gems, Arabic mineralogy, early lapidaries

Jawāhir-nāmah-i Niẓāmī [جواهرنامه نظامی; Niẓāmī’s Gem Treatise], composed by Muḥammad ibn Abī al-Barakāt al-Jawharī al-Nīshābūrī, is an important medieval Persian treatise on precious stones, minerals, and related substances. The work describes numerous gems and ornamental materials, discussing their names, varieties, geographical sources, physical characteristics, desirable and defective qualities, methods of identification, and medicinal or other properties attributed to them. It also preserves information concerning the valuation and commerce of precious stones and draws upon earlier Arabic and Persian lapidary traditions while incorporating observations relevant to contemporary practice. The treatise is particularly valuable to historians of gemology for its Persian gemological terminology and its evidence for the identification, provenance, testing, grading, and use of gemstones in the medieval Islamic world. The modern Tehran edition was edited by Iraj Afshar and Mohammad Rasul Daryagasht.

gems, jade, China, Adam, Chinese jade books, jade lore, Fischer-Chinese

The Shuowen Jiezi [說文解字; Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters], compiled by Xu Shen during the Eastern Han dynasty and presented to the imperial court in 121 CE, is the earliest surviving systematic dictionary of Chinese characters and a fundamental source for the historical study of Chinese writing. The work analyzes approximately 9,350 characters, with more than 1,100 variant forms, arranging them under 540 graphic radicals and explaining their forms, meanings, and, where appropriate, pronunciations. Xu Shen classified characters according to traditional principles of character formation and frequently drew upon ancient scripts and early textual usage. Of particular interest to gemologists is the extensive treatment of characters associated with jade, minerals, stones, metals, colors, and other natural substances, particularly those grouped under the jade radical 玉. These definitions provide important evidence for the terminology, classification, and perceived properties of jade and related materials in early China and are invaluable for interpreting mineralogical and gemological terms occurring in ancient Chinese texts.

corundum, history.1, gems, Arabic mineralogy, early lapidaries

Tansūkh-nāmah-i Īlkhānī [تنسوخ‌نامه ایلخانی] is a Persian treatise on mineralogy, gemstones, metals, and aromatic substances by Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī, apparently composed during the reign of Hülegü Khan (1256–1265). The work is divided into four principal sections: the formation and causes of minerals; precious and semiprecious stones and their properties; the seven metals; and perfumes and aromatic substances. The gemstone section discusses the characteristics, varieties, properties, defects, and uses of numerous stones and is particularly important as a source for medieval Persian gemological terminology and knowledge. The modern edition was critically edited by Sayyid Muḥammad Taqī Mudarris Raḍawī from five manuscripts and includes extensive notes, glossaries, and indexes of gemstones, minerals, colors, plants, places, and technical terms.