Working with Gemstones
A Bench Jeweler’s Guide
by Arthur Anton Skuratowicz and Julie Nash
Enjoy stress-free setting! Featuring more than 100 full-color photos, this book provides the information you need to avoid damaging expensive—sometimes irreplaceable—gems.
• Common gemstone enhancements and treatments.
• How specific gems react to pressure
• How to design and modify jewelry to accommodate a gem’s characteristics.
• "Tools that Rule": What every jeweler needs close at hand.
• Charts on how stones react to abrasives, chemicals, and heat.
• Advice on proper care and cleaning methods.
Price: $34.95. MJSA member price: $29.50.
"Every major gemstone typically used in the jewelry industry is covered in this book, making it a fine resource for the beginning bench jeweler as well as anyone doing repair check-in at a retail store…In addition, some seldom-seen stones are included, making it a good reference for experienced jewelers." Mark Maxwell, Gems & Gemology, GIA
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About the Authors
Arthur Anton Skuratowicz, GJG, CGA, is a third-generation jeweler who developed his skills in his family’s Chicago area store. He attended the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and after completing courses there he became the first instructor hired to teach both gemology and manufacturing arts. Julie Nash, GJG, ASA, grew up on a registered Hereford cattle ranch in the isolated high country of Colorado and became a silversmith during her senior year of high school. While attending college, Julie continued crafting sterling silver and gemstone jewelry, and her creations were featured at Saks Fifth Avenue in Palo Alto, California. After earning a B.A. in studio art at Colorado College, she attended GIA, where she completed the Graduate Gemologist and Graduate Jeweler programs. After marrying in 1995, Arthur and Julie left their teaching positions at GIA and relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to get back into jewelry retail. In 1999 they moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where they started AntonNash LLC Appraisers and Consultants. In 2007, they founded The Jewelry Training Center in Colorado Springs, where Arthur serves as Director of Education.
At a Glance
Publication date: 2005
ISBN 0-9713495-4-1
Softcover, perfectbound
More than 100 full-color photographs
Gemstone resources section
Hazard charts for each gem
Inside the Book
Glossary of Gem Terms
Working with Alexandrite
Working with Apatite
Working with Aquamarine
Working with Chalcedony
Working with Diamond
Working with Emerald
Working with Feldspar
Working with Garnet
Working with Iolite
Working with Jade
Working with Lapis Lazuli
Working with Morganite
Working with Organic gems
Working with Opal
Working with Pearl
Working with Peridot
Working with Quartz
Working with Ruby
Working with Sapphire
Working with Spinel
Working with Tanzanite
Working with Topaz
Working with Tourmaline
Working with Turquoise
Extra Facets: Tool-Specific Dangers
Extra Facets: Metal Interactions with Stones