"With its sharp vivid color zones, interesting crystal habits, and fabulous associations, fluorite is a highly collectable mineral species. Number 9 in Lithographie's popular monograph series, "Fluorite: Collector s Choice" brings together an international panel of experts and trademark illustrations to create a truly outstanding addition to any collector's library."
"From its mineralogy to its landscape to its personalities, Bolivia is an enigmatic place where anything can and does happen. For centuries, Bolivia's mines and minerals have influenced its history, attracting conquerors, inciting wars and unrest, and making a few men obscenely rich. Bolivia is an impoverished country, which hosts rich resources. It is home to some of the world's most inhospitable climes, which are populated by a warm an ..."
"Populations in both eastern and western cultures have been mining, trading, and carving garnets for millennia. Named for its likeness to the flesh and seeds of the pomegranate (Latin granatus), garnet is most commonly thought of as a red gemstone, but it actually occurs in all colors of the spectrum. In fact, garnet is a complex group of fifteen separate mineral species, which are sometimes hard to differentiate visually and more often ..."
"Emerald and aquamarine have been known and cherished since Antiquity, but it is only in the last few centuries that science has realized that these two coveted gems are actually different varieties of the same mineral -- Beryl. Number 7 in the popular extraLapis English mineralogy monograph series, "Beryl: And Its Color Varieties" surveys the mineralogy and localities of this popular gemstone."
"Just over a century ago, celebrated Tiffany & Company gemologist George Frederick Kunz (1856 1932) published The Curious Lore of Precious Stones (1913), in which he wrote on birth or natal stones: The origin of the belief that to each month of the year a special stone was dedicated, and ... was endowed with a peculiar virtue for those born in that month and was their natal stone, may be traced back to the writings of Josephus, in the f ..."
"More than 40 top mineral localities are featured in this Hardcover book, American Mineral Treasures. Released to commemorate the historic exhibits at the 2008 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show."
"From its earliest days as a territory when prospectors searched for gold and silver to the giant copper camps of the twentieth century to today when Tucson is a mecca for mineral collectors worldwide, the historical fabric of Arizona is woven with minerals. The book endeavors to provide a sense of the people, places, and times that spawned the state's mineral discoveries. It begins with a geologic overview, but the story is more a hist ..."
"To collectors, the word calcite invokes thoughts of shape and for good reason: calcite is found in more habits than any other mineral. It has fascinated crystallographers for generations. Over its long history, calcite has been instrumental in shaping the worlds of microscopy, architecture, mineralogy, technology, physics and even the science of war. Pure calcite is colorless, but even trace impurities can bring intense color to its man ..."
"Eons before humans began extracting and pouring gold, nature was shaping a treasure of her own. Gold is found naturally in a variety of forms from microdust to placer nuggets to complex crystals. Since the dawn of civilization, humans have valued gold, but to most, gold bullion has been more valuable than element in its natural form. Gold—The Noble Mineral explores the world of native gold. Beginning with the basics of gold mineralogy ..."
"Precious opal is a rainbow made tangible. Its spectral blaze of color moves, changes, intensifies, fades, or disappears with the slightest change in perspective. Opal's intriguing play of color and unique atomic arrangement have made it the subject of scientific probing from early optics in the 1850s to high tech photonics today. Equally challenging has been discovering opal's place in history. Its beauty begs to be enshrined in myt ..."
"Taking its name from the Latin rubellus, meaning reddish, rubellite was rare in the ancient world. Its unique properties set it apart from other hard, red gemstones, generically known then as ruby or carbuncle. That distinction was lost during the Dark Ages but revived in the Enlightenment, as science undertook its quest to understand the nature of things. For two and a half centuries, rubellite has had a part of that great unraveling."
"Diamond is associated with ideals of purity, love, nobility, and wealth and with curses, corruption, and poverty. Its unique properties are studied by physicists and geologists, while its value, brilliance, and cultural importance make it a target of historians, investors, lovers, and thieves. Simple, iconic, and beautiful, diamond is the ultimate gemstone."
"Tourmaline has been cherished in Europe's royal treasuries for centuries but until relatively recently was assumed to be ruby or zircon. extraLapis English No.3 explores the world of tourmaline from its fascinating history to the most recent discoveries, while unforgettable images bring life to the story of the stone. Let extraLapis English No. 3 take you inside these colorful crystals and lead you to the places around the world wher ..."