FTIR, gemology, beryl, emerald fillers, gems

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

Sinkankas: This work presents translations of chapters 68–80 of the Sanskrit Garuḍa Purāṇa, which “elaborately describes the supernatural origin of gems and their mineralogical properties,” along with the Graha-cocāra Jyautiṣa, a text that “gives complete information on the astrological characteristics and effects of the principal gemstones” and “explains how auspicious gems help remove obstructions in various areas of life by appeasing planets that are having unfavorable effects.” The first thirteen chapters focus on planetary gemstones, offering summary translations of relevant Garuḍa Purāṇa passages concerning ruby, pearl, yellow sapphire, hessonite, emerald, diamond, cat’s-eye chrysoberyl, blue sapphire, coral, red garnet, jade (including jadeite), rock crystal, and bloodstone. Secondary planetary gemstones, or uparatnas, such as red spinel, moonstone, yellow topaz, citrine, hyacinth, peridot, tsavorite, green tourmaline, white zircon, turquoise, goshenite, amethyst, apatite cat’s-eye, blue spinel, tanzanite, lapis lazuli, and carnelian, are not directly traced to specific textual sources, and some—like tsavorite, goshenite, and tanzanite—were unknown to the ancients, suggesting these may have been included at the authors’ discretion. Each gemstone description includes its properties and modern sources, and although there is no bibliography, a valuable feature of the work is its inclusion of alternative Sanskrit names for the gemstones.

gems, corundum, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Hydroxyl, Density functional theory, Sn, Ti, H, FTIR, Infrared spectroscopy, IR-spectroscopy

The mechanisms by which H is incorporated into corundum crystals containing elevated concentrations of Sn is studied using a combination of experimental infrared spectra and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The spectra (both bulk and spatially resolved), along with trace element concentrations, were recorded from samples passing through the laboratories of the Gemological Institute of America. We propose that bands in the FTIR spectra of corundum at 3197, 3235, 3249, 3262 and 3285 cm-1 can all be attributed to OH stretching associated with defects including one or two Sn4+, H+ and Al-site vacancies. Some of the defects also include Ti4+, i.e. are mixed Sn-Ti defects. Specifically, we attribute the following bands to these defects: 3197 and 3235 cm-1: (SnAl•VAl″′OHo•)′ (two configurations); 3249 cm-1: (SnAl•SnAl•VAl″′OHo•)×; 3262 and 3285 cm-1: (SnAl•TiAl•VAl″′OHo•)× (two configurations). All bands show similar polarization behavior, with the strongest absorption when the electric vector is perpendicular to the c-axis.

gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Mesoamerica, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mayans, Olmecs, Aztecs, archaeology, history, archaeogemology

The analysis of the artefact assemblages, that of Pakal’s mask and Offering 4, allowed us to establish several aspects (Filloy Nadal, coord., 2010; Magaloni Kerpel and Filloy Nadal, coords., 2013) related to the specific use of green stones in the manufacture of offering objects in different regions of Mesoamerica. These two assemblages of artefacts are the result of complex processes in which lapidary artists from different periods and cultures must have made a series of decisions at each stage of production in order to transform different varieties of green stones into precious goods involved in communication with the divinities, upon which the continuity and balance of the cosmos depended (Filloy Nadal, 2016 and 2017). It is clear that each stage of the production process decisively influenced the final product and, therefore, the capacity of each artefact to fulfil the function for which it had been created. In both assemblages, the selection of raw material was based on well-established criteria associated with its purity, origin, and physical, optical and organoleptic properties. In the cases mentioned, the value of each artefact increased in parallel with the intensity of the green tone displayed by the raw material, which added significance to the assemblage. These gradations of value were also determined by factors such as the geographic origin of the stones, their rarity and the lustrous quality that each rock possessed, indicating the existence of a taxonomy in which not all green stones enjoyed the same status and, consequently, had different functions and meanings. Thanks to collaborative research and the work of different disciplines, each beginning with questions determined by its own field of inquiry, we have gradually uncovered fragments that help us recover the past. All contexts and objects excavated by archaeological projects conceal profound secrets. It is clear to us that both Pakal’s mask and Offering 4, which we have described here in particular, conceal fascinating histories that we as specialists have attempted to reconstruct, although we have not yet succeeded in deciphering them completely.

gems, jade, fei cui, pyroxene jade, jadeite, fei cui, omphacite, kosmochlor, Guatemala

Chen and colleagues investigate the gemological and mineralogical characteristics of green Fei Cui from Guatemala, using conventional gemological testing together with microscopic observation and instrumental analytical methods to characterize its appearance, structure, mineral assemblages, and composition. The study examines the variations found among green Guatemalan material and the relationships between its mineral constituents and observable gemological properties, with particular attention to jadeite- and omphacite-bearing material. Mineralogical and compositional differences within the samples are considered in relation to color and texture, and the authors discuss characteristics useful for understanding and identifying Guatemalan green Fei Cui and distinguishing it from comparable material of other origins.

gems, history of gemology, Arabic mineralogy, gem prices, early lapidaries

In this volume prominent scholars of South Asia in the fields of economic, social, religious, literary, music, photography, and art history reflect on Simon Digby's method and contribution to their respective fields, and each offer an example of their method through the analysis of a painting, object, manuscript, literary text, or building from the Sultanate, Mughal, and colonial periods.

gems, magical gems, history of gemology, ancient gems, gem lore, gems and healing, medicinal use, alchemy, early lapidaries, Arabic mineralogy

The glyptic art of the Roman Imperial period (1st–4th centuries CE) harnesses the power that minerals were believed to exert on living beings with a remarkably coherent symbolic effectiveness, combining the virtues of stones, engraved images, and texts—particularly in the category of so-called “magical” stones. The combination of three elements defines a particular category of intaglios within Roman glyptic: the selection of a mineral with specific properties, the engraving in positive of inscriptions in Greek and/or “magical” signs or charaktêres, and images invoking a divine presence.

gems, ancient gemology, ancient jewelry, glyptic, engraved gems

This volume presents new scholarship on the value and valuing of craft production in ancient societies around the Mediterranean. Ancient economic history, especially when approached archaeologically, has typically — and with good reason — focused upon the objects that were produced by craftspeople, their form and style, and their distribution. Typological approaches necessary for sorting and analysing large bodies of material evidence have also prioritized the final form of artefacts. Yet it was first and foremost the craftspeople behind these items who were responsible for an item’s functionality, its purpose, and its value, and these roles have in recent years received fresh attention in anthropological and sociological studies. The contributions gathered in this volume revolve around the role of makers, their handling of materials, and their place in networks of production and consumption, whilst at the same time remembering that craftspeople were never lone forces but depended on wider networks of supplies, colleagues, and consumers, as well as more ephemeral considerations such as aesthetics and religious value. Through this approach, the volume sheds new light not only on a range of crafts and materials from the ancient world, but also on the value of making and the making of value in ancient Mediterranean societies.

gems, ancient gems, glyptic, Egypt, history of gemology, history of mineralogy, archaeogemology, archaeology

The publication of the Eastern Desert Roads Surveys brings together the research of two survey projects, the Michigan-Assiut Koptos-Eastern Desert Project and the University of Delaware-Leiden University Eastern Desert Surveys. From 1987 to 2001 and intermittently thereafter until 2015, these two survey teams worked independently to explore and document the archaeological remains along the routes connecting the Nile Valley cities of Koptos (modern Qift) and Apollinopolis Magna (modern Edfu) to the Red Sea port city of Berenike in Egypt. The result of these surveys was the documentation of seventy discrete archaeological sites ranging in date from the late Dynastic to the Late Roman periods, with many sites demonstrating long-term, multi-period occupation. The survey also recorded road sections, route marking cairns and graves/cemeteries. This monograph brings together and integrates the discoveries of both teams, presenting a coherent analysis of the extensive surveys and the materials documented by each. Emphasis is placed on the physical setting of each site, its material remains--including preserved architecture, pottery and other surface finds--and relevant textual evidence, such as inscriptions, ostraka and related historical texts. A single chapter in gazetteer form is devoted to the sites themselves (excluding mines and quarries, which form a separate chapter), while other chapters present the geology of the region and ancient mines and quarries, which made use of the road network, the pottery evidence by phase, and specialist studies. An Introductory chapter offers historical and disciplinary context for the surveys and their subjects, tying the Berenike-Nile roads surveys into the corpus of archaeological surveys in Egypt and the wider Mediterranean world.

gems, spinel, Burma, inclusions