Publications spanning the entire subject of basic gemmology are few and not showing up every day. In May of this year I recieved a new publication by canadian gemmologist Geoffrey M Dominy who just released his contribution to the field of gemmology.
It is distributed digitally for a variety of platforms and is aimed at beginners as well as professionals. The language is straight on and easy to grasp and the subdivision of the eBook into chapters guiding the beginner from the foundating chemistry and physics into the world of gemstones and their properties is well thought through. Illustrations many times show gemmological/physical principles with the aid of every day objects and situations. This approach makes the understanding easier for beginners who then can relate to familiar things. There are many photographic illustrations of very high quality showing everything from inclusions, different gem color qualities and mining of gemstones. As a fantastic bonus the book contains a whole section of gemstone images by the well known gem photographer Tino Hammid, called ”Reflections”.
If you are looking for a nice and up-to-date publication covering the field of gems and gemmology where you have most of the information you need, go for it. I will for sure recommend this as one of the must have to everyone thinking of becoming a gemmologist and asking me the question what books to start with.
To be completely honest I will always keep The Handbook of Gemmology in my iPad or Windows 8 pad, as that is one of the real benefits, if already being ”mobile” you can carry a complete gemmological reference book without adding any measurable weight to your bag.
Post subject: Re: The Handbook of Gemmology, 1st edition
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 1:15 pm
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Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 12:04 pm Posts: 18
Thank you Conny for your review and Barbra for your comments. I'm glad you have enjoyed the book. We have received almost nothing but positive reviews. Nevertheless, Geoff and I welcome helpful criticisms as well. We will be publishing a new edition every May and we would like to improve the book by incorporating ideas and suggestions from our readers. This is one of the beauties of an ebook.
In addition to the above mentioned improvements we plan to replace all of my 160 photos in the center Reflections portion of the book. There will also be other significant additions which we will announce in the lead-up to next May. Registered purchasers of the first edition will receive a very significant price reduction for the upcoming edition.
Post subject: Re: The Handbook of Gemmology, 1st edition
Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 9:51 am
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Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 12:04 pm Posts: 18
Barbara O. Ellis, GG wrote:
Don't suppose this would work on a Kindle ?
Yes, Barbara, it works on a Kindle. On the disc we have provided file types for Mac, PC, Kindle and ePub. The latter type works on just about all tablets, smart phones, and most other mobile devices.
Post subject: Re: The Handbook of Gemmology, 1st edition
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 6:48 am
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Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 3:34 pm Posts: 381 Location: Sweden
I haven't taken the time to order it yet but I sure will! Saw you on FB. But do I have to have a disc? I thought it was a download? With different files, because I need it to work both on my PC, my iPad and my iPhone. As I understand it will, if I choose the "luxary" version?
Post subject: Re: The Handbook of Gemmology, 1st edition
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 8:23 pm
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Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 12:04 pm Posts: 18
Lennie wrote:
I haven't taken the time to order it yet but I sure will! Saw you on FB. But do I have to have a disc? I thought it was a download? With different files, because I need it to work both on my PC, my iPad and my iPhone. As I understand it will, if I choose the "luxary" version?
Thanks for your order Lennie. At the moment we have not yet made the download available, though it is in the works. There are actually 6 versions of the book on the DVD, each around 400Mb. The six versions are Mac, PC, ePUB (flowing page), ePUB (fixed page, MOBI (flowing page), and MOBI (fixed page). It is quite large for an ebook because of its 654 pages and the large number of photos and illustrations.
Post subject: Re: The Handbook of Gemmology, 1st edition
Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 12:48 pm
Gemology Online Royal Princess
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:56 am Posts: 6461 Location: The frozen north prairie :-/
Okay, a bit more patience with me, please . Let's see if I understand:
If I purchase the book with the .mobi extension, I can use the small USB connector I use to re-charge my Kindle through my computer to download the book. Is this correct?
Or, barring that -- I would have to go to Amazon and open an email account that I can then "email" the book (still with the .mobi extension) to my Kindle?
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