Preface: Lifting The Veil
Acknowledgments

Part 1: Becoming a connoisseur; Essentials

Chapter 1: Precious Gems; The History of a Concept
Preciousness; Ancient Concept or Modern Prejudice
Seal stone Engraving; Value from the Hand
Talismans & Value
Diamond; The Invincible

Chapter 2: Preciousness Redefined; The Modern Concept of a Gem
Grading Standards; The Market
The Politics of Beauty; The Diamond
Precious versus Semi-Precious: A distinction without a difference
Beauty versus Pedigree; The Question of Origin
The Rarity Factor
The New Precious List; One Man’s Opinion

Chapter 3: Connoisseurship; Rethinking the Four C’s
Color; First Among Equals
Common Perceptions
The Perception of Color
Hue
Saturation
Saturation Modifiers; From minus to Plus
Tone
The Geometry of Beauty; Cut
The Faceted Gem
Window, Fisheye or Belly
Performing the Test
The Gem Photograph; Viewer Beware
Proportion and Symmetry
New Cutters – New Rules
The Cabochon; Judging the Cut
Clarity; Blemish or Beauty mark
Inclusions and Flaws

Chapter 4: Connoisseurship – Secrets of the Gem Trade
Diaphanity or Crystal, The fourth C
A Gem of the Finest Water
Reinforcement; Developing Color Memory
The Visualization of Beauty – Light
The Face Up Mosaic; The Multi-color Effect
Daystones, Nightstones
Buying Gemstones; Some Strategic Advise
Getting The Pick of the Litter
Pairs and Suites
Investing in Gemstones

Chapter 5;Connoisseurship; Grading Special Cases
Connoisseurship in Phenomenal Gemstones; Stars & Cateyes
Translucency & Crystal
Cut
Connoisseurship in Colorless Diamonds
Cut; The First C
Buying for Beauty; A Contrarian Approach to Round Diamonds
Color in Diamond
Fluorescence
Clarity Grading Diamond
Connoisseurship in Pearls
Body Color
Luster
Orient/Overtone
Nacre Thickness
Simpatico
Symmetry
Size
Texture
Hints On The Appreciation of Pearls

Chapter 6: Caveats
Gemstone Enhancement

Chapter 7: New Discoveries
Africa: Cradle of New Gemstones
Brazil: Gem Paradise
North America
Australia; New Wins From Down under

Part II
Probes: A New list of precious gemstones

Chapter 8: Alexandrite; Rarest of the rare
Color Shift; The Key Factor
Judging the Shift
Hue
Saturation and Tone
Crystal
Cut
Brazil versus Tanzania
Synthetics and Treatment
Alexandrite Catseye
Translucency & Crystal

Chapter 9: Amethyst
Hue/Tone
Multi-color effect
Saturation
The Finest
Beware of Synthetics

Introduction & Overview:
The Beryl Family

Chapter 10: Aquamarine
Hue/Saturation/Tone
Crystal
Treatments

Chapter 11: Emerald
Hue
Saturation/Tone
Clarity & Crystal
Like Satin
Treatments
Beware Synthetics

Introduction & Overview:
Chalcedony; Aristocratic Agates
Treatments

Chapter 12: Gem Chrysocolla
Hue/Saturation/Tone
Color Fading
Crystal
Cut
Clarity
Inclusions and Value
The Rarity Factor

Chapter 13: Chrysoprase
Hue/Saturation and Tone
Crystal
Clarity
Color Fading
The Rarity Factor

Chapter 14: Carnelian
Hue, Saturation and Tone
Crystal
Treatments
The Rarity Factor

Chapter 15: Blue Agate
Hue, Saturation and Tone
Crystal
Clarity
Treatments
The Rarity Factor

Introduction & Overview:
The Garnet Group
Treatments

Chapter 16: Tsavorite Garnet
Tsavorite Versus Emerald
Hue
Saturation/Crystal
Tone
Clarity
Cut
Size and Availability

Chapter 17: Malaya Garnet
Hue
Saturation
Tone

Chapter 18: Spessartite Garnet
Hue
Saturation
Tone
Clarity
Crystal
Size & Rarity

Introduction & Overview:
The World of Pearls
History; Natural versus Cultured
The Cultured Standard
Keshi Pearls

Chapter 19: The Tahitian
Black Pearl
History
Body Color and Orient
Symmetry
Texture
Size
Luster

Chapter 20: Freshwater Pearls
from China
Color
Orient/Overtone
Iridescence – The Rainbow Effect
Symmetry

Chapter 21: Southsea Pearls
Body Color
Simpatico
Luster & Orient: White Southsea Pearls
Luster & Orient: Golden Southsea Pearls
Size

Introduction and Overview
Ruby and Sapphire

Chapter 22: Blue Sapphire
Color: The Two Standards
Ceylon Sapphire
New Contenders from Africa
America The Beautiful
The Best of the Blues
Hue/Tone
Saturation
Texture
Diaphanity

Chapter 23: Padparadscha Sapphire
Hue
Tone & Crystal
Multi-color effect: (The Key factor)
African Padparadscha
Rocky Mountain Padparadscha
The Question of Rarity

Chapter 24: Ruby, The King
of Gems
Burma Is Better
Hue
Saturation
Ton
Ruby vs. Pink Sapphire
Heat Treatment

Chapter 25: Topaz
Imperial Versus Precious
Hue
Pink or Purple
Saturation
Tone
A True Night Stone
Treatments: 153
Limited Production

Introduction and Overview: Opal

Chapter 26: Opal
Life in the Outback is Hard
The Discovery of Opal
Opal Types
White Opal
Crystal Opal
Gray Opal
Semi-Black Opal
Black Opal
Boulder Opal
Fire Opal
A Hierarchy of Values
Play of Color
Gem of Many Hues
Saturation Comes First
Daystones, Nightstones
Shape
The Question of Pattern
The Opal as Art
The Psychology of Opal
The Aesthetics of Opal
Composition
Traditional Patterns

Introduction and Overview
Tourmaline
Tourmaline Sources Around The World
Tourmaline Grading
The Perennial Daystone
Multi-color effect
Connoisseurship In Tourmaline; A Contrarian Approach

Chapter 27: Paraiba Tourmaline; The New Aristocracy
Hue
Saturation
Tone
Clarity
Crystal
The Paraiba Standard

Chapter 28: Green Tourmaline
Hue
Saturation/Tone
Clarity
Crystal

Chapter 29: Chrome Green Tourmaline
Hue
Saturation/Tone
Clarity
Crysta

Chapter 30: Blue Tourmaline
Hue
Saturation/Tone
Clarity
Crystal

Chapter 31: Red/Pink Tourmaline
Hue: “Rubylike” Tourmaline
Tone
Crystalline Nightstones; The Crème de la Creme
Clarity

Chapter 32: Other Colors of Tourmaline

Chapter 33: Tanzanite
Hue
Saturation
Tone
Tanzanite versus Sapphire
Crystal
The Problem of Durability

Introduction & Overview:
Fancy Colored Diamonds

Connoisseurship and Commerce: Grading Colored Diamonds
Hue, Saturation & Tone
Multi-color effect
Light & Color
Clarity
Treatments

Chapter 34: Red Diamonds
Hue, Saturation and Tone

Chapter35: Pink Diamonds
Hue, Saturation and Tone

Chapter 36: Purple Diamonds
Hue, Saturation and Tone

Chapter 37: Green Diamonds
Hue, Saturation and Tone

Chapter: 38 Blue Diamonds
Hue, Saturation and Tone

Chapter 39: Orange Diamonds
Hue, Saturation and Tone

Chapter 40: Brown Diamonds
A Brown is a brown is a…
Hue, Saturation and Tone:

Chapter 41: Yellow Diamonds
Hue, Saturation and Tone

Chapter 42: Lapis Lazuli
Hue, Saturation and Tone
Inclusions
Cut
Treatments

Chapter 43: Spinel
Red Spinel versus Ruby
Hue
Red Spinel
Flame Spinel
Pink Spinel
Saturation & Tone: 204
Crystal: 204

Glossary

Bibliography

Index