KNOW THE GAMS

For these reasons, in buying gems you should know more about. them than their rarity and cost. You should also know:

1. What the choice of gems is. You have more gems to choose from than you may realize. A good many are relatively unknown despite their beauty, and are inexpensive in comparison to the better known gems.
2. What to look for in a particular gem. Some gems come Idifferent colors, and one color may be preferable to another. Again color may be more important than clarity.
3. What you can expect from a particular gem. For example will it scratch or fracture easily? Might it even fade or change color with time?
4. What the substitutes are. Substitutes can sometimes passed off as genuine stones, but you do not always have to be a expert to tell which is which.

Sometimes, too, substitutes that agenuine stones can be beautiful in their own right, as long as y know you are buying the substitute. An alphabetic listing of subtitutes and what they actually are is given in Appendix I for ea; reference. The list of gems below covers these points. In addition, ! hardness of each gem on the Mohs scale is given to indicate geneCare . Remember, the Mohs scale runs from 1 to 10, with 10 being hardest mineral or gem. As a rule, the softer the gem, the more the hardest it needs.

Where special care is necessary, that fact will be noted and the care given in Chapter 9. Although experts do not always agree on all points, the information represents as accurate a consensus of opinions on the subject as possible. The purpose of this book is not to be a text on gems but to be a guide to help you through the difficulties encountered in buying gems and, it is hoped, help you )id some of the pitfalls.