|
Where do diamonds fit into the pantheon of gems? Here, we present 20 of the world's most prized gemstones, together with the properties that experts use to distinguish them from one another and from artificial lookalikes. Click on the gems at left and become, for the moment, a gemologist.
Further reading
Gems: Their Sources, Descriptions, and Identification (Fifth Edition) By Robert Webster Oxford, U.K.: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1994
Gemology By Cornelius S. Hurlbut, Jr. and George S. Switzer New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1979
Gemstones By Christine Woodward and Dr. Roger Harding London: British Museum, 1987
Photo: ©Alison Wright/Corbis
The Science Behind the Sparkle | Diamonds in the Sky
A Primer of Gemstones | See Inside a Diamond
Resources | Transcript | Site Map | Diamond Deception Home
Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule
About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print
PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH
© | Updated November 2000