Part 5

Midwest Federation of Mineralogical and Geological Societies 306 Somonauk Park Forest, IL 60466

Check the phone book for your nearest rock and mineral shop and talk to the owners.

Role of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

The USGS reports deposits that seem likely to contain gemstones. It is not a function of the USGS to exploit such resources.

USGS geologists perform continuing research on kimberlites, the initial source of diamonds. Not all kimberlites are diamond-bearing, and some of the research is directed to learning what indications you look for during exploration to distinguish fertile from barren kimberlite. USGS geologists are compiling a U.S. map showing the locations of known kimberlites.

Selected general references

A trip to your local library is the best first step toward understanding gemstones and toward planning a trip to gem and rock shops or to places where you may be able to collect gemstones.

A list of Selected references on rocks, minerals, and gemstones is compiled and updated every two years by the USGS Geologic Inquiries Group, 907 National Center, Reston, VA 22092; (703) 648-4383. The list has three sections: selected guides for rockhounds and hobbyists, general references for all ages, elementary school to adult, and periodicals.

The guides in Section I tell about equipment needed for collecting, etiquette of collecting, map reading, organizing a collection, collecting localities by States, mineral societies, mineral show dates and locations, and rock, mineral, and fossil dealers.

The references below focus mainly on natural gemstones and the gems made from them rather than on synthetic gemstones, rocks, or other nongem minerals.

Minerals Yearbook

The relatively few pages on gemstones in the multivolume Minerals Yearbook provide data on sources, kinds, and volume of domestic production, domestic consumption, prices, and foreign trade. This U.S. Bureau of Mines yearbook is in the reference sections of many major libraries. It can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

Books

Gemology, Cornelius S. Hurlbut Jr. and Robert C. Kammerling: John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1991, 2nd ed.

Gemstones and Their Origins, Peter C. Keller: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990.

Color Encyclopedia of Gemstones, Joel Arem: Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1987, 2nd ed., 68 p.

Gemstones for Everyman, B.W. Anderson: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1976, 268 p.

Gems and Precious Stones, Curzio Cipriani and Alessandro Boreli; Valerie Palmer, translator: Kennie Lyman, U.S. editor: Simon and Schuster, New York, 1986, 384 p.

Gem and Crystal Treasures, Peter Bancroft: Mineralogical Record, Carson City, NV, 1984, 488 p.

Planet Earth—Gemstones, Paul O’Neil and the editors of Time-Life Books: Time-Life Books, Arlington, VA, 1983, 176 p.

Gemstones of the World, Walter Schumann (translated by Evelyne Stern): Sterling, New York, 1984, 256 p.

Gems & Crystals from the American Museum of Natural History: An illustrated guide to the history, lore, and properties of the gems and minerals of one of the world’s greatest collections, Anna S. Sofiandes and George E. Harlow: Simon & Schuster, New York, 1990, 208 p.

The Gem Collection (Treasures in the Smithsonian Series No. 1), P.E. Desautels: Smithsonian Institution, Washington, 1983, 77 p.

Gemstones of North America, John Sinkankas: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, 1959, 675 p.

Gems and Precious Stones of North America—A popular description of their occurrence, value, history, archeology, and of collections in which they exist, G.F. Kunz: Dover Publishing, New York, 1968 (reprint of a classic work dated 1892), 367 p.

Emerald and Other Beryls, John Sinkankas: Chilton Way, Radnor, PA, 1981, 665 p.

Handbook of Gem Identification, R.T. Liddicoat Jr.: Gemological Institute of America, Santa Monica, CA, 1981 (11th ed.), 450 p.

Field Collecting Gemstones and Minerals, John Sinkankas: Geoscience Press, Prescott, AZ, 1988, 2nd ed., 397 p.