About the Author

Lance Grande is senior vice president and head of collections and research at the Field Museum. He is a curator in the geology department and a general content specialist for the Field's new Grainger Hall of Gems exhibit. He is also a member of the Committee on Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago and is adjunct professor of biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Allison Augustyn, a funding specialist at the Field Museum, was previously an exhibition developer there, where she prepared such exhibits as the Ancient Americas, George Washington Carver, and the Grainger Hall of Gems.

Reviews

"Published to coincide with an expanded Grainger Hall of Gems in Chicago's Field Museum, Gems and Gemstones displays beautiful gemstones (cut and uncut) and explains the geography and science behind their creation. Photos of creations such as the Aztec "Sun-god Opal," in which a human face is cut into a spectacular 35-carat white opal, show just how long gems have retained their hold on the human imagination."-- "Seattle Times"

"Since 1854, my family has run a small Iowa City jewelry store specializing in quality gem stones. I inherited the love for diamonds, but with my writer's salary, money's better spent on the lush pictures in Gems and Gemstones. Penned by the senior veep of the Field Museum, this new tome is the definitive book on precious stones. Hey, diamonds might be a girl's best friend, but a good book is also a good friend...um, yeah."--Time Out Chicago

"Eye candy abounds in this volume on gems based on the newly revamped Grainger Hall of Gems at the Field Museum in Chicago. The book covers such topics as how gems form in nature, how they are classified, and the fascinating history of humanity's love of jewels."--Scientific American "Scientific American"

"Tired of regular jewelry gifts? Take a tour through the mineral world, from Alexandrite, known for its color-changing properties and named after Russia's Czar Alexander II, to Zoisite, which only attains its blue color after a 700-degree Fahrenheit heat treatment. Created as a companion to the 2009 opening of the Grainger Hall of Gems at Chicago's Field Museum, the volume dazzles with its displays of gems and other precious jewelry. A feast for the eyes, and a break for the wallet compared with the treasures it contains, Gems delves into the science and crafting of gems--and brings the bling, too."-- "USA Today"