Gems and jewels : a connoisseur's guide / Benjamin Zucker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zucker, Benjamin, 1940-

Contributor:

Gotham Book Mart Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gems.

Jewelry.

Penn Provenance:

Zucker, Benjamin, 1940- (autograph) (Gotham Book Mart Collection copy)

Gotham Book Mart (former owner) (Gotham Book Mart Collection copies 1 & 2)

Physical Description:

248 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 28 cm

Edition:

[New edition].

Place of Publication:

Woodstock ; New York : The Overlook Press, [2003]

Summary:

Gems and jewels have, since the beginnings of civilization, been prized as tokens of love, as symbols of wealth and social status, and as objects endowed with magical or religious significance. In Gems and Jewels, internationally renowned gem expert and dealer Benjamin Zucker reveals, through text and full-color illustration, the history and mystique surrounding these precious objects.

Gems and Jewels is a comprehensive survey of the history and uses of the principal types of gems, and provides insights into their origins, methods and styles of cutting at different times in history, and the aesthetic appeal of numerous examples of the jeweler's art.

Garnet-ornamented treasures from the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo ship burial, elaborate lapis lazuli funerary jewelry from ancient Egypt and Sumer, imaginative Renaissance treatments of baroque pearls, and Native Ameican designs featuring turquoise, the "sky stone," are just a few of the examples of work from widely different cultures and time periods taken up in this unique book. Also covered are the world's most outstanding stones -- such as the famous Tiffany diamond -- and comparisons of key differences in shades of color within one type of gemstone -- as in the case of opals from Australia and Mexico, and sapphires from Kashmir and Ceylon. The author also provides information about the vital clues that enable the expert eye to distinguish between natural and synthetic stones and between natural and cultured pearls, and supplies guidelines for methods of grading and for the relative values of stones in the market.

With chapters devoted to rubies, sapphires, emeralds, white and colored diamonds, pearls, amber, lapis lazuli, jade, turquoise, opals, and garnets, this lavishly illustrated book is a wealth of information, inspiration, and pleasure.

Contents:

Ruby

Sapphire

Emerald

White Diamond

Colored Diamond

Pearl

Amber

Lapis Lazuli

Jade

Turquoise

Opal

Garnet.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 240-243) and index.

Local Notes:

Gotham Book Mart Collection copies 1 & 2 has dustjacket retained.

Gotham Book Mart Collection copy has autograph of Benjamin Zucker.

ISBN:

1585674206 :

9781585674206

OCLC:

53227065

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description