I have been doing some research lately on pearls. While I know a lot about them already, I have a little outside project I'm working on, so I am cracking the books, and most recently this includes a little book from author and gemologist, Fred Ward, called simply Pearls.

After finding this book on Amazon.com, I discovered that he has written a slew of gemstone books covering everything from diamonds to jade. I just got this book yesterday, so the jury is still out on my specific take on this book, but this what some of the reviews say about it:

John White, smithsonian Curator
Excellent book... superb photographs... delightfully written... careful research... compact format. Ward has a knack for pulling together the essence of a subject. We should applaud the appearance of a book as good as Fred Ward's... ought to be required reading.

Dr. E. Gubelin, C.G., F.G.A.
Your books are so good and so fascinating that I feel you should continue your publications on gemstones... well-written and informative... fascinating reading for professionals as well as laymen... magnificent illustrations.

Reader reviews also rated it pretty highly, so I'm hoping I have a real "gem" of a book here (pun intended). It's not even a hundred pages long, so hopefully, I'll find some time to sit down and soak it up soon.