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Australian Gemmologist Review of Secrets Of The Gem Trade (2nd edition)

Richard Wise’s book Secrets of the gem trade, Second Edition, is beautifully narrated and illustrated. With the addition of 171 new images, the book now contains 277 vivid and breathtak- ing images that capture both the heart and mind of the reader. This Second Edition has been completely revised and expanded to 404 pages, with…
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Fine 5.36 carat sapphire from Kashmir.

The Arcane World of High Priced Gems

“I am showing you this in absolute confidence, you understand Mr. Wise and I am asking you please not to mention this stone to anyone”. So begins a conversation not unlike many similar conversations I have had over the past few years with dealers who specialize in ultra-rare and very high priced gemstones. The place,…
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A Meditation on Cultured Pearls; Part Three

The pearl has another quality, unique among gems: its beauty can be enlivened or subdued by placing it in contact with a woman’s skin. The Spanish word simpatico is a term I’ve chosen which I think best describes this somewhat mysterious quality. A pearl, no matter how beautiful in itself, will seem to glow if…
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11 Facts to Know Before Buying an Engagement Ring

11 Facts you should know before you go shopping for that special Engagement Ring: by Richard W. Wise ©2017 1. Manufacturers are required to label gold according to its purity, Karat is an old standard that divides into 24 parts, 10k is 39%, 14k is 58% pure, 18k is 75% pure, 22k is 90% pure…
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Berkshire Eagle Review: Revised Edition of a Gem of a Book.

Revised edition a gem of a book   BY COLIN HARRINGTON Eagle correspondent “Secrets Of The Gem Trade: The Connois- seur’s Guide To Precious Gemstones” (Second Edition) Revised and Expanded by Richard W. Wise is an absolutely fascinating book, which is both highly collectable and a complete reference to beautiful gems and jewelry. Wise’s articles…
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Gems & Gemology, The Bible of the Gem Trade Reviews Secrets Of The Gem Trade (2nd Edition)

Book Review: Secrets of the Gem Trade, Second Edition Tao Hsu December 1, 2017   FacebookTwitterPrintEmailFacebook MessengerMore6 By Richard W. Wise, hardcover, 404 pp., illus. publ. by Brunswick House, Lenox, Massachusetts, 2016, $99.95. The gem and jewelry industry is still extremely secretive, even in our fast-paced digital era. In both the first and this second…
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A Meditation on Cultured Pearls: Part Two

Quality Part II Color and translucency are insufficient! A fine pearl must have that subtle misty iridescence that connoisseurs call orient, a glow that seems to emanate from inside the pearl and cling to its skin, like an early morning fog, a quality that led the medieval poet Thomas Campion to muse that pearls: “look…
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A Meditation On Cultured Pearls, Part One:

By Richard W. Wise, G.G. ©2017 Part I I began my career as a faceted stone man. It took me a long time to warm up to pearls. A fine diamond will blast you with brilliance and a ruby will step right up and sock you in the eye. Not so the pearl! Pearls seemed…
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JOG Review: Secrets Of The Gem Trade (2nd Edition)

Secrets of the Gem Trade, 2nd edn. By Richard W. Wise, 2016. Brunswick House Press, Lenox, Massachusetts, USA, 404 pages, illus., ISBN 978-0972822329. US$99.95 hardcover. Why publish a second edition of the successful Secrets of the Gem Trade? Wise perhaps explains it best in his preface: “This second edition has been enlarged and largely rewritten.…
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