After 20 years of labor, the Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones, vol. 1, by John Koivula and the late Dr. Eduard Gübelin, finally has a sibling. Koivula and Gübelin’s Photoatlas, vol. 2, a continuation of volume 1, offers more than 2,200 new photomicrographs of inclusions in hundreds of gems.

A potential problem with a book of this magnitude (it runs 829 pages) is getting up to speed quickly with terminology. The authors avoid this, providing a comprehensible reference to every type of inclusion illustrated in the book.

In Part II, the thematic section, the authors explain how they were able to view, photograph, and identify the inclusions. There also are numerous pages on identifying inclusions, including use of X-ray diffraction and various types of spectroscopy.

The book also has images of inclusions to aid gem identification, such as inclusions within inclusions, diagnostic inclusions, diagnostic colors of mineral inclusions, and more.

Part IV, 526 pages of “Inclusions in Gems of Commercial Importance,” is an alphabetical gem reference that ranges from amber to zoisite.

This book and its predecessor should be part of every gemological library. The clarity and artistry of every shot is magnificent, rendering it not only the ultimate tool for gem identification but also a work of gemological art. (Note: Volume 3 is slated to be published this summer.)

Added bonus: If you buy the book from Koivula’s Web site at www.microWorldofGems.com, you can have it autographed.