corundum, spinel, ruby, sapphire, diamond, Tajikistan.12, quality.10, India.12, Precious stones India Hyderabad., Decoration and ornament India Hyderabad., gems

One of the most outstanding collections of gemstones and jewellery was acquired by the Indian government in 1995. Sometimes worn but never shown, these jewels once belonged to the Nizams of Hyderabad, reputed to be the richest men in the world. Jewels of the Nizams is the first ever study and documentation of this collection. Once part of the Nizams’ state regalia and personal heritage, the ornaments date from the early 18th century to the early 20th century. Finely crafted from gold and silver and highlighted with exquisite enamelling, the jewels are set with Colombian emeralds, diamonds from the Golconda mines, Burmese rubies and spinels, and pearls from Basra and India. Though only a fraction of the legendary wealth of the Asaf Jah dynasty, the collection is breathtaking when translated into gem weights. There are over 25,000 diamonds weighing in excess of 12,000 carats, more than 2,000 emeralds weighing over 10,000 carats, and pearls exceeding 40,000 chows. Jewels of the Nizams documents this unique collection of jewels that give credence to legends, apocryphal tales and fading memories of a fabulously wealthy dynasty that ruled the Deccan for seven generations.

gems, beryl, emerald, Colombia, geology, emerald formation

Emerald mineralisation in Colombia occurs in two separate zones along the margins of the Eastern Cordillera, approximately 80 km apart, with the western zone dated to around 35 million years ago and the eastern zone about 30 million years older. Crush-leach analysis of fluid inclusions in minerals such as emerald, quartz, calcite, dolomite, and fluorite from both zones reveals two distinct brine types associated with emerald formation, with many samples showing intermediate compositions. Fluid 1, primarily found in emerald-hosted inclusions, is dominated by NaCl and displays high Cl:Br ratios, indicating salinity from halite dissolution, likely sourced from local salt beds. Fluid 2, notably present in quartz-hosted inclusions, has similar salinity but contains lower Na and higher levels of Ca, K, Fe, and other cations, with lower Cl:Br ratios more typical of formation waters, though it also likely derives salinity in part from halite. Linear trends in bivariate plots of cation concentrations, regardless of host mineral or locality, confirm that mixing between the two fluids occurred. The presence of these same fluid types in both zones, despite differences in age and geography, suggests that fluid chemistry was controlled by similar interactions with evaporites and black shales in both cases. It is proposed that beryllium was transported as Be–F complexes in the NaCl-rich fluid and that emerald precipitated upon mixing with the calcic brine, which also triggered the precipitation of fluorite and parisite.

corundum, history.1, quality.10, India.12, Tajikistan.12, spinel, beryl, emerald, ruby, diamond, Jewelry India., gems, Indian lapidary

The stories of Indian princes and their jewelry and precious stones are brought together in this illustrated narrative tracing the rise and fall of India's leading royal houses through the dramatic fortunes of their crown jewels. Traditionally, precious metals and jewels have been, for Indians rich and poor, a repository of wealth and a status symbol. For the reigning families, jewels also had symbolic and religious significance. Also here are the original drawings by great European jewelers of the pieces they designed for their exotic and demanding clients. The text is both lively and scholarly, drawing from descriptions of such travelers as Marco Polo and Tavernier as well as Sanskrit dramatists extolling the riches of India.

gems, beryl, emerald, Brazil, Colombia, synthetic beryl, synthetic beryl, emerald

Collection of papers on emerald from the Gemmologia Europa VII Conference.

gems, beryl, emerald, Colombia, inclusions

gems, pearls, Arabic mineralogy, al-Biruni, famous pearls, al-Yatima pearl, Arabic Mineralogy, Islamic jewelry, Islamic gems

Exquisite pieces of jewelry with huge precious stones were, and still are, objects of irresistible attraction to everyone. Their beauty and rarity captivate, and above all their adventurous, if occasionally legendary, histories and royal genealogies are fascinating. Among the world-famous gemstones whose history is said to go back to the medieval period is the Timur ruby in the collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which bears the names of several other royal owners in addition to the great Timurid ruler Tamerlane (1336–1404). Another is the so-called Hope diamond, now in the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., which was probably bought in India by the French merchant Tavernier, who later sold it to King Louis XIV. It was kept until the French Revolution in the royal collection, reappeared in 1830 in London, and was bought by the banker Henry Hope after whom it is named. It was presented to the Smithsonian by the New York jeweler Harry Winston. Of no less fame is the so-called Smaragd Karls des Grossen (Charlemagne’s emerald) in the treasury of Mittelzell-Reichenau which, though made out of a large piece of emerald glass (length: 56 cm, height: 37 cm, and width: 3 cm), was regarded until the eighteenth century as the biggest emerald in the world and was traditionally said to have been given to Charlemagne by Harun al-Rashid. It should be pointed out, however, that a certain huge emerald (smaragdum magnum) was mentioned in the Chronicon Mundi (completed in 1236) of D. Lucas, the bishop of Tuy. He says that the splendid stone was given by King Alfonso VII to King Louis VII on a visit that the latter paid to the church of Santiago de Compostela, probably in 1154. He adds that the stone was presented to Alfonso VII by King “Zafadola”—that is, King Sayf al-Dawla, ruler of Rueda de Jalón in Aragon—and that it was carried by King Louis back to France; Louis later presented it to the monastery of the Blessed Dionysius.

gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, jade treatments, jade boulder, Myanmar, emerald, Vietnam ruby,

beryl, chrysoberyl, beryl, emerald, alexandrite, Russia, Urals, Malysheva, gems

The emeralds of the Ural Mountains, in what is now called the Russian Federation, have been known for more than 160 years. They were famous worldwide duringthe early part of the 20th century. However, because little information was made available about these deposits in recent years, many in the gem industry concluded that they had been exhausted. This article reveals that mining and processing are ongoing in the region, with significant reserves of gem-qualityemerald still to be exploited. In addition, the reopening of four mines promises to increase commercial production.

gems, Humboldt, beryl, topaz, emerald, aquamarine, Russia, Ural Mountains, tourmaline, alexandrite, Yekaterinberg,

At the invitation of Nicholas I of Russia, three German scientists undertook a scientific expedition into the remote Siberian reaches of the Russian Empire in 1837. Alexander von Humboldt, accompanied by Gustav Rose and Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, covered nearly 16,000 kilometers in their travels, reaching as far east as the Altai Mountains, just north of the Mongolian border. Rose, the mineralogical expert of the group, recorded the account of their investigations, published in 1837 as Reise nach dem Ural, dem Altai und dem Kaspischen Meere. John Sinkankas has made this enjoyable work accessible to the English-speaking community by providing a translation of the good parts, i.e. those dealing with the gem deposits. Sinkankas has provided the reader with ample footnotes, helpful definitions, conversion factors for Rose’s weights and measures, and corrections and criticisms that allow a full comprehension of the extracts. At the end we also find a short biography of Rose himself. This is a fine, scholarly contribution that also makes very interesting reading. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the history of mineralogy or gemology. — The Mineralogical Record, Vol. 26, May/June 1995.

gems, history of gemology, early lapidaries, history of mineralogy, jewelry, ancient jewelry, Greek jewelry, beryl, emerald

The consummate mastery of Greek goldsmiths and the beauty of their designs elevated jewelry in the Classical period to glorious artistic heights. This volume presents nearly 200 of the finest surviving pieces made between the fifth and the early third century B.C., the era that also saw the creation of the Parthenon at Athens and the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the sculptures of Polykleitos, Praxiteles, and Lysippus, and the paintings of Polygnotos, Apollodoros, Zeuxis, and Nikias.--BOOK JACKET. "Drawn from the unrivaled collections of the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the British Museum, London, the works in this book represent jewelry produced throughout the Greek world. Regional variations and preferences are seen in jewelry from Greece itself, as well as from the wealthy Greek cities in Asia Minor, the Crimea, and South Italy and from partially Hellenized areas such as Cyprus, Egypt, and the Eastern Mediterranean. The authors describe the goldsmiths' techniques in detail, with the aid of specially taken scanning electron microphotographs, and they discuss how the jewelry was worn, its iconography, and how it relates to other arts, such as drawing and sculpture. Each piece is illustrated in full color, with numerous color details showing the intricacy and subtlety of these masterpieces of ancient Greek craftsmanship."