corundum, ruby, sapphire, Thailand.12, Cambodia.12, gems

A firsthand narrative of a British diplomatic mission to Siam and Cochin China in 1821–1822, written from the journal of George Finlayson, who served as surgeon and naturalist to the mission, and published after his death with a memoir by Sir Stamford Raffles. The work combines travel narrative with observations on geography, natural history, commerce, customs and political conditions. Of particular gemological interest is Finlayson’s description of the province of Chantibond (Chanthaburi), which he calls one of the richest parts of Siam and notes as producing precious stones, including deposits on nearby islands, although he considered the stones generally of inferior quality. He also records jewelry set with diamonds, sapphires and other precious stones observed in Siam. The book is therefore an important early nineteenth-century source for the gem resources and material culture of southeastern Siam.

gems, corundum, quality.10, jade, nephrite, Mughal jade, Islamic jade, Fischer-Other

Bernier recounts his travels and experiences in the Mughal Empire between 1656 and 1668, during which he served for several years as a physician at the imperial court and observed at close hand the reigns of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. He gives a detailed eyewitness account of the struggle for succession among Shah Jahan’s sons, the defeat of Dara Shikoh, and Aurangzeb’s accession, together with descriptions of the imperial court, army, administration, taxation, landholding, cities, commerce, crafts, and social and religious customs. His journeys include extensive observations on Delhi, Agra, Bengal, and Kashmir, whose landscape and products he describes at length. Of particular gemological interest are Bernier’s observations on the enormous wealth of the Mughal court, including diamonds, pearls, rubies, emeralds, and other precious stones displayed in imperial regalia and the celebrated Peacock Throne, as well as his discussion of the diamond mines and trade of Golconda. The work provides an important seventeenth-century European eyewitness account of the production, commerce, valuation, and conspicuous consumption of gems within the Mughal Empire.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

A linguistic essay by Wilhelm von Humboldt examining the origin and development of grammatical forms and their relationship to human thought. Humboldt argues that language is not merely a passive means of expressing ideas but actively shapes the way speakers organize and develop them. The paper discusses how grammatical structures arise, how languages differ in the ways they encode relationships and concepts, and how these structures influence intellectual development. It is an important early statement of Humboldt’s philosophy of language and comparative linguistics. The work has no direct gemological or mineralogical content; its relevance would be linguistic or historical rather than scientific.

gems, corundum, Ceylon, Sri Lanka.12, spinel

A short mineralogical study by Jacques-Louis, Comte de Bournon, of spinel-bearing gangue material collected in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) by Jean-Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour. Bournon describes the mineral assemblages associated with the spinel and their physical and crystallographic characters, using the specimens to clarify the geological occurrence of Ceylon spinel. The paper is of particular gemological importance as an early study not merely of isolated gemstones but of the matrix and associated minerals in which spinel occurs, providing evidence concerning the natural setting of Sri Lankan gem deposits. It complements Bournon’s broader work on minerals collected by Leschenault in Ceylon and southern India.

gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, collection, comparanda, catalog

A descriptive notice of the royal collection of medals and engraved gems belonging to King William I of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. De Jonge discusses the formation, organization, and principal holdings of the cabinet, including ancient coins, medals, intaglios, cameos, and other engraved stones. Of particular gemological and art-historical interest is its documentation of the royal glyptic collection and the subjects, materials, workmanship, and historical significance of its engraved gems. The work provides a useful record of nineteenth-century European collecting and connoisseurship and of an important royal collection of ancient precious and ornamental stones.

corundum, inclusions.5, gems

An important early study by Humphry Davy of fluid and gaseous inclusions enclosed within crystals. Davy examines cavities containing liquid and aeriform matter in several minerals and considers the physical state, composition and behavior of the enclosed substances when the crystals are heated or broken. The paper is significant in the history of mineralogy because it helped establish that crystals can trap fluids and gases during their formation, providing evidence about the conditions under which minerals crystallize. For gemology, it is an early contribution to the study of fluid inclusions, which later became important for understanding gemstone genesis, geological environment and, in some cases, geographic origin.

corundum, ruby, sapphire, Sri Lanka.12, gems

A concise geological and mineralogical account of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) by John Davy, based on his investigations while resident on the island. Davy describes Ceylon as consisting largely of ancient crystalline rocks, including gneiss and crystalline limestone, and records a variety of associated minerals. Of particular gemological interest are his observations on spinel, zircon, cinnamon-stone garnet, tourmaline, corundum and other gem minerals, together with their geological associations. The paper is an important early scientific account of the geology and mineralogy of Sri Lanka and one of the earliest attempts to relate its celebrated gemstones to the rocks in which they occur.

corundum, quality.10, gems

An encyclopedia entry on gems in Abraham Rees’s Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature. The article surveys the principal precious stones known in the early nineteenth century, discussing their names, physical characters, varieties, relative value and uses, and reflecting contemporary attempts to reconcile traditional jewelers’ terminology with developing mineralogical classification. As part of Rees’s broad technical encyclopedia, the entry is useful for understanding how gemological knowledge was presented to educated English readers at the time and for tracing the transition from older lapidary descriptions toward more scientific treatments based on mineralogy and chemistry. Contains a note on peacock feather put under sapphire.

gems, history of gemology, gem prices

A volume from the major documentary collection commonly known as Rymer’s Foedera, containing treaties, agreements, letters, charters and other official records relating to the English Crown and its dealings with foreign rulers, governments and institutions. Originally compiled by Thomas Rymer and continued by Robert Sanderson, the collection reproduces primary documents from the royal archives, many in Latin or French. Although not primarily concerned with gemstones, the records include inventories, diplomatic gifts, royal possessions, payments and transactions involving jewels, precious stones, pearls, gold and silver, making the collection an important primary source for the history of medieval and early modern royal jewelry and gem ownership. The 1818 volume belongs to the later edition prepared under the direction of Adam Clarke and Frederick Holbrooke.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

A major multi-volume French encyclopedia of natural history, prepared by a large group of naturalists and physicians and published by Deterville. The Nouveau Dictionnaire d’Histoire Naturelle covers the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms, with particular attention to the practical application of natural substances in agriculture, commerce, medicine and the arts. Its mineralogical articles include numerous entries on precious stones, ornamental stones and minerals, discussing their physical properties, composition, localities, nomenclature and uses. The work is valuable for tracing early nineteenth-century French mineralogical and gemological terminology and for documenting contemporary knowledge during a period of rapid advances in chemistry and crystallography.