Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1336496 in Books
• Published on: 1996-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 347 pages

Review
"June Culp Zeitner has a new book in the stores. For her fans, and they are legion, that is enough said. Gem and Lapidary Materials...will doubtless grab the usual Zeitner publication position at the top of the best- reader lists. The book will appeal to gem overs of all types, including cutters, carvers, collectors and appraisers. it is easy to see what drives up sales of Zeitner's books and solicits large crowds at signings: her writing is clear and direct, the material is well-organized and beautifully illustrated. Further Zeitner is a fine teacher who gives her readers a complete tour of the background of gems and lapidary materials with an overview of materials used in lapidary arts throughout history. She is an artisan as well as an artist.

In logical progression, Zeitner guides her reader through transparent faceting materials, cryptocrystalline quartz, pseudomorphs, cabochons and carving materials, ornamental and decorative gem materials, phenomenal gems, metallic gems, rare gems and laboratory-made gems. She combines photos, charts, illustrations, and text to explain all the elements in gem and lapidary materials from how the materials are formed or where they are found, to the differences in their uses by lapidaries. She also explains the varied techniques that jewelry artist use.

June Zeitner has been a prolific writer on lapidary arts, gems, and minerals for Lapidary Journal since the '60s. Zeitner fans who seek out her columns and have read everything she has ever written will not be disappointed in the informational nuggets in her latest book.

....A reading list ends each chapter so those seeking more specific knowledge will know exactly where to find it. Besides covering history, sources and supply for gem and lapidary materials, Zeitner has included useful Refractive Index and Gemstone Dispersion charts, along with complete lists of gem and mineral Educational Associations, and Publications...

This book is an important contribution to the gems/minerals/lapidary field. It is a "must have" for anyone even remotely interested in gems and minerals. -- Lapidary Journal, January 1997

June Zeitner's name is legendary in the lapidary hobby movement. She has been writing articles about gems and minerals, localities and jewelry making since the birth od the American lapidary movement in the 1960s. The book, her largest effort to date. is an attempt to catalog and describe all of the existing geologic materials that lend themselves to the artistry of the lapidarist. Her emphasis is on the idea that gem cutting and carving are true art forms and the resulting products should likewise be considered to be fine art.

....This book is the best work in print for information on regional jasper names and all the bewildering varieties of crystalline and cryptocrystalline quartz....this book is not meant to ba treatise or scientific tome. Rather it is meant to be a survey report that documents the range of minerals and rocks currently being worked by lapidary artists. The book does not try to support terminology of dubious validity, but rather acknowledges the existence and widespread use of this terminology in the marketplace....Although aimed primarily at the hobbyist, it could find a useful place on the shelves of anyone trying to make sense out of the immense range of stone products that ultimately appear in jewelry. -- Economic Geology, Vol.91,no.7,1996

Customer Reviews

useful for begginers and pros
I've been reading lapidary books and journals for years and you really can teach an old dog new tricks. If you're just starting out in the rock hound or novice lapidary world this is an excellent source book containing valuable information on just about any subject you can think of. One thing in particular that I found to be one of the books best qualities is that it's not only an excellent book for source but also an excellent book for resources. It is not in the least boring and you won't want to put it down. It is one of those books that will become worn and torn with age because you'll refer to it frequently over the years to come. My copy is fairly new and already showing signs of wear. Not because of the quality of the material,it is bound very well and the paper on which it's printed is of a high quality which is good. If it was printed on cheap stuff you'd have to buy a new one every six months. For the professional and experienced rock hound a lapidary artist it is also an invaluable source of information and resources. Well worth the money where ever you purchase it and at what ever price you pay for it. It is usually backordred, I had to order my copy, so buy it now while you can. Amazon.coms price is about 35% less than I paid for it and I'm ashamed of myself that I didn't look for it here first, but I plan to buy a couple as gifts anyway. I can't say enough good about this volume. It's well put together, consise, and altogether an enjoyable experience-time and again. The content of the book isn't just the same old stuff you read time and again but instead, the latest technologies used in the field of lapidary with just a hint of the old. There are some tried and true methods of doing things but presented with new twists and ideas that, at least on my part, never occured to me or my longtime lapidary companions. The content is consise and flows extremely smoothly from one page to the next. A thoroughly enjoyable experience for years to come. Thank you - Gordon Lockerd.