[Book Review] Secrets of the Gem Trade

Hi all, here’s a copy of my review of our very own Richard Wise’ new
book for gem connnoissiours.
Best Charles

"Secrets of the Gem Trade"
by Richard Wise reviewed by Charles Lewton-Brain 2003.
ISBN 097282239-9,

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0972822399/ganoksincom-20

292 pages hardcover, with120 color photos

Every goldsmith, jeweler, gemologist, gem lab, gem dealer and
gemstone collector needs a copy of this book around. Especially gem
collectors and connoisseurs, at whom the book is primarily aimed.

This very readable book represents the accumulated wisdom and
experience of a lifetime in the field, and especially a life
committed to examining and buying as well as selling
them. The view is unique, and rich with examples and deep background
In fact the view is different than any other book in
the field. It is eminently practical and deals with the skills of
connnoissiourship, that is how to really look at and see a gem, what
the subtleties and conventions are. This view is one that people in
our field need to hear and take account of. The language used is
rich, flavored and interesting. Wise’s strong personality comes
through clearly as does his logic as he questions assumptions,
institutions (gasp-even GIA at times) and invents new words and
concepts to make his points about evaluating gems. New ideas include
Daystones and Nightstones gems which truly work best under
different lighting conditions. And the idea of Crystal an older term
reintroduced, a term to evaluate a sense of clarity, transparency and
even ‘glow’ in a gem.

Real and apparent rarity are discussed at length and their
implications for gem prices. He makes a good case that the diamond
grading system’s intention is to increase apparent rarity of diamonds
and is a handy marketing device in this regard for a monopolized
business whose gems are, perhaps, not so rare at all.

He’s done a marvelous job of this first book, a monumental work, a
tour de force. There is a pleasant critique of the established
system, a clear independence of thought. All that and nice thick
creamy paper, excellent layout and binding too. There is a thoroughly
respectable bibliography.

The book begins with a discussion of preciousness, history and
concepts. Market forces are discussed at length. Then issues of
connoisseurship are dealt with along with a really great overview of
theories and applications (for gem evaluation) of light, color,
dispersion, and cut. Buying advice and dealer’s tricks are scattered
throughout the text, as are hints for strategic buying for the best
return. Gems and qualities ignored by the trade are pinpointed for
the canny investor and gem buyer to take advantage of. There are
astute statements such as “poor cutting is almost always the result
of a well thought out weight retention strategy”.

And over and over there is detail about how to actually look at a
gem, what to see and how to appreciate it and value it. And how and
why the trade values one thing over another. Pithy shopping tips are
everywhere, such as always get the price stated before the pick, then
select, and if necessary remind the dealer of the tradition that once
given a price cannot be withdrawn.

There is great about stars, catseyes, pearls and
diamonds. Colorless diamonds and their grading are covered in more
depth and more sensibly than I’ve seen elsewhere. There is good
on gem treatments and how they relate to disclosure and
to the market. Really up to date on new sources, and
newer gemstones spills from those chapters. Numerous gems are dealt
with in depth, from a buyers point of view.

This is a great addition for the gemologist, whose
references are often theoretical or deliberately academic in nature.
There are some truly current comments on new diamond cut studies and
conclusions (there is no ideal cut!). Wise argues that there are in
fact an infinite number of ideal cuts for diamond if computer models
are used to vary proportions. He talks about recent changes in
thought on the value of blue fluorescing diamonds (its ok after all).

Areas that I think Wise misses on includes his approach to
synthetics, which barely rate comment, except with the caveat “to
have a gem report from a reputable gem lab accompany the purchase” or
“the dealer must state natural on the sales certificate”, which is
fine given the viewpoint of the book but to my mind missed certain
that might be useful to one buying gems, and to the
gemologist and goldsmith lessen the apparent value of the book a bit.
For instance there is no reference to synthetic moissanite or to
irradiated green diamonds in the section on green diamonds (yes I
know they were very rare). In yellow diamonds there is no mention at
all of the current crop of yellow synthetics which are coming in and
which beat the best natural ones for color and quality. Given the
amount of the rest of the valuable in the book this is a
fairly minor quibble, but one that stuck out for me. Wise responded
that this was a conscious decision because of the numerous other
books available specializing in treatments and synthetics. He says "
In fact, any treatment of the issue is almost obsolete by the time it
is published, eg. deep diffusion, lattice diffusion, they don’t even
know how the latest one is actually done. My objective was to deal
with just what you point out, connoisseurship and quality
evaluation".

My recommendation: Buy this book! It is an invaluable addition to
gemstone literature and a necessary part of the library of all
involved in the field. Wise is a renowned author, whose articles have
appeared in many magazines, including GIA’s Gems and Gemology, as
well as having a retail jewelry gallery and store. This means that he
understands the goldsmiths point of view as well as the clients and
the collector.

The book may be ordered from:

http://www.rwwise.com/
http://www.secretsofthegemtrade.com/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0972822399/ganoksincom-20

Charles Lewton-Brain/Brain Press
Box 1624, Ste M, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2L7, Canada
Tel: 403-263-3955 Fax: 403-283-9053 Email: @Charles_Lewton-Brai1

I had the honour to review Richard W. Wise’s book “Secrets of the Gem
Trade - The Connoisseur’s Guide to Precious Gemstones”

This book impressed me so much that I would like to share my review
with all of you who are not familiar with my site:

In “Secrets of the Gem Trade (The Connoisseur’s Guide to Precious
Gemstones)” Richard Wise leads you through the swamps of the gem
trade. With an almost novelistic penmanship he teaches you how to
judge and grade quality in gemstones while clearing some dogma’s
along the way. Whether you like to know what the best color is in
Tanzanite, or how to grade a Diamond, you will find it in this book.
No other book I read before dealt with this topic in such detail as
Richard Wise’s masterpiece.

He will not bore you with large tables of refractive indices, nor
will he try to make a gemologist out of you. What he will do is make
you an expert on colorgrading and judging quality through good old,
and fun, reading. Not holding back he reveals the secrets of
gemdealing and how to act as a pro in the field. This book opened my
eyes and titillated my senses to a degree that I wanted to catch the
next plane to Bangkok and try it myself.

This extensive work is a must for every professional in the gemstone
industry. It should be made mandantory reading for all jewelry
appraisal courses and every selfrespecting gemologist should have
this book on his desk, not on his shelf.

This was not meant as spam, but I wanted to publicly bow for Richard.
You can read sample pages at http://secretsofthegemtrade.com/

Happy reading,
Alain