Collecting and Classifying Coloured Diamonds: An Illustrated Study of the Aurora Collection

Rating:
Summary: Excellent photos,certain materials hard to read
Review: The most attractive parts are certainly the photography and the quality of the color printing. There are however a few disappointments. Firstly,under the chapter of the photos for the entire collection,one's appreciation can be marred by the reading of the so called Common Names for the diamonds which are by no means common.For readers who are not color diamond experts (and indeed even for those in the trade), such names could sometimes sound pompous. Secondly, the most widely adopted GIA color grading description is not used.I suppose somehow there is a temptionion for the author to preach and start his own system which could perhaps be understandable as 7 years of hard work has been done.Frequently, I still browse through the book, not so much because of the text,but because of the excellent colour photos. Overall,the author has still done a lot for the trade and introduced the wonderful color diamond world to the public.It is definitely a book I will treasure.For those who have been facinated by this book,they could be frustrated by the absence of sufficient materials on the subject.The way to quench one's thirst is to read the only other comprehensive book (a much thinner but with perhaps much more interesting and readable materials) by Harvey Harris.

Rating:
Summary: The definitive text on colored diamonds.
Review: This amazing piece of work reflects a tremendous effort by the author and his colleagues. The color photography is superb, especially noteworthy considering the difficulty in photographing small colored objects. ...A very useful appendix... and an extensive glossary provides in-depth discussions of technical terms. This is a beautifully illustrated work... it is an excellent compendium of information and should serve as a very valuable reference for gemologists and any scientist involved in diamond research, faculty, researchers, professionals. Reviewed by: Dr. M.E. McCallum, in Choice magazine, Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, October 1998, Earth Science, # 36-0970.