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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | Gems seem to be moving to the literary forefront, with The Hope Diamond out in May and The Heartless Stone: A Journey through the World of Diamonds, Deceit and Desire due in August. In her follow-up to Color, Finlay looks at diamonds and eight more of the world's most coveted gemstones. In each chapter, she discusses the jewel's history and travels to the stone's place of origin: abandoned emerald mines in Egypt, working opal mines in Australia, a pearl-fisher's home in Scotland and an Apache reservation that holds most of the world's supply of peridot. Finlay is also fascinated by the lengths to which people will go to fabricate jewels: one company manufactures diamonds from cremated human remains. While each journey holds its own charmsâFinlay's trek to Sri Lanka to uncover the pedigree of a family heirloom sapphire is particularly enjoyableâthey don't fully gel into a cohesive whole, and detailed stories about, say, the way one Japanese entrepreneur transformed the world's pearl market are juxtaposed with historical trivia. Still, Finlay's winning personality may well be enough to keep readers turning the pages. 8 pages of color and b&w illus. throughout. (Aug.)
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| | Product Details | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 7 reviews |
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 travel, history and gem facts all in one Jun 24, 2008
I picked this book up in a museum shop because I love jewelry and have always wondered about where jewels and gems come from.
Other reviews have given an overall synopsis, so I will just say that there are fascinating stories in this book.
The story that captivated me the most was the author's search for opals in Coober Pedy, Australia, where the sun is so intense that the people used to live underground. Finley has included a photo of an elderly miner outside his underground home.
Finley went down into the opal mines, as she did many other mines around the world in search of jewels.
She incorporates many photos and engravings, several in color.
But, the author's last paragraphs are probably the best:
"We can use diamonds in whatever way we like.....There is desire to make someone happy, there is admiration, there is ostentation...and there is a company's profit curve.The diamond I was holding was about illusion and about slicing through illusion. It was about forever and never, and it was about nothing at all."
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Interesting, well-written Jan 07, 2008
Very interesting book that's well-written. I bought another of Ms. Finlay's books, "Color" because I liked this one so much. I like how she's organized the 'chapters' on the Moh scale of hardness, and the stories of her adventures in discovering each of the gems are just wonderful. A great, informative, enjoyable read.
1 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 a casual read with some interesting facts Nov 05, 2007
This book is similar to the other one by the author on Colors. I enjoy the history and the facts. I am sometimes bothered by her style that is often too emotional and overly emotional for my taste.
1 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Great book on Gems Oct 10, 2007
This book gave the history, stories, and myths about each stone. I loved this book. A very quick read.
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 A rainbow of gems and an interesting read Mar 05, 2007
With this book - which is effectively a sequel to her book on colour - Victoria Finlay investigates the history, myth and reality of the jewels we often place so much status on. She starts with Amber the softest of the semi-precious jewels and works her way through to Diamonds, which are much more common and not as indestructible as the jewellers and marketers would have us believe.
This is an interesting read, and while not exhaustive, will still manage to tell some new stories about gemstones even if you have read many other books on the subject. A combination of travel diary, history and general knowledge this book is educational and may make some readers view the stones in their jewel box in a new light. And as for "birth stones" - read the appendix at the end, it may open your eyes on one of the great marketing hoaxes.
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