gems general

Schaller argues at the outset that there is no valid scientific distinction between “precious” and “semiprecious” stones, since beauty, rarity, hardness, price, and fashion provide no consistent basis for such a division. The report then reviews U.S. gem production for 1916, valued at $217,793, an increase of 28% over 1915, with corundum, quartz, tourmaline, and turquoise accounting for most of the output. Montana again ranked first, chiefly through sapphire production, followed by California, while 34 mineral species and 79 named gem varieties were reported from 27 states. Detailed notes cover beryl, Arkansas and California diamonds, including a 1.48-carat diamond from Indiana, newly reported dumortierite deposits in New Mexico and Nevada, garnet, quartz varieties, tourmaline, and turquoise. The report also describes the gem-bearing pegmatites and tourmaline deposits of southern California and a National Museum exhibit illustrating their geology and mineral assemblages. Imports of precious stones excluding pearls were valued at $38.93 million, nearly recovering to prewar levels, and the paper concludes with a selected bibliography of recent gemological literature.

gems, Ceylon, Sri Lanka, Roman Empire, trade, navigation

Schoff examines maritime communication between the Mediterranean, India, Ceylon, Southeast Asia and China during the Roman Empire, arguing that trade expanded greatly between the first and third centuries CE through exploitation of the seasonal monsoon winds. He reconstructs the sea routes from Egypt through the Red Sea to southern India and Ceylon and onward across the Bay of Bengal, comparing Graeco-Roman accounts with Indian literature, coinage and Chinese records. Ceylon appears as an important link in this maritime network, connecting western commerce with routes extending farther east. Of gemological interest, Schoff notes that gold, silver and precious stones came from Yunnan and describes Indian literary evidence for an active jewelry trade in which craftsmen examined pearls, topazes, sapphires, beryls, rubies, lapis lazuli and coral, set rubies in gold, strung pearls and cut lapis lazuli. He concludes that Roman ships regularly reached the Tamil kingdoms and Ceylon, but voyages by Roman vessels into the Bay of Bengal and China Sea were exceptionally rare; much Roman geographical knowledge of the Far East therefore depended on hearsay transmitted through Indian and other Asian mariners.

gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Mesoamerica, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mayans, Olmecs, Aztecs, archaeology, history, archaeogemology, Pre-Columbian jade; Costa Rica; Maya; exchange; iconography, lapidary

The study of Maya art, here presented, is based upon a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy submitted May 1, 1909, at Harvard University. While the matter has expanded greatly under further study, the thesis as presented contained an exposition of the chronological sequence of the monuments, which the writer considers the most noteworthy contribution, as well as chapters on the analysis of the designs and the principles of the architecture. It was thought wise to present the portion relating to the historical development of art at Copán before the Congress of Americanists at Mexico City in September 1910; otherwise the subject matter has not been given to the public. The attempt has been made to be precise and exoteric in the discussion of this most involved subject. It is with gratitude that the writer acknowledges his indebtedness to the many persons who have aided and encouraged him in this work. The inception of this research took place in Anthropology 9, a course on Mexican and Central American archaeology offered at Harvard University by Dr. A. M. Tozzer. Its continuance has been largely due to the support and cooperation of the small band of students of Maya culture headed by Mr. C. P. Bowditch. Thanks are also due to Mrs. Zelia Nuttall of Mexico City, to Mr. E. H. Thompson of Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, and to Mrs. W. M. James of Mérida, Yucatán, as well as to many other persons in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. In the revision of the manuscript the writer received valued assistance from Dr. Tozzer. For the revision of the proof he is indebted to Professor Putnam and to Miss Mead, and to the latter also for the preparation of the index. Mr. C. C. Willoughby has given his kind attention to the preparation of the plates and to the making of the blocks for the illustrations in the text. The map of the region covered by the Maya civilization was drawn by Mr. L. M. Hendrick, Jr., according to data compiled from several sources. Since his connection with the American Museum of Natural History, the writer has been greatly indebted to his superiors in the Museum, who have done everything in their power to further his labours in this field.

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, ruby, Burma.12, gems

A richly illustrated contemporary account of rubies and the Mogok mining district of Upper Burma. Darte begins with the ruby’s historical reputation, folklore, gemological properties, color varieties, dichroism, and distinction from spinel and garnet, identifying the deep, slightly bluish carmine-red Burmese “pigeon-blood” as the most prized color. He notes a revival in the American ruby market beginning in 1912, attributed partly to the prominence of “ruby-red” during the coronation of George V and to fashions employing calibre-cut colored stones with diamonds. The principal focus is Mogok, regarded as the source of the finest rubies. Darte describes the district, its history and traditional royal monopoly, and three types of workings: “Twin-lone” pits exploiting alluvial byon or ruby-bearing earth; hillside “Hmyaw-Dwin” workings; and limestone cave or “Loo-Dwin” deposits, where fewer but larger and better-quality stones were reportedly recovered. Traditional washing methods are contrasted with the mechanized operations of the Burma Ruby Mines company, employing pumps, trucks, rotary pans, and a pulsator. Considerable attention is given to celebrated large rubies, their weights, values, and historical owners, although some accounts are explicitly acknowledged as unverified. The article concludes with the secrecy historically surrounding Mogok, the marketing of its production through London and Paris, and the cutting and recutting of Burmese rubies in Europe. Particularly valuable are contemporary photographs showing a native ruby market, a Mogok cutting shop, a ruby merchant and his family, the transport of byon in mine cars, and the mechanized ruby-washing plant.

gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, Rome, Roman gems, history of gemology, jewelry, history of jewelry, rings, finger rings

The collection of rings described in this catalogue was the work of a lifetime: the late Monsieur Guilhou spent many years and the better part of his fortune buying rings, ancient and modern, of every description; at the time of his death, he had brought together a stupendous series of one thousand six hundred and thirty-six ancient rings, a total probably unrivalled in any public museum or private collection. Every age and every country is represented in this extraordinary assemblage, and it was no easy task for the compiler of the present catalogue to assign each ring to its proper date, to sort this great series which the collector had left in the utmost disorder, and to divide the collection chronologically into twenty-four cases, grouped in four large folding boxes. Although it was not possible for the compiler (in the absence of any note or catalogue by the hand of Monsieur Guilhou) to discover the provenance and history of every single ring, it was nevertheless most satisfactory to be able to identify not only twenty beautiful Renaissance rings from the celebrated Spitzer collection, sold in 1893, but also nearly all the important items described in Baron Jérôme Pichon’s sale catalogue (1897). Baron Pichon’s collection of rings was considered the finest in France: nearly forty of his choicest specimens were ultimately bought by Monsieur Guilhou, including the celebrated ring of the Black Prince. As late as 1909, Monsieur Guilhou purchased at the Victor Gay auction nearly every ring in the sale, paying as much as seven thousand francs for a finger-ring of which he had already several examples.

Burma.12, corundum, ruby, sapphire, jade, jadeite, fei cui, gems

Written by Sir Charles Crosthwaite, Chief Commissioner of Burma from 1887 to 1890, this is a firsthand account of the British pacification and administration of Upper Burma following its annexation in 1885. Crosthwaite describes the suppression of armed resistance, disarmament, establishment of civil government and police, and British dealings with the Shan States, Chins, Bhamo, Mogaung, and other frontier regions. Of particular interest for gemological history is the treatment of the Ruby Mines district and Mogok, which was established as a separate administrative district following the annexation, and the account of W. Warry, the Chinese-speaking official who accompanied expeditions into the Mogaung region and later provided an important description of Burma’s jade mines.

corundum, synthetic corundum.7, gems

A broad review of the international precious-stone industry during 1910, emphasizing diamond production, markets, cutting, and major new gem discoveries. Kunz criticizes misleading trade names and undisclosed artificial gems, discusses the growing use of platinum in jewelry, and notes strong demand for emerald, pearl, sapphire, and other colored stones. Diamond coverage is extensive, including De Beers, Premier, Voorspoed, the Vaal River diggings, German Southwest Africa, the Belgian Congo, Australia, Brazil, British Guiana, Canada, and the developing Arkansas field, together with production statistics and the diamond-cutting industries of Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Germany. Of particular gemological importance is the account of microscopic diamonds in chromite-bearing altered peridotite from British Columbia. Colored stones include the Burma Ruby Mines at Mogok, Montana sapphires, and an extraordinary 110.5-kg transparent aquamarine crystal from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Kunz also introduces the name morganite for the fine rose-colored beryl newly mined in Madagascar, describing its occurrence, properties, and association with tourmaline and kunzite. Further sections treat moldavite and tektites, tourmaline, peridot, jade and jadeite, Ceylon moonstone, Lightning Ridge black opal, Baltic amber, Whitby jet, and pearl fisheries in Bahrain, Ceylon, and the United States.

humor, dictionary, gems

A collection of satirical definitions by American writer Ambrose Bierce, exposing hypocrisy, pretension, sentimentality, and self-interest through concise, frequently cynical reinterpretations of familiar words. Originally developed over many years and first published in book form as The Cynic’s Word Book (1906), the work ranges widely across politics, religion, society, literature, law, marriage, morality, and human behavior. Of gemological interest is Bierce’s celebrated definition of the diamond as “A mineral that frequently makes a woman of a man and a man of a woman.” The work has no scientific significance for gemology, but provides an entertaining example of gemstones, particularly diamonds, as cultural symbols in early twentieth-century American literature.

corundum, Afghanistan.12, gems

Hayden describes the geology encountered during an expedition through northern Afghanistan, including the Hindu Kush and districts adjoining the upper Oxus, with observations on stratigraphy, structure, mineral deposits, and the physical geography of the region. Of particular gemological interest are accounts of the celebrated mineral localities of Badakhshan, including the ruby-spinel workings and lapis-lazuli deposits, with discussion of their geological setting, character, and history of exploitation. The memoir provides an important early geological description of the mineral resources of this remote region based largely on direct field observation.