The book describes a wide range of gem and ornamental materials, species by species, opening up the secrets they sometimes conceal. The book reveals when gemstones can be artificially manufactured, when they can be synthesized or cleverly imitated by other materials - like glass - and when their colour has been enhanced, permanently or for a short time, by the hand of man. Readers are told and shown what the tell-tale features are and learn that while nothing is quite what it seems there are ways in which they can spot give-away signs without needing to consult a laboratory.<br /> <br /> <br /> The book is ideal for the jeweller, the auction house expert, the gemmologist and the mineralogist who will find a new slant on the materials that begin a somewhat less glamorous life as rough specimens.