gems, beryl, emerald

A series of descriptive, promotional booklets published in New York, probably at the expense of J. R. Wood, eminent jewelers at the time. The copyrights, dated either 1923 or 1924, are “By Justin Wood,” without further information. All are quite uniform as follows. Center-stapled: charcoal gray or pale brown thick paper wrap (overlapping text), 15.3 × 11.2 cm (6 × 4⅜ in). Cut-out glossy col. pl. of carved or cut gems, loose or in mountings, 4.3 × 4.5 cm (1¾ × 1¾ in), pasted within a black frame on cover, with title of gemstone(s) below. Pale tan, charcoal-type text paper; om. init., om. numbers; oval colophon last p. (but not always). Text paper size 14.6 × 10.7 cm (5¾ × 4 3/16 in). Cut. Commonly printed on first page with name of jewelry firm to which pamphlet sold in quantity.

gems, gems general

Stoddard reviews the production, trade, and principal developments in gems and precious stones during 1919. U.S. production was valued at $111,763, about 5% above 1918, with increased output of tourmaline, turquoise, quartz, garnet, spinel, variscite, jet, and fossil coral; tourmaline showed the largest gain. Montana remained the leading producing state, chiefly through sapphire, followed by Maine, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Particular attention is given to the Yogo sapphire mine in Montana; the Arkansas diamond field, where about 5,000 diamonds were estimated to have been recovered since 1906; and the rapidly expanding American diamond market and cutting industry. Imports of precious stones excluding pearls reached a record $91,958,830, reflecting exceptionally high demand and sharply rising diamond prices. Extensive discussion covers South African diamond production and the increasing control of sales by the major producers, as well as new diamond discoveries in the Gold Coast. Other notable subjects include the reported rediscovery of the Chivor emerald mines in Colombia, renewed production of jet in Utah, and a remarkable large black opal associated with the Nevada opal fields.

corundum, Burma.12, gems

A broad introductory lecture on precious stones, written from the practical viewpoint of a mining engineer familiar with Burma’s gem industry. Morgan discusses the qualities that give gems value—beauty, durability, hardness, transparency, color, rarity, and fashion—and surveys the principal precious and semiprecious stones, including diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, opal, spinel, tourmaline, aquamarine, chrysoberyl, peridot, garnet, beryl, zircon, amethyst, moonstone, turquoise, jadeite, and lapis lazuli. His treatment of ruby is especially notable, drawing on experience with the Burma Ruby Mines and giving contemporary observations on value, color, size, production, and the Mogok deposits; he notes that rubies occur chiefly in residual clays and gravels derived from crystalline limestone. He also discusses sapphire, spinel, and tourmaline from Burma and gives particular attention to jadeite, emphasizing its occurrence in northern Burma and its strong Chinese market. Morgan outlines methods of gem recovery from residual deposits, stresses the large scale required for profitable gem mining, and compares ruby mining with diamond recovery. The lecture concludes with remarks on glass, reconstructed and synthetic gems, practical methods of gem identification using hardness, specific gravity, pleochroism, and refractive index, and a tabular summary of the characteristics and principal sources of important gemstones.

corundum, quality.10, gems

A wide-ranging review of the precious-stone industry during 1914, dominated by the disruptive effects of the First World War on mining, cutting, trade, and consumption. Kunz describes the immediate collapse of European demand after the outbreak of hostilities, the interruption of the Amsterdam and Antwerp diamond-cutting industries, restrictions on shipping, and the consequent sharp decline in U.S. imports during the latter part of the year. Much of the report is devoted to diamonds, with detailed accounts of De Beers and Premier operations, the shutdown or curtailment of South African mines, German Southwest African production, the Belgian Congo, Brazil, and other fields. The war caused widespread suspension of mining and severe labor and marketing problems, although diamond prices remained comparatively firm. Other sections treat Colombian emerald mining, Alaskan garnet, pearls and pearl fisheries in the Pacific and Indian oceans, the Burma Ruby Mines at Mogok, and sapphire production at Anakie, Queensland. Kunz notes that the Mogok company operated at a loss for the year and records the effects of weaker European demand for ruby, while Australian sapphire production was also curtailed. The report closes with discussion of the growing international adoption of the metric carat and provides a valuable contemporary account of how the outbreak of war abruptly transformed the global gemstone industry.

corundum, quality.10, gems

A wide-ranging review of the precious-stone industry during 1914, dominated by the disruptive effects of the First World War on mining, cutting, trade, and consumption. Kunz describes the immediate collapse of European demand after the outbreak of hostilities, the interruption of the Amsterdam and Antwerp diamond-cutting industries, restrictions on shipping, and the consequent sharp decline in U.S. imports during the latter part of the year. Much of the report is devoted to diamonds, with detailed accounts of De Beers and Premier operations, the shutdown or curtailment of South African mines, German Southwest African production, the Belgian Congo, Brazil, and other fields. The war caused widespread suspension of mining and severe labor and marketing problems, although diamond prices remained comparatively firm. Other sections treat Colombian emerald mining, Alaskan garnet, pearls and pearl fisheries in the Pacific and Indian oceans, the Burma Ruby Mines at Mogok, and sapphire production at Anakie, Queensland. Kunz notes that the Mogok company operated at a loss for the year and records the effects of weaker European demand for ruby, while Australian sapphire production was also curtailed. The report closes with discussion of the growing international adoption of the metric carat and provides a valuable contemporary account of how the outbreak of war abruptly transformed the global gemstone industry.

corundum, synthetic corundum.7, gems, sapphire, Australia.12, Anakie, pearl, tourmaline, jade, Burma, fei cui, jadeite, opal, lapis lazuli, beryl, emerald

A wide-ranging review of the international precious-stone industry during 1913, covering fashions, markets, mining, trade, and new gem occurrences. Kunz notes the exceptional popularity of sapphire, especially star sapphires and other “phenomenal gems,” together with a revival of bead necklaces in amber, chalcedony, lapis lazuli, amethyst, chrysoprase, topaz, quartz, and moonstone. The diamond trade receives extensive treatment, including unusually heavy U.S. imports stimulated by anticipated tariff changes, adoption of the international metric carat of 200 mg, and detailed accounts of De Beers, Premier, German Southwest Africa, the Belgian Congo, Australia, Arkansas, British Guiana, India, and Brazil. Colored-stone sections include Australian emeralds, Ceylon garnet and moonstone, a new opal occurrence in New Mexico, California tourmaline and kunzite, and Montana sapphire. Of particular interest is an historical account of the Burmese jadeite mines at Seik-moo and Hweka, together with mention of an enormous two-ton block of New Zealand nephrite shipped to Germany. Kunz also records a poor-quality lapis lazuli occurrence in southern California, discusses the expanding pearl trade through Bahrain and Australian and American pearl fisheries, and concludes with unusual tourmaline from serpentine in the southern Urals and a summary of Berthold Laufer’s observations on the turquoise trade in China, Mongolia, and Tibet.

gems, beryl, emerald, Egypt

Claremont describes the ancient emerald mines of Egypt’s Eastern Desert, situated in the mountainous region between the Nile and Red Sea, and argues that these were the source of emeralds used in antiquity. He recounts their rediscovery by the French explorer Cailliaud and reports that later investigations found large but poor-quality emeralds resembling ancient examples. The emerald crystals occur in mica schist, with important workings at Sikait, Nugrus, and Zebara, where extensive systems of tunnels and chambers attest to mining on a considerable scale. Archaeological remains—including tools, lamps, baskets, wooden mine supports, buildings, wells, temples, inscriptions, and other structures—are presented as evidence for the antiquity and extent of the workings; some objects were then dated as early as 1660 B.C., although Claremont states that the date when mining began was unknown. He suggests that the mines were worked repeatedly by different peoples and attributes the most skillful phase of mining to the Romans. Numerous surviving buildings are interpreted as possible forts, watchtowers, dwellings, barracks, and temples serving a once substantial mining population. The article is illustrated with photographs of the mines, mountainous terrain, artificial passageways, and ancient buildings supplied by Edwin W. Streeter, who pioneered an expedition to the mines, and expedition members Allan Forster and F. Grote.

gems, Arabic mineralogy, early gemology, al-Biruni, al-Kindi, al-Tifaschi, early lapidaries

Ruska surveys the character and development of mineralogical knowledge in Arabic literature, emphasizing that medieval “mineralogy” embraced not only stones and ores but also technically produced substances, pearls, coral, and fossils, and differed fundamentally from modern mineralogy in its emphasis on readily observable physical properties, behavior in fire and acids, medicinal uses, magical powers, localities, varieties, and practical applications rather than crystallography. He traces this knowledge through Arabic pharmacological, cosmographical, natural-philosophical, and astrological writings, including Ibn Sīnā, Ibn al-Baiṭār, Qazwīnī, the Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ, and Arabic lapidaries attributed to Aristotle, Ḥunain ibn Isḥāq, and others. Particularly interesting are accounts assigning particular stones and metals to the planets and prescribing engraved images and astrological conditions for their use; Ruska connects this Arabic tradition with the Spanish Lapidario of Alfonso X and with later works of Albertus Magnus, Thomas of Cantimpré, and Konrad von Megenberg. He devotes substantial attention to al-Tīfāshī’s lapidary, which treats 25 precious and semiprecious stones according to their formation, localities, qualities, powers, and commercial value. As an example, Ruska discusses al-Tīfāshī’s account of emerald, including the medieval theory of its formation, the Egyptian emerald mines near the Red Sea, mining conditions, varieties and defects, medicinal and legendary properties, and valuation; the finest “beetle-green” emerald is stated to average four gold dinars per carat. Ruska closes by stressing the exceptional importance of al-Bīrūnī’s eleventh-century Kitāb al-jamāhir fī maʿrifat al-jawāhir, particularly for the history of gemstones and information concerning important stones of India, and expresses his intention to make the work accessible through an edition and translation.

corundum, synthetic corundum.7, gems, diamond, Burma.12, Mogok, jade, Burma, fei cui, jadeite

A wide-ranging review of the international precious-stone industry during 1912, covering markets, mining, cutting, new discoveries, and changing jewelry fashions. Kunz notes continued strength in the diamond trade and the popularity of sapphire and other blue stones, while discussing synthetic gems, customs duties, and long-term trends in U.S. imports. Diamond coverage is extensive, treating De Beers, Premier, Voorspoed and other South African mines, German Southwest African production and government regulation, British Guiana, Canada, and the still-developing Arkansas field, as well as the diamond-cutting industries of Amsterdam, Antwerp, Germany, and South Africa. Colored-stone sections include the Burma Ruby Mines at Mogok, artificial ruby, Montana sapphires, North Carolina emeralds, Texas topaz, California tourmaline and kunzite, jadeite from Burma, and numerous ornamental stones. Particular attention is given to opal, including the remarkable fossil-bearing and hydrous material of Virgin Valley, Nevada, Mexican opal, and Australian black opal. Kunz also discusses jade and the importance of the Chinese market, amber, amethyst, and several newly reported gem materials and localities. The concluding section surveys pearl fisheries and pearl culture, including Ceylon, the Persian Gulf, Japan, Lower California, and experimental methods intended to stimulate pearl formation.

gems, gems general

Sterrett’s annual review surveys the production, occurrence, and trade of gems and precious stones during 1911, with particular emphasis on deposits in the United States. He describes renewed sapphire mining in Montana, promising emerald development at the Turner mine near Shelby, North Carolina, increased interest in agate, moss agate, jasper, and bloodstone, and declining production of tourmaline, kunzite, turquoise, and variscite. Numerous individual occurrences are discussed, including aquamarine, amethyst, chrysoprase, californite (compact vesuvianite and garnet), rhodonite, diamonds, and other ornamental materials, with notes on geology, gem quality, mining, cutting, and commercial value. The report also records diamond production and discoveries in Arkansas and abroad, and provides statistics on U.S. gem production and imports. The reported value of domestic gem production rose from $295,797 in 1910 to $343,692 in 1911, although it remained below the levels of 1907–1909; Sterrett cautions that these figures largely represent the first-sale value of rough material rather than the much higher value of finished gems.