Bidspirit auction | Manuel Reis

Manuel Reis - Diamantes - Manuel Reis, 1984. Published in 1984 as a carefully edited edition by the author, printed and bound in the prestigious printing workshops of ”Amigos do Livro, Editores, Lda.” in Camarate, this book by Manuel Reis, entitled ”Diamantes” (Diamonds), constitutes an important and detailed technical manual of gemology entirely dedicated to the scientific, geometric and commercial study of diamonds. The work, in octavo format, features the collaboration of Álvaro Henrique Torres Águas (as per legal deposit registration no. 7022/84) and offers an in-depth analysis of the gem's physical properties, ideal proportions, cut and classification, being richly illustrated with comparative tables of the most common international color scales (G.I.A., C.I.B.J.O., Scandinavian and English) and rigorous geometric diagrams explaining the cut structure (detailing the 33 facets of the upper part or crown and the 24 or 25 facets of the pavilion). The copy is in excellent condition, exhibiting a solid original publisher's binding in blue hardcover with an elegant silver engraving on the spine and a geometric representation of a faceted diamond on the front cover, keeping the text block perfectly clean and firm, in which only a discreet handwritten note in pencil (”33 facets”) stands out in the upper margin of page 24, which attests to its history of consultation and study.