to this edition In working with my own clients to acquire gemstones and jewelry since this book was first published in 1984, they have pointed out that most people buy jewelry and not gemstones. Because the book offers so much practical advice and money-saving tips about buying jewelry, they urged me to change the title. So, in this edition The Complete Guide to Buying Gems has been changed to Jewelry & Gems: The Buying Guide. Consumer and professional response to the book has been very gratifying. Almost 14,000 hardcover copies are in circulation. We have received hundreds of letters, phone calls and in-person comments about the helpfulness and interesting information it provides. We thank you for encouraging us to make the book more widely available by bringing out this softcover edition. We have taken the opportunity of this softcover edition to update the price guides for diamonds and colored gemstones and, in light of the increase in both the popularity and price of pearls, to add a price guide for them in the Guide to Popular Gems and Their Prices. Also, we want to take this opportunity to comment further on gem invest ment, taking into account major developments since the original manuscript was written in 1980.