Although commissioned originally as a popular publication on precious
stones, this book was planned on more advanced lines even before it was
begun, and written in order to meet the demand from the jewellery trade
for text-book on gemmology. Therefore, this rare book is both scientific
and accessible, making it the perfect book for the budding amateur and
seasoned professional alike. Chapters included in this fascinating book
are: Physical Characters, Technology and History, Descriptions,
Semi-precious Stones, Miscellaneous Stones, Ornamental Stones, Organic
Products, and Identification. Dr. George Frederick Herbert Smith
(1872-1953) was a British mineralogist who worked for the British
Natural History Museum. He discovered the mineral paratacamite in 1906
and also invented the first efficient jeweller's refractometer. We are
proud to republish this scare antiquarian book here complete with a new
introduction to the subject.