This lavishly illustrated book makes us aware of both the great natural beauty and the tremendous importance of minerals in the world today. Includes a splendid “gallery of minerals” – a selection of more than 100 minerals, superbly illustrated and discussed in detailed commentaries. Specific descriptive data are given, as well as information about where each mineral is found, the conditions under which it was formed, its use in industry, and its value to the lapidarist and collector. Supplementary technical and scientific information is provided by diagrams and drawings, and appendix of the chemical elements, and a selected bibliography.