gems, lapis lazuli, Afghanistan, history of gemology, gem trade, Central Asia, Egypt

There appears to be a striking resemblance between the use of lapis lazuli in Iraq and that in Egypt during the Predynastic period and the early dynasties. Lapis lazuli, among other exotic materials, is well-known during the Gerzean period in Egypt. There is hardly a cemetery of the period that has not produced lazuli beads, from Gerzeh itself, in the north, to Bahan, just south of the first cataract. It was, however, not in common use; at Naqada itself, where some 2000 graves make up the largest predynastic cemetery known, lapis lazuli was found in only II graves. Its first appearance dates from early in the Gerzean period, in Petrie's S.D. 40. Its associations during this period are interesting. Lapis lazuli beads were strung together with an imported Mesopotamian cylinder seal found in grave T29 at Naqada. Lazuli fly-amulets form another link with Iraq. Lazuli beads were found in grave 836 at Naqada (dating from the end of this period) with a copper dagger blade quite unlike the other predynastic specimens known; similar daggers dating from about this period have been found outside Egypt. Finally, it is often found in association with gold, but so far not with silver. The general impression is that lapis lazuli is found in richer graves, in association with other foreign elements.

gems, lapis lazuli, Afghanistan, amazonite, turquoise, history of gemology, gem trade, Central Asia

The long-standing importance of lapis lazuli in Mesopotamia is evident from its early importation during the Late Ubaid period, likely marking the first time humans possessed the wealth and leisure to seek out luxury items. Prior to this, trade had been limited to essential materials like flint and obsidian for toolmaking. However, by the time of Gawra XIII, a broad luxury trade had begun, introducing beads made of turquoise, amethyst, agate, jadeite, beryl, and lapis lazuli. While most of these stones are found on the Iranian plateau, there is no confirmed source of lapis lazuli in Iran. The most plausible source of the early Gawran lapis is the Badakhshan mines, located approximately 1,500 miles east across deserts and mountains. One of the primary motivations for studying lapis lazuli has been the tradition that it originates solely from Badakhshan. Although this exclusive claim remains unproven, Badakhshan is still considered the only likely source. This suggests that as early as around 3500  B.C., trade routes connected ancient Iraq with distant Afghanistan, offering compelling evidence of the vast reach of early trade and communication networks.

corundum, ruby, sapphire, crown jewels, quality.10, gems

Young presents a popular illustrated account of the personal jewelry of Queen Elizabeth II, describing important pieces in the royal collection and the occasions and individuals associated with them. The book discusses tiaras, necklaces, brooches, bracelets, earrings, and other ornaments, including jewels inherited from earlier members of the royal family as well as gifts received by the Queen. Particular attention is given to diamonds, pearls, and major colored gemstones and to the historical provenance of notable pieces. Rather than serving as a technical gemological catalogue, the volume places the jewels within the history of the British royal family and their use at coronations, state occasions, official visits, and other ceremonial events.

corundum, Australia.12, quality.10, gems

gems, jade, pyroxene jade, fei cui, Guatemala, Mesoamerica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, archaeogemology, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Maya, Mayan, Olmec, Aztec, sculpture

In the steaming rain forest of Mexico and Guatemala the ruins of the ancient Mayan empire bear silent witness of a civilization that flourished hundreds of years before Columbus came to America. More appealing to the modern mind than their Aztec and Inca contemporaries, the Maya Indians are also more mysterious and their way of life more paradoxical. Each year adds to the mass of published material about them, but the central riddle of their rise and decline remains unsolved. Miss Benson guides the reader into the Maya world with an infectious enthusiasm. Technologically a stone-age people, the Maya knew nothing of metal tools or weapons, and lacked both wheel and plow, yet they reached a high level of intellectual and aesthetic sophistication. By A.D. 600 these sociable agriculturalists who—unlike the Aztecs—did not practice mass human sacrifice, had conquered arithmetic, astronomy and calendric development. They had developed a form of writing, and they had a broad practical knowledge of medicine. Many modern sciences have helped to fill out our picture of the Maya world. Miss Benson takes the reader on a fascinating archaeological voyage, as she describes the collaboration of geologists, botanists, and biologists, linguistic experts, architects, and anthropologists; road builders and chicle gatherers have also contributed. In the deserted jungle center of Bonampak, found by chicleros in 1946, superb wall paintings show scenes of Maya life. At its height the empire, held together by a stable caste system, religious beliefs, and a lively trade in cacao, jade, rubber, cotton, and mahogany, stretched throughout the Yucatán Peninsula and the adjacent areas of Mexico and Guatemala. “A Maya city in its heyday,” writes Miss Benson, “must have been almost unbelievably impressive, with its temple-topped pyramids, its vast palaces raised on platforms, its terraces and towers and its rich display of sculptures.” The ruins of Chichén Itzá, in Yucatán, which boast a sacred pool and a ball court, are perhaps most famous. But the Department of Petén in Guatemala contains the heart of the Classic Maya area. Miss Benson locates the main sites of Maya ruins, and tells those hoping to visit them how to get there. Her absorbing account focuses on the Classic period of Maya culture, between A.D. 300 and 900, but it includes much information on the earlier life of the Maya and on their vicissitudes before and during the Spanish conquest.

gems, ancient gemology, ancient trade, commerce, historical ancient reference

Strabo (ca. 64 BCE to ca. 25 CE), an Asiatic Greek of Amasia in Pontus, studied at Nysa and after 44 BCE at Rome. He became a keen traveller who saw a large part of Italy, various near eastern regions including the Black Sea, various parts of Asia Minor, Egypt as far as Ethiopia, and parts of Greece. He was a long time in Alexandria where he no doubt studied mathematics, astronomy, and history. Strabo's historical work is lost, but his most important Geography in seventeen books has survived. After two introductory books, numbers 3 and 4 deal with Spain and Gaul, 5 and 6 with Italy and Sicily, 7 with north and east Europe, 8–10 with Greek lands, 11–14 with the main regions of Asia and with Asia Minor, 15 with India and Iran, 16 with Assyria, Babylonia, Syria, and Arabia, 17 with Egypt and Africa. In outline he follows the great mathematical geographer Eratosthenes, but adds general descriptions of separate countries including physical, political, and historical details. A sequel to his historical memoirs, Geography is planned apparently for public servants rather than students—hence the accounts of physical features and of natural products. On the mathematical side it is an invaluable source of information about Eratosthenes, Hipparchus, and Posidonius.

corundum, inclusions.5, Sri Lanka.12, Sri Lanka.12, gems

corundum, sapphire, quality.10, gems

gems, corundum, chemistry.2, history of gemology, history of crystallography

This book is designed for the first part of a modern course on the physics of solids. It has been written from the author’s lecture notes for the first semester of a three-semester sequence on solids offered by the Physics Department at the University of Illinois. This first course is taken mainly by graduate students who have had an introductory course in quantum mechanics and the standard background of undergraduate physics courses including thermodynamics and elementary statistical mechanics.

gems, ancient gemology, ancient jewelry, Greece, Greek, Egyptian, gold jewelry, Alexander the Great

Until recently, our understanding of early Hellenistic jewelry relied almost entirely on the spectacular Greek gold finds made in South Russia during the nineteenth century, now housed in the Hermitage Museum. Between the two world wars, similar discoveries emerged in northern Greece—particularly in Thessaly and Macedonia—thanks to finds by local peasants. The most notable hoards, reportedly from Carpenisi and Demetrias, were divided between the Benaki and Stathatos collections in Athens, the latter now part of the National Museum. While the Hermitage’s holdings are primarily known through nineteenth-century publications and travel to Leningrad, the Benaki and Stathatos gold has been well documented in two exemplary catalogues. Nonetheless, knowledge of Greek jewelry from the Age of Alexander remained fragmented. In the past decade, however, this picture has changed dramatically. A wave of important discoveries—largely from clandestine excavations in northern Greece, Asia Minor, and other regions—has entered both private and institutional collections in Europe and America, while official excavations have also yielded substantial new material, much of which remains unpublished or entirely unknown. The exhibition Greek Gold from the Age of Alexander was conceived to bring together, for the first time, many of these remarkable works. Of the 148 groups of objects selected, 83 come from private collections, 68 are illustrated here for the first time, and three-quarters have never before been publicly exhibited. Dr. Herbert Hoffmann, drawing on his deep expertise and familiarity with European collections, assembled one of the most impressive displays of Greek jewelry ever seen. During a year at the University of Heidelberg’s Institute of Classical Archaeology, he traveled extensively across Europe to secure loans for the exhibition. Patricia F. Davidson, Research Associate at The Brooklyn Museum and a trained goldsmith, contributed her specialized knowledge of ancient techniques, reproducing methods based on her microscopic analyses using tools and materials believed to be historically accurate. She was assisted by William J. Young, Head of the Research Laboratory at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, who used X-ray fluorescence and other non-destructive tests to analyze alloy and inlay compositions. The catalogue addresses not only the stylistic, historical, and iconographic aspects of Hellenistic gold but also its technology, with schematic drawings by Suzanne E. Chapman of the MFA, Boston, some based on sketches by Helmut Prüickner of Heidelberg University.