would make it better, is to make it larger.

Best book I've bought on gems. Tons of great color pics of rough and faceted stones. This should be the first book you buy on gems (I have about 6 of the top gem books and this one bests them all).

This is a fantastic book. I learned a great deal reading this resource. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about gemstone origins, types of cut, crystal formation, or if you just want to look at the pretty pictures of all of the most beautiful stones in the world yet discovered.

I recommend this book for any gemnologist in training. Contains most of the relevant information needed for quick referrence. But if you are looking for something that teach you how to cut the stone, then this is not for you.

This is a very informative book with some good pictures, especially for the beginner who is learnig about gemstones. I read and reference it often. I am very pleased with this book and I look forward to using it for a long time.

I use it all the time. It has answered all of my questions. Great book.

I so want to read this book but every time I try I get a headache because the print is so tiny, and that is with my reading glasses on. Otherwise a very interesting book!

I bought the 2001 edition several years ago and found it indispensable at the jewelry store where I worked. Now that I'm getting into the nitty gritty of the Graduate Gemologist program at the GIA, I'm quite pleased to find an updated version available. I expect I'll be taking this to school with me to replace several large, ungainly lab manuals that haunt my desk.

This book makes a great cornerstone for any gem library. I own many gem guides and encyclopedias twice the size and weight of this while containing considerably less information. This one has the most complete collection of information and pictures I've seen anywhere at an astonishingly diminutive size. If you plan to buy only one gem book in your lifetime, I highly recommend this one.

I dabble in gemstones - buying and selling from Brazil, Colombia and other countries. Schumann's book is a bible - an essential reference with a very accessable layout, excellent and concise information. Rarely do I need to seek other sources when researching stones.

I'd waited years for a recent edition of this book, even used, at a reasonable price. Now it's finally affordable as a new hardback.
I was kinda hoping for a book that would let me compare my gemstones to pictures and identify them. This book helped me understand why that kind of book is NOT possible. The best part, for people like me, is the way the many testing techniques and tools are explained, logically and in layman's terms. The book helped me see that learning to use techniques and tools to identify gemstones on my own is possible, and it will undoubtedly help me figure out which tools to invest in first.
Readers familiar with metaphysical uses and astrological correspondences will probably wonder why Schumann chose the sources he did for that type of information, which seem to match neither the traditional nor the esoteric uses. He probably should have stuck to hard science, which is the real strength of this book.

This is a great book for knowledge and the history of Gem Stones. I needed something to help me identify gemstones it does help some. But, it is really better for knowledge on the history of most gemstones.

The newly expanded, revised third edition of a classic gemstone reference is a top pick for jewelry makers, rockhounds, and any fascinated by gems: it offers up new insights on collectibility, provides new 'double fraction' figures that experts have wanted, and provides over a thousand color photos profiling each precious and semiprecious stone in its rough, natural and polished versions. Chapters cover geology and working with gemstones alike, making it an excellent all-around reference and a top pick for both geology and crafts libraries.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Excellent resourse book. Not only lists gemstones, but histories, tools (how to use them), and gemstone measurements of all kinds. If you get only one reference guide, this is it.

This book helped me pass the GIA Graduate Gemologist Exam. It is a very nice supplemental book to the course materials. Very portable as well. Highly recommended!

This is also a great book for identification of most and close to all precious gemstones. This is the 2nd book you should purchase as beginners. This book goes into explicit details of each gemstones and also has a colored picture for each. This is an excellent book for reference. It is wriiten in very easy english.

From my title I guess you get the drift that this is THE gemstone resource book that everyone needs...I passed my older version on to a friend before noticing that the publish date for this one had been extended and I have never been so lost!

This book's small format lends itself to tucking in a briefcase, purse, backpack, whatever...it is indispensable at Gem or Jewelry Shows! I have yet to look up a stone that is too obscure to be included and the revised version has even more indepth listings of Rare/Collector stones. The photos are a true representation and usually include rough, cab and facet examples. Along with the basics: Structure, Refractive Index, Color, etc...Schumann includes a brief history and lore of the gem as well as locations of current mines.

This is as accurate a resource as you will find for an industry that is literally changing as I write this.