Jewellers quick reference guide to working with gemstones

Jewellers’ quick reference guide to working with gemstones

Jewellers, have you ever experienced that heart-stopping moment when you've accidently damaged a gemstone?

As a gemmologist & jeweller, I understand the frustration & potential loss when a gemstone is damaged. This guide is specifically designed for jewellers, sharing valuable gemmological information to help prevent costly mishaps.

Keep this guide on your bench as a quick reference when designing, setting or working on any piece of jewellery. 

Covering a wide range of gemstones, from common amethyst to rarer sillimanite, this resource provides crucial information on each stone's durability. Further information includes:

  • Will a gemstone survive contact with files, abrasive wheels or the pickle pot?

  • Can it withstand resizing, repairing, polishing or ultrasonic cleaning?

  • Learn the potential risks of steam cleaning, barrel polishing & other common workshop practices.

This guide provides jewellers with the knowledge to protect gemstones & minimize costly mistakes.

So, before you throw that gem-set piece of jewellery into the barrel polisher or ultrasonic cleaner or light the torch to resize that ruby ring why not double check if there might be a reason not to…

reviews jewellers quick reference guide to working with gemstones by Sally Spencer

£29.99

UK - free p&p (please choose this option at checkout)

Discounted shipping to Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Malta, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden & Switzerland - you may have to pay import VAT (and customs duties, if payable) and a handling fee to your local postal service or authorities before delivery can be completed and will depend on the destination country.  Please note - it is not possible to ship to a PO Box address.

*PLEASE NOTE in light of the tariff changes coming in on 29 August 2025, we will sadly be suspending shipping books & gemstones to the USA on 22 August until further notice - Books can still be purchased in the USA through Brickyard Books, Jewelry Arts Inc Tools & Amazon.com

If your country is not listed here, please email me and I will be happy to get a shipping quote for you or click here for a list of international stockists.  

jewellers quick reference guide to working with gemstones by Sally Spencer

Contents

  • How to use the book with explanations for each of the various jewellery making processes - covers durability (hardness, toughness & stability - click here to find out more about durability), abrasives, barrel polishing, casting in place, firing in a kiln, filing, pickling, polishing, steam cleaning, heat from a torch (including firing in metal clay) & ultrasonic cleaning.

  • Gemmology & how can it help

  • How to use a loupe & tweezers

  • Visual clues of indications how a gemstone may react to the processes (with photos)

  • 130 pages of gemstone information covering more than 110 different varieties & including 181 colour photos

  • Gemstone facet names, shapes & cuts

  • Information about casting in place, kiln firing & torch firing gemstones

  • Table of gemstones by colour

  • Cleaning gemstone jewellery & care advice for customers

  • Glossary

RRP: £29.99 

Jeweller's quick reference guide to working with gemstones review

My first Amazon review...

and it's 5 star!

Thank you Erin - I'm so happy the book is out there, on benches, helping jewellers when they are working with gemstones.

In case you are wondering - the book was written to help all jewellers, whether they have been in the industry for years or recently started making jewellery as a hobby.

Another lovely review...

Thank you Kate! 

Every comment, email or review means the world to me because it is a fellow jeweller who’s finding my book helpful & discovering more about the gemstones they are working with.  That’s a pretty special feeling.

 

Jewellers quick reference guide to working with gemstones review