Table of Contents

Contents
List of Tables • xi
List of Color Plates • xii
Preface to the Fourth Edition • xiii
Acknowledgments • xvii
Introduction by Anna M. Miller • xix
Part 1
Before Beginning
1. Before Beginning • 3
Part 2
Getting Ready
2. Setting Up the Lab • 13
3. Proper Lighting for Gem Identification • 37
PART 3
The Essential Instruments—What They Are and How to Use Them
4. The Loupe and Dark-Field Loupe • 49
5. The Chelsea Filter and Synthetic Emerald Filter • 77
6. The Dichroscope • 93
7. The Ultraviolet Lamp • 111
8. The Refractometer • 131
9. The Microscope • 149
Part 4
Optional Instruments—When and How to Use Them
10. The Spectroscope • 175
11. The Polariscope • 189
12. The Diamond-Type Spotter and Blue Diamond Tester—
Essential Tools for Diamond Buyers • 195
x CONTENTS
13. The Immersion Cell • 215
14. The Electronic Diamond Tester • 227
15. The Carbide Scriber—An Essential Tool
for Diamond Buyers • 235
16. The "Synthetic Diamond Detectors" • 241
Part 5
Antique and Estate Jewelry
17. Antique and Estate Jewelry—
The True Test of Gem Identification Skill • 249
18. A New Type of Composite Imitation • 289
Part 6
Appendices
Gemstone Property Tables • 307
Glossary • 317
Recommended Reading • 325
Where to Go for Additional Gemological Training • 331
International List of Gem Testing Laboratories
and Gemologists • 344
International List of Associations • 361
Selected List of Gem Identification Equipment Suppliers
in the United States and Canada • 368
Inde x • 371

About the Author

Antoinette Matlins, PG, FGA, is an internationally respected gem and jewelry expert, author and lecturer. With over 1 million copies of her seven books in print in nine languages, she is the most widely read author in the world on the subject of jewelry and gems. Honored with the international Accredited Gemologists Association's highest award for excellence in gemology, Ms. Matlins’ books are widely used throughout the world by consumers and professionals in the gem and jewelry field. Her books include Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide (over 400,000 copies now in print—the only book of its kind ever offered by Consumer Reports); Colored Gemstones: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide; The Pearl Book: The Definitive Buying Guide; Gem Identification Made Easy; Engagement & Wedding Rings: The Definitive Buying Guide for People in Love; and Jewelry & Gems at Auction: The Definitive Guide to Buying & Selling at the Auction House & on Internet Auction Sites (all GemStone Press).

Former gemology editor of National Jeweler magazine, her articles and comments on buying and selling gems and jewelry and on gem investment have appeared in many national and international consumer and trade publications. She is also the author of the "Gemstones" chapter in the Encyclopedia of Investments, second edition.

Ms. Matlins has gained wide recognition as a dedicated consumer advocate, and continues to spearhead the Accredited Gemologists Association’s nationwide campaign against gemstone investment telemarketing scams and other types of consumer misrepresentation. A popular media guest, she has been seen on ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, educating consumers about gems and jewelry and exposing fraud.

In addition to her educational work, Ms. Matlins is retained by clients worldwide to seek fine, rare or unusual gems and jewels for acquisition.

Antonio C. Bonanno, FGA, ASA, MGA, was founder and president of the National Gem Appraising Laboratory and director of the Columbia School of Gemology near Washington, D.C. He held the coveted "Master Gemologist Appraiser" title (MGA), the highest distinction awarded to gem and jewelry appraisers from the American Society of Appraisers. He worked with gems and minerals for over sixty years, specializing in forensic gemology, and was frequently called as an expert witness in a wide range of court cases. A Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain With Distinction, he was highly esteemed in the field and holds a place in the prestigious Gemstone Hall of Fame. He founded the Accredited Gemologists Association, which created the Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology in his honor after his death in 1996.