corundum, Sri Lanka.12, gems

AS SOON as a traveler sets foot on the shores of Ceylon he comes under the subtle charm of the land, and is quickly imbued with the feeling that it would be most incongruous if such a climate did not produce the most luxuriant foliage, the most beautiful flowers, the most luscious fruits; if such a soil did not give forth the most wonderful profusion and variety of precious stones; if such surrounding waters did not yield the most resplendent pearls. Ceylon has long been celebrated for its sapphires, rubies, cat’s-eyes, moonstones, opals, amethysts, carbuncles, and emeralds; but none of these, nor all of them combined, have given to the island the fame and the romantic setting that have been conferred on it by the product of the limpid waters that bathe its coral strands and sandy beaches. The poetic name of Ceylon today is “The Pearl on India’s Brow.” Colombo, the principal city of modern Ceylon, is a stopping place for all the steamers plying between Europe and Asia and Australia, and is therefore visited by thousands of tourists and travelers each year. But the pearl fishery is so remote from Colombo that not one visitor in ten thousand ever goes there. In Colombo a person sees only a fraction of the great pearl crop, of which more than 90 per cent—99 per cent in some years—goes to India; but this fraction is sufficiently seductive to the transient visitor to render uncertain the time and manner of his arrival home, for the pearl shops in Colombo are veritable magnets that irresistibly attract the contents of purse and wallet. The pearl fishery of Ceylon and of India and the Persian Gulf is of very great antiquity, and is thought to be the oldest established fishery now in existence. The Sinhalese records, going back to about 550 B.C., indicate that the fisheries were then well developed, and there is reason to believe that they flourished at least 500 years before. At a very early period the pearls brought the island into prominence abroad, and were in great repute in Rome at the time of Pliny, who, referring to Ceylon under the name of Taprobane, wrote that it was “the most productive of pearls of all parts of the world.” From the most remote period of which there is any record, it would appear that the pearl fishery played a very important part in the history of Ceylon, having had more or less direct and intimate relations with every important aspect of the civilization of the island. The information available clearly suggests that from the earliest times the fishery was conducted in much the same way as in our own day—the same methods of obtaining the pearl oysters, of handling the catch on shore, and of extracting the pearls. In the words of a local writer, “Ceylon is a place with a glorious past. Its once magnificent cities are now but a mass of crumbled and half-buried ruins; its native dynasty has passed away forever;”

gems, beryl, emerald, Colombia

This official report to the Colombian Senate records the findings of a special commission appointed to investigate matters concerning the nation’s emerald mines, particularly the important deposits of Muzo and Coscuez. It examines the administration and exploitation of the government-owned mines, their economic importance, production and sale of emeralds, revenues and expenses, and problems associated with illicit extraction and trafficking. The report provides contemporary evidence for Colombian government policy toward the emerald industry at a time when the state was attempting to regulate production and protect the value of its emeralds, and is an important primary source for the history of the Muzo and Coscuez mines.

gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, jade, chrysoprase, plasma of emerald

Sinkankas: The objects exhibited are numbered 1497 to 1893, and include numerous cut gemstones with others that are made from base or precious metals, and a series of engraved “gems” cut upon ostrich shell, also seals, abraxoid gems, a suite of classical engraved gems. Some are briefly described but no dimensions are given.

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

Ratna Pariksha [रत्नपरीक्षा; Gem Testing], composed in 1316 by the Jain scholar and administrator Thakkura Pheru, is a medieval Indian treatise devoted to the identification, classification, evaluation, and valuation of precious stones. Written in Apabhraṃśa, it discusses important gems encountered in the Indian trade, including diamonds, pearls, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and other precious materials, describing their varieties, desirable and undesirable qualities, defects, weights, and commercial values. The work is particularly important to the history of gemology because Pheru drew upon practical experience with gems, weights, measures, and monetary calculations rather than treating precious stones solely within the religious and astrological traditions characteristic of many earlier Indian lapidaries. It consequently provides valuable evidence for the terminology, testing practices, grading criteria, and economics of the gem trade in early 14th-century India.

gems, Arabic lore, history, Arabic mineralogy,

An anonymous work without a preface or author’s name, beginning with a table of contents and arranged in 15 chapters. Diamond is treated first and emerald last. Each entry describes the mines, properties, color, and value of the stone.

corundum, sapphire, Montana.12, USA.12, gems

Sinkankas: Descriptive Statement of the Great Emerald Bar Placer Mining Claims, situated about sixteen miles east of Helena, on the Missouri River at Canon Ferry, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, details a mining property that attracted notable attention. The property was examined by Edward W. Streeter, a gem merchant of London, and George F. Kunz, the renowned gemologist, whose assessments are included alongside testimonials from J. H. Pratt, A. H. Church, and others who were called upon to identify the stones. These endorsements lend significant weight to the document, which serves both as a geological description and a promotional piece for potential investors or interested parties.