gems, beryl, emerald, morganite, goshenite, helioder, golden beryl Murskinka, Urals, Russia, Ukraine

gems, bery, beryl, emerald, Zambia, inclusions, Kitwe

Zambia is considered the world’s second most important source of emeralds by value (after Colombia). The deposits are located near the Kafubu River in the Ndola Rural Restricted Area. Emeralds have been known from this region since 1928, but significant commercial production began only in the 1970s. As of mid-2004, most of the emeralds were being mined from large openpit operations at the Kagem, Grizzly, and Chantete concessions. Economic emerald mineralization is confined almost entirely to phlogopite reaction zones adjacent to Be-bearing quartz-tourmaline veins that metasomatically altered Cr-bearing metabasite host rocks. Nearly all of the rough is cut in India and Israel. Zambian emeralds have relatively high R.I. and S.G. values, with inclusions typically consisting of partially healed fissures, as well as actinolite, phlogopite, dravite, fluorapatite, magnetite, and hematite. They contain moderate amounts of Cr, Mg, and Na, moderate-to-high Fe contents, and relatively high Cs and Li. Although many features of Zambian emeralds are comparable to those from other commercially important localities, in many cases they may be separated by a combination of their physical properties, microscopic characteristics, and chemical composition.

gems, beryl, aquamarine, morganite, goshenite, heliodor, beryl, emerald

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

Александрит (Eng. Alexandrite) — a monograph written by Russian scientist, Candidate of Technical Sciences Yury Sergeyevich Kozlov and published by the Russian Academy of Sciences publishing house Nauka". The monograph addresses topics related to the geology, mineralogy, and crystallography of the rare Group I gemstone — alexandrite. Special sections are dedicated to the study of alexandrite crystals using X-ray spectral analysis and IRL methods. The book includes tables of cathodoluminescence spectra of faceted reference samples, as well as data from international price catalogs on alexandrites. Of particular interest is the large volume of photographs and certificates of faceted specimens from the author’s personal collection."

gems, olivine, peridot, Pakistan, locality, species, lazulite, emerald

For millennia, minerals and gemstones have been gathered and traded from the countries surrounding present-day Pakistan. While the Karakoram Mountains hosted portions of the Silk Road and other routes over which gems and minerals were traded, Pakistan's magnificent gem deposits were for the most part left undiscovered until the 20th century. Since then, a few daring miners, collectors and dealers have challenged the extreme climate, daunting terrain and rocky political landscape to bring the world some of its finest mineral treasures. No. 6 in the popular extraLapis English mineralogical monograph series, Pakistan - Minerals, Mountains & Majesty is packed with unmatched locality information, detailed maps, stories behind the finds and of course unforgettable photographs.

corundum, quality.10, gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, nephrite, ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, beryl, aquamarine, topaz, tourmaline, garnet, pearl, tanzanite, spinel, chalcedony, diamond, alexandrite

Divided into two parts, this comprehensive gemstone grading manual describes the criteria used to quality grade faceted gems, cabochons, pearls, opals, star stones and Catseyes. It applies the grading criteria to 35 of important gemstones, including diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, tourmaline, garnet, pearl, agate, and opal. Based on the author’s extensive experience in buying gems for his jewelry store, this book contains a weath of practical knowledge on gems. While the book occasionally slips when it comes to technical matters, it remains one of the best guides to buying gems. The second edition is greatly expanded. In the style of the first, it contains a wealth of practical knowledge, but would have benefitted from a technical editor. Both editions are highly recommended—RWH

beryl, emerald, Colombia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, synthetic beryl, emerald, gems

Since antiquity, emerald has been one of the most highly valuated gemstone: the first known mines were those of Cleopatra in ancient Egypt. Two thousand years ago Pliny wrote, Emerald-green is the most beautiful green of all." Leading researchers offer insight into many of the aspects of the world of emerald. -What is emerald? A portrait of a precious and unique member of the beryl family -How does emerald form? The events that conspired to bring about an unlikely outcome; -Where is emerald found? Worldwide localities including Canada, Namibia and China -Where are the richest deposits? Today's market sources: South America, Africa and Asia; -Is it possible to determine the origin of an emerald? Gemstone emerald: characteristics, inclusions and treatments;-What separates green beryl from emerald? The debate over optical, spectroscopic and chemical delineations; -How is emerald created in the lab and how can it be recognized? The history, process and detection of synthetic emerald; Plus etymology, history, legendary giants, local finds and more. extraLapis English No. 2, Emerald, provides a comprehensive look at this magnificent gemstone."

gems, Egypt, turquoise, lapis lazuli, carnelian, emerald, garnet, ancient gems

This paper examines several mining and quarrying sites in the Egyptian and Nubian deserts, focusing on the interplay between politics, economics, and gemstone extraction during the Middle Kingdom and the Roman/Byzantine periods. While it remains uncertain whether the Egyptian king—or later the Roman emperor acting as pharaoh—monopolized large-scale metal and gemstone mining, the logistical demands of such expeditions imply that such centralized control was likely, if only because few others possessed the capacity to undertake them. Mining and quarrying ventures, like military campaigns, appear to have served as tools to reinforce centralized authority: symbolically asserting royal control over remote territories and materially enabling the ruler to reward high officials with precious goods. Funerary inscriptions and tomb texts attest to the king’s role in providing elite individuals with exotic materials for tomb construction and adornment. The conventional view holds that mining flourished during stable and prosperous times and declined during instability. However, this paper argues that, precisely because mining expeditions symbolized political and economic strength, regimes under pressure may have paradoxically increased such activities in an effort to project and consolidate authority. This book originates in an international colloquium held in the British Museum in 1998. It comprises 18 papers, written by leading scholars, each of whom explores an aspect of the use and exploitation of the deserts lying to the east and west of the Nile Valley by the ancient Egyptians and their prehistoric ancestors. Exploding the myth that Egypt was simply the Gift of the Nile", it aims to create an understanding of how the Egyptians perceived and exploited their wider environment."

corundum, Colombia.12, gems

Colombia has long been reputed for producing fine emeralds. More recently, corundum has been recovered from streambeds and sands on both sides of the Rio Mayo, which forms part of the border between the departments of Cauca and Nariño. Although this area is reported in the literature as a new source of gem sapphire, it is interesting to note that it was known and described as early as the 16th century (References – Colombian corundum). The aim of this study is to analyse the gemmological properties, chemistry, and spectrometry, of these recently gathered Colombian corundums and demonstrate that if a basaltic origin dominates, non basaltic corundums coexist. Unfortunately, their characteristics being similar to corundums from other geographic origins, presently they cannot be separated.

gems, beryl, emerald, Egypt, Sikait, Austria, Habachtal, archaeology, geology, ancient gem trade, chemistry, oxygen isotopes

Examines the ancient exploitation and trade of emeralds from Austria and Upper Egypt through oxygen-isotope analysis and inclusion studies of archaeological and historical specimens. Giuliani and co-authors compare emeralds from the Habachtal deposit in Austria, the Ural Mountains, and Egyptian deposits at Zabara, Sikait and Umm Kabo with emeralds from Gallo-Roman and Egyptian jewellery. Oxygen-isotope ratios, supplemented where necessary by the petrography of fluid inclusions, provide distinctive signatures capable of separating the principal ancient sources. An emerald from a third-century AD earring in the Vaise Treasure at Lyon yields an isotopic composition characteristic of Habachtal, demonstrating that Austrian emeralds were being exploited by the Gallo-Roman period. Four emeralds from an Egyptian necklace in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle have isotope values consistent with Upper Egyptian material, while nineteenth-century specimens collected from the Egyptian mines confirm the restricted isotopic range of those deposits. The study also reviews earlier analyses indicating Austrian origins for emeralds in the Visigothic Guarrazar crown and the medieval French crown, an Egyptian origin for other Roman-period stones, and a Pakistani source for an emerald from a Gallo-Roman earring at Méribel. The results support the historical reality of active emerald mining in both Upper Egypt and Austria during Roman times and demonstrate that emeralds from more distant Asian sources also reached the Roman world through long-distance trade routes.