Color encyclopedia of gemstones / Цветная энциклопедия драгоценных камней

The first edition of this encyclopedia was published a decade ago, and some remarkable changes have occurred in the gemstone marketplace during this interval. Although diamond still retains its place as the most popular and esteemed of all gemstones, the extremely wide gap in this leadership position versus colored stones has nar- rowed. There is a large and growing demand for all kinds of gemstones, especially brightly colored stones that can be worn as fashion accessories. Beaded jewelry has become an item of immense popularity; pearls have seen a huge revival. Rare gemstones such as tanzanite and tsavorite have made the transition from collector items to market staples. Even such barely commercial stones as andalusite, iolite, sphene, chrysoberyl, and some of the feld- spars are becoming more widely known and distributed. The long-speculated and long-awaited birth of a large and active collector market for gemstones cannot be far off. About thirty new species may now be added to the list of cut gems, along with some new varieties, such as malaya garnet. Previously unknown localities have yielded large and spectacular crystals of rare species, such as anglesite, which in turn have yielded record-size faceted gemstones. More and more dealers are aware of the growing value of exotic gem species; the list of known taaffeites has thus grown from a handful of gems to per- haps more than fifty known cut stones, and more will surely be identified <...>