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.

List of Price Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
List of Special Charts and Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
List of Color Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
Preface to the Seventh Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
PART ONE Getting to Know Gems
1 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 Looking for a Gem That's a "Cut Above". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
PART TWO Diamonds
3 The Magic of Diamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4 The Importance of Cut & Proportion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5 Body Color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
6 Clarifying Clarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
7 Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
8 False Claims & Costly Bargains: How to Spot Fraud
and Avoid Misrepresentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
9 Comparing Diamond Prices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
PART THREE Colored Gemstones
10 The Mystery & Magic of Colored Gems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
11 Determining Value in Colored Gems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
12 Colored Gemstone Treatment & Synthesis. . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
13 Fraud & Misrepresentation in Colored Gems . . . . . . . . . . 133
14 Buying Colored Gems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
15 Colorful Choices in Colored Gemstones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
16 Pearls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
PART FOUR
Design &Style: Getting the Look You Want
17 Rare and Precious: Gold & Platinum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
18 Choosing the Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
19 Antique and Period Jewelry: Back by Popular Demand . . . 243
PART FIVE Important Advice Before You Buy
20 What to Ask When Buying the Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
21 How to Select a Reputable Jeweler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
22 A Word about Gemstone Investment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
23 Buying on the Internet: E-Commerce &
Online Auctions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
PART SIX Important Advice After You Buy
24 Choosing the Appraiser & Insurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Appendix
A Selected List of Recognized Laboratories . . . . . . . . . 292
Selected Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Color Plates and Exhibits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Index 300
Price Guides
Diamond Price Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94¿97
Colored Gem Price Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159¿164
Pearl Price Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Opal Price Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Special Charts and Tables
Diamond Color Grades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Commonly Used Diamond Color Grading Systems . . . . 42
viii CONTENTS
Commonly Used Diamond Clarity (Flaw)
Grading Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Sizes and Weights of Various Diamond Cuts . . . . . . . . . 66
Diameters and Corresponding Weights of Round
Brilliant-Cut Diamonds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Comparison of Diamonds and Diamond Look-Alikes . . 91
Zodiac Stones, Birthstones, and Anniversary Stones . . 102
Gemstone Clarity Classifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Colored Gems¿Descriptive Names and Misnomers . . 147
Some Popular Gem Alternatives by Color . . . . . . . . . . 152
How Treatments Affect Prices of Colored Gems . . . . . 154
Gemstones That Are Not Routinely Enhanced . . . . . . 155
Gold Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
How Alloys Affect Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
International Ring Size Equivalents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242