Alan Hodgkinson

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Gem Testing Techniques by Alan Hodgkinson.
This third printing of Alan's book is unchanged except for minor corrections and an updated, single-page preface.
To keep this new print run distinct from the first 'sapphire' and second 'amethyst' printings, we have changed the cover colour to 'garnet'.

We are holding the price at £165, the same as the second printing for a limited time. The price will increase later in the year to reflect increased production costs.

We are the official retailer of Gem Testing Techniques.

Availability & Shipping

AVAILABLE FOR POSTAGE/SHIPPING TO A LIMITED NUMBER OF COUNTRIES/REGIONS.
We currently ship to Scotland, Wales, England, United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, India and Hong Kong. Further locations may be added later.
We cannot ship to the European Union, Europe's Single Market or Northern Ireland at this time.

We have reduced shipping charges to reflect recent lower surcharges in relation to distribution since the pandemic.

UK Postage/shipping £10 – added at checkout.

International shipping prices are approximate and may vary slightly depending on exchange rates at the time of purchase.

Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, South Africa, Thailand, UAE, USA –postage/shipping £25 – added at checkout.

New Zealand postage/shipping £35 – added at checkout.

Our shipping fees are being affected by fuel surcharges at this time. As fees change we will reflect this in the shipping costs.

You can only order one copy per transaction/order but you can come back for more than one transaction in a new session.

Additional Charges
When a package is delivered internationally, it may be subject to import taxes, customs duties, and/or fees imposed by the destination country. The end customer/buyer is responsible for any fees incurred if/when transported across international borders.

Testimonials

  • "So very happy I managed to get a copy of this 'bible'.
    I love the way it's presented and it's enjoyable to read as well as being the first 'go to' book for any information needed as it's so easy to find what you are looking for.
    I shall treasure it as well as continue to use it!"
    Catherine Pengilly

  • "I can not thank you enough for writing this book Alan, I reference it multiple times a week. It has become my go to book in gem ID. It never ceases to amaze me every time I open it up. The layout, detail and the amount of information inside is incredible. And your book tackles something that most lab manuals and other books do not, you explain why. Beautifully done! "
    Melissa Allen

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Gem Testing Techniques by Alan Hodgkinson – third printing in garnet binding

Our Third Printing of Gem Testing Techniques is now available.

The third printing of Gem Testing Techniques with an updated, single-page preface and minor corrections. 
Featuring a new 'garnet' colour cover.

ONLY AVAILABLE IN A LIMITED NUMBER OF COUNTRIES/REGIONS. 
Further locations may be added later. Regrettably we cannot ship to the European Single Market or Northern Ireland at this time.

BUY NOW

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Damage in Transit & Returns

Shipping Policy

  • Damage in Transit

    If your book is damaged in transit please take photos of both the packaging and book itself. Without images of the packaging and book we cannot claim against Royal Mail or Parcelforce. Contact us within 3 days of receipt of your book to inform us of any damage. Our carrier may wish to send you a questionnaire directly to your email regarding the damage.

  • Returns

    If you are not happy with your book we will refund you once we take delivery of the returned book in the original packaging. Contact us first about returning your book by emailing gemtestingtechniques@gmail.com

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Shipping Policy

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Information

The Book

Printed in Scotland by a printer with ISO 9001 Quality, ISO 14001 Environment, ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety and FSC Chain of Custody accreditation. Written, designed, published, printed and bound in Scotland in order to assure worker conditions.

Full colour throughout – the reprint has 556pp including a new, single-page preface. Case bound with head & tail bands and a marker ribbon. No book jacket.

Part-time Business

We release a small quantity of books each month for sale. 
This allows us to fit our other work commitments and lives around selling the book.
We are not a 'fast turnaround' business. In most instances, we will ship your book within one week of payment clearance, however it may occasionally take longer than this.

It took Alan Hodgkinson a lifetime of gemmological exploration to create the content for Gem Testing Techniques. We think the book is worth waiting for and we hope you agree!

Correction to the First Edition

We found one error in the First Edition (though we are sure there may be others) which has been corrected in the reprint and that correction followed through to instances in the index. Page 392, Feld-18a, bytownite changed to labradorite. The second edition had a couple of minor graphic issues (slipped arrow etc.) that have been corrected in this third reprinting.

The Printing Paper

The paper for the book is FSC, PEFC, ISO 14001 and ISO50001 accredited and is ECF – Elemental Chlorine Free. 

Our Packaging

1. Our book wraps are made from climate neutral, FSC certified Kraftliner grades and are 100% recyclable.

2. The plastic bag is made from 50% recycled material.

3. We use recycled paper wrap (when we can source it).

4. The pink bubble wrap bag is made of plastic.

5. We use tissue paper to wrap each book.

Postage/Shipping Charged at Check Out

We send the books with tracking and/or signature where possible.

UK postage/shipping £10 – added at checkout.

International shipping prices are approximate and may vary slightly depending on exchange rates at the time of purchase.

Our international shipping rates fluctuate depending on the surcharges we face.

*We cannot ship to the European Single Market or Northern Ireland at this time.

Additional Charges
When a package is delivered internationally, it may be subject to import taxes, customs duties, and/or fees imposed by the destination country. The end customer/buyer is responsible for any fees incurred if/when transported across international borders.