The geological origin, occurrence and locality of gemstones
The chemical composition of gemstones
Crystallography
Cleavage, parting and fracture
Hardness
Specific gravity, density and relative density
Colour, lustre and sheen
Reflection and refraction
Polarization and pleochroism
Spectroscopy
Luminescent, electrical and thermal properties of gemstones
The hand lens, microscope and Chelsea filter
Gemstone enhancement
Synthetic gemstones and gemstone simulants
Identifying inorganic gemstones and their synthetic counterparts
Identifying inorganic gemstone simulants
Identifying organic gem materials and their simulants
The fashioning of gemstones
Practical gemstone identification.