Agates, the first popular guide to the brilliantly banded and highly prized gemstones, sold 7,000 copies in hardcover, no doubt for the glorious color photographs that capture collectors' enthusiasm for the stones' distinctive shapes and vivid colors.

Agates is a comprehensive, easy-to-use identification guide and a worldwide listing of where they are found.

The book describes:

• Names of agates--mineralogical, geological, local, trade, trivial
• Properties of agates--e.g., color, wall-banded, level-banded, cracked, thunder eggs
• Sources of agates--e.g., eruptions, lava, sediment, limestone beds, and fissures
• Lapidary--sawing, grinding, sanding, polishing
• Imitations and forgeries of agates
• Uses of agates through the ages, with beautiful photographs of artifacts and jewelry
• Early writing and collections
• Use of agates in science and technology
• Collecting
• National and regional maps showing agate-producing areas.

Amateur gemologists and agate collectors alike will find this informative and beautifully illustrated book to be an indispensable resource.