Tavernier, India.12, Sri Lanka.12, Burma.12, Persia, history.1, corundum, quality.10, gems, jade, Fischer-Book, Indian lapidary

Samuel Chappuzeau’s The History of Jewels, and of the Principal Riches of the East and West is an early English-language work devoted to precious stones, pearls, and other valuable natural products. It discusses diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, and other gems, including their geographical sources, qualities, sizes, values, trade, and notable specimens, while also treating other commodities regarded as riches of the East and West. Drawing upon contemporary travel and commercial literature, the book reflects European knowledge of the principal gem-producing regions and international gem trade during the 17th century. It is particularly valuable to historians of gemology for its descriptions of the characteristics and valuation of precious stones and for its evidence concerning the routes by which Asian and American luxury materials reached European markets.

corundum, Madagascar.12, Madagascar History To 1810. [from old catalog], gems

Flacourt’s Histoire de la Grande Isle Madagascar is one of the earliest substantial European accounts of Madagascar, based largely on the author’s residence there as governor of the French settlement at Fort-Dauphin from 1648 to 1655. The work describes the island’s geography and regions, inhabitants and social customs, religion, material culture, fauna, flora and natural resources, followed by an account of the French colony and its relations and conflicts with the Malagasy population. Of particular gemological interest, Flacourt records the occurrence of precious stones in Madagascar, including topaz, aquamarine, emerald, ruby and sapphire, making the work an important early source for the history of Madagascar’s gem resources.

gems, New World, beryl, emerald, Colombia, Peru

This book, written in the late 16th century (1590), is one of the earliest comprehensive accounts of the New World by a European. Acosta describes the geography, natural history, climate, flora, fauna, and indigenous peoples of the Americas. He also delves into the social, cultural, and religious practices of the native populations, and addresses their languages, customs, and the impact of Spanish colonization. It is divided into two main parts: one focused on the natural history of the Americas, including descriptions of the environment, plants, animals, and minerals, and the other on the moral, social, and political aspects of indigenous societies and their interactions with Europeans. Acosta’s work is considered a foundational text in the field of early colonial anthropology and natural history, combining empirical observation with the moral and theological reflections of the time.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

An early firsthand chronicle of Peru by Pedro de Cieza de León, based on his travels through the Andes during the Spanish conquest period. The work describes the geography, peoples, customs, political organization, roads, settlements, natural resources, and antiquities of the Andean world, including detailed observations on the Inca realm and earlier cultures. Of particular gemological interest are references to gold, silver, emeralds, pearls, and other valuable materials, together with accounts of Indigenous mining, ornament, tribute, and the movement of precious substances within pre-Hispanic and early colonial Peru.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book, early gemology, early mineralogy

Schuh: Very rare. One of the earliest 16th century treatises on mineralogy and precious stones. It is a different type of lapidary, with its arrangement of gems and minerals according to color rather than the typical alphabetical sequence. The four classes are white, green, red and blue or black. Thus are classified: I. De gemmis candidis, including diamond, rock crystal, iris, ceraunia & astroite, pederote, asteria, achate, draconite, allectorio, and margaritis. II. De gemmis viridibus, including smaragdo (emerald), beryllis, chrysoprasio, topatio, callaide, prasio, heliotropio, jaspide. III. De gemmis rubeis, including carbunculorum generibus, amthysto, hyacintho, sarda, sardonyce, anyce, hematite, corallio, hephesite, chrysolito, electro, and opalo. IV. Gemmis coeruleis & nigris, including cyaneo, saphiro, calaide & ceraunia, de moris gemmis, de gemmis ad ectypam, etc. Adams (1938) notes that the descriptions are better than earlier works, although Thorndike (1923-58) declares the work little more than a compilation from Greek and Latin writers, above all, Pliny ...""

gems, beryl, red beryl, red beryl, emerald, Utah, USA

corundum, history.1, India.12, gems, Indian lapidary

Sinkankas: This work presents translations of chapters 68–80 of the Sanskrit Garuḍa Purāṇa, which “elaborately describes the supernatural origin of gems and their mineralogical properties,” along with the Graha-cocāra Jyautiṣa, a text that “gives complete information on the astrological characteristics and effects of the principal gemstones” and “explains how auspicious gems help remove obstructions in various areas of life by appeasing planets that are having unfavorable effects.” The first thirteen chapters focus on planetary gemstones, offering summary translations of relevant Garuḍa Purāṇa passages concerning ruby, pearl, yellow sapphire, hessonite, emerald, diamond, cat’s-eye chrysoberyl, blue sapphire, coral, red garnet, jade (including jadeite), rock crystal, and bloodstone. Secondary planetary gemstones, or uparatnas, such as red spinel, moonstone, yellow topaz, citrine, hyacinth, peridot, tsavorite, green tourmaline, white zircon, turquoise, goshenite, amethyst, apatite cat’s-eye, blue spinel, tanzanite, lapis lazuli, and carnelian, are not directly traced to specific textual sources, and some—like tsavorite, goshenite, and tanzanite—were unknown to the ancients, suggesting these may have been included at the authors’ discretion. Each gemstone description includes its properties and modern sources, and although there is no bibliography, a valuable feature of the work is its inclusion of alternative Sanskrit names for the gemstones.

gems, emerald, beryl, Brazil, mafic-ultramafic, phlogopite, schist, actinolite

This study unravels the spectral footprint of the Paraná deposit, northeastern Brazil, and provides strategies for emerald exploration in mafic- and/or ultramafic-hosted deposits using point spectral data and hyperspectral imaging. Potential host rocks (phlogopite and actinolite-phlogopite schists) were discriminated from other associated lithotypes after petrography and whole-rock geochemistry, using binary MgO versus Al₂O₃ and PC₁ versus PC₃ diagrams. Spectrally, phlogopite schist is marked by Fe–OH absorption at ~2,250 nm and Mg–OH absorptions at ~2,330 and ~2,388 nm. When actinolite is present, a shoulder at ~2,296 nm is recorded, and the first Mg–OH absorption feature is shifted to ~2,315 nm. Emerald crystals have their spectral signature attenuated in the presence of phlogopite. In a 5% emerald and 95% schist mixture simulation, two emerald absorption features are recognizable at ~1,150 (H₂O absorption) and ~2,155 nm. The emerald indices EI₁, EI₂, and EI₃ were chosen for the automated identification of emeralds in the Paraná samples based on the features at ~1,150, ~1,460, and ~2,155 nm. For the host schists, three indices were provided (MI_depth, MI_ratio, and ACI) considering the Mg–OH features of phlogopite and actinolite, allowing automated distinction between potential mineralized and other associated rocks of the Paraná deposit. Our results show that, operating in high-resolution mode (pixels of ~1 mm), imaging spectroscopy can detect the presence and characterize emerald in handpicked samples and drill cores based on chromium- and iron-derived absorption features in the visible to near infrared range. It thus represents a swift, reliable, nondestructive, and relatively cost-effective method for exploring for emerald and, potentially, other gems.

gems, beryl, emerald, Egypt, Cleopatra, history of gemology, archaeology, archaeologemology

Located at the fringes of the Egyptian Eastern Desert, the quarries of Hatnub have remained famous, since the Pharaonic period, for the quality of their calcite alabaster and, since their discovery at the end of the 19th century, for their epigraphic richness. The work carried out in quarry P and its surroundings, since 2012, by the epigraphic and archaeological mission of Hatnub (Ifao, University of Liverpool), has allowed a better understanding of the functioning of this quarry and in particular the way in which the blocks were extracted from it. Preliminary studies were also carried out to understand how this quarry (and the others) was inserted on the Hatnub plateau, through a vast network of roads and installations essentially oriented towards the production and transport of alabaster and the administrative and logistical management of the quarries.

gems, opal, diamond, history of gemology, mineralogy, beryl, emerald, Habach, crown jewels, gem trade, Hungary

The theme book 2017 takes you on a journey to some of the most famous and extraordinary localities of these natural treasures, from antiquity until today. Did you know that as far back as the 14th century Central European merchants used a sophisticated communication system to find out early about yields and shipments of the Indian diamond mines? Or that the precious opals of the emperors and kings of the 17th century were mined not in Australia but in Opálbány, Hungary – and already on an industrial scale to boot? Would you have thought that an emerald from the Habach Valley in Austria adorns the English crown jewels? These and many other anecdotes are waiting for you in over 30 thrilling articles. They tell the stories of individuals on over 200 pages combining the history of the Earth, economy and world politics with the passion for minerals to weave a picture that will leave the viewer amazed.