gems, agate, Germany, Idar-Oberstein, history, lapidary, fashioning

Surveys five centuries of gemstone activity in Idar-Oberstein, tracing the development of the region from its documented late-fifteenth-century beginnings into one of the world’s best-known centers for gemstone cutting, trading and gemological research. Bank reviews the historical exploitation of local agate and other quartz materials, the growth of water-powered cutting mills along the Nahe and Idar, and the transformation of the industry after imported rough—particularly agate from Brazil—supplemented declining local supplies. The article follows the expansion of Idar-Oberstein’s lapidary and jewelry trades, its increasingly international gemstone connections, and the establishment of institutions devoted to gemology, education, research, museums and commerce. Published for the 500th anniversary of the gemstone region, it presents Idar-Oberstein’s history as a continuous interaction between local mineral resources, specialized cutting skills, international trade and organized gemological expertise. The article is illustrated with 10 photographs, two maps and a table.

gems, history of gemology,

A classic tool for Renaissance studies, this dictionary explains the meaning and origins of the many attributes and symbols used by humanists, artists, and intellectuals of the 15th and 16th centuries. Now finally reissued in a completely revised edition that incorporates the 1964 supplement, this essential reference work helps modern readers recover a symbolic language that has largely been lost. It offers those interested in the art of the period a reliable way to rediscover its visual vocabulary, moving from the known to the unknown—since in any composition, no matter how obscure or complex, one element is often recognizable: a rose, a unicorn, or an anchor. For each symbol reflected in Renaissance art, the book also strives to trace its sources of inspiration. An index of “immaterial entities” and another of names make the dictionary especially easy to consult.

corundum, Laos.12, gems

corundum, Pakistan.12, ruby, gems

jade, jadeite, fei cui, Burma, jade treatments, gems

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

Gold, Jade, Forests: Costa Rica is a richly illustrated introduction to the archaeological and cultural heritage of Costa Rica before European contact. Focusing on the country’s remarkable traditions of jade carving and goldworking, the book explores how these precious materials served as symbols of power, status, religious belief, and social identity among ancient Costa Rican peoples. Through photographs of artefacts, archaeological sites, and natural landscapes, it traces the development of indigenous societies from the jade-working cultures of the first millennium AD to the later florescence of gold metallurgy, while also highlighting the tropical forests that shaped and sustained these civilizations. Published in conjunction with a major museum exhibition, the volume presents the artistic achievements and cultural history of pre-Columbian Costa Rica for a general audience. 

gems, early lapidaries, early gemology, early mineralogy

gems, archaeology, archaeogemology, Palmyra, Syria, Roman times

gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, seals, cylinders, archaeology, archaeogemology, Egypt, Cyprus, Syria, Mesopotamia, Mediterranean, Levant, beads, turquoise, lapis lazuli

The ancient Near East, from the fourth millennium B.C. to the seventh century A.D., developed a luxury craft industry based on precious stones. This dossier from the Louvre Museum presents beautiful pieces—ornaments of princes or offerings to the gods—and explains the techniques.

gems, ancient gemology, ancient jewelry, early metallurgy, collection, comparanda, catalog

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Würth Group in 1995, a unique exhibition on the history of the screw and the thread in antiquity was presented for the first time through a joint effort by the Museum Würth in Künzelsau-Gaisbach and the Archaeological State Museum of Baden-Württemberg. The exhibition was supported by over twenty museums in Europe and the USA with precious Late Antique jewelry exhibits. Special thanks are due to co-initiator Dr. Rüdiger Krause, director of the Archaeological State Museum and president of the State Heritage Office of Baden-Württemberg, to Prof. Dr. Dieter Planck, and especially to Reinhold Würth and all the scholars involved in the research project, for making this exhibition possible, which has now been crowned with a scholarly publication on a topic previously neglected in general cultural history. The exhibition’s preparation and the development of the volume were preceded by intensive and thorough research on the topic of threads in antiquity. This involved not only ancient threading techniques based on archaeological remains or written sources attesting to such techniques, but also the political and social conditions of Late Antiquity, which were particularly defined by rank insignia and prestige objects (fibulae, arm rings, bracelets, pectorals, pectoral crosses, belts, etc.) using screw fastenings. The richly illustrated and high-quality volume, featuring numerous (including full-page) color and black-and-white images, drawings, and maps, is structured as follows: after the introductory foreword by Reinhold Würth (pp. 7–13) and the exhibition introduction by Dieter Planck (pp. 14–22), the main thematic section is divided into four specific areas: Rüdiger Krause writes on “The Thread in Antiquity” (pp. 23–54), Astrid Schürmann on “The Transmission of Ancient Authors” (pp. 55–76), Barbara Theune-Großkopf on “Onion-Head Fibulae and Their Wearers – Jewelry and Rank Insignia” (pp. 77–112), and Barbara Deppert-Lippitz on “The Golden Jewelry of Late Antiquity” (pp. 113–140). A special feature of the volume is the inclusion of English and French summaries preceding each article, along with trilingual captions (German, English, French) for all images.