Emerald Bibliography
Explore books, articles and historical sources on emerald in Four Treasures, the Lotus Gemology reference database. This bibliography brings together matching records from the collection, with publication details, abstracts and cover images where available.
Emerald References
The list below matches the terms emerald or emeralds in the database's searchable fields. Some references discuss emeralds as part of a broader subject.
681–700 of 848 matching references
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night
Burton, R.F. (1899)
Book · Publisher: Burton Society of Denver · Pages: Vol. 5, pp. 340–343; Vol. 6, pp. 16–23, 64–69
Abstract
Burton’s The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, his translation of the Arabian Nights, contains numerous references to precious stones, jewelry, and fabulous treasures reflecting the luxury and gem lore of the medieval Islamic world. The cited passages in Vols. 5 and 6 include descriptions of gems and jeweled objects embedded in tales of merchants, rulers, magical adventures, and extraordinary wealth. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls, and other precious materials appear both as commodities of immense value and as components of magnificent ornaments and treasures, while some passages preserve traditional beliefs concerning the sources and properties of stones. Burton’s extensive notes supplement the tales with linguistic, historical, geographical, and ethnographic commentary, often explaining Arabic and Persian names for gems and contemporary practices connected with their trade and valuation. For gemological research, these passages are valuable primarily as literary and cultural evidence for the terminology, symbolism, commerce, and popular conceptions surrounding precious stones in the Arabic and Persian traditions transmitted through the Thousand Nights and a Night.
Keywords
corundum, history.1, geology.11, gems
L'Émeraude de Bajazet II et la Médaille du Christ d'Innocent VIII
The Emerald of Bayezid II and the Medal of Christ of Innocent VIII
Mély, F.d.S., de (1898)
Journal Article · Source: Gazette des Beaux-Arts · Issue: 1 June · Pages: pp. 487–493 · Language: in French
Abstract
In 1888, M. Bode, who had just acquired for the Berlin Museum a small painting representing a head of Christ, which he attributed to Jan van Eyck, sought, in the Zeitschrift für christliche Kunst, to determine the type to which this very regular profile should be related. He then published a medal, the obverse of which bore a head of Christ in profile and the reverse the following inscription: “Presentes figure ao (sic) similitudinem domini ihesu salvatoris nostri et apostoli pauli in amiraldo impresse per magni theucri predecessores antea singulariter observate misse suut ab ipso magno theucro s. d. n. pape innocencio octavo pro singulari dono ad hune finem ut suum fratrem captivum retineat.” M. Bode very rightly pointed out that this medal, half a century later than the painting, could not have been the immediate model copied by the Netherlandish artist, but that the latter must have attempted to reproduce, with the greatest possible fidelity, an ancient, traditional type derived from this emerald of Constantinople sent to Rome to Innocent VIII. “Such imitations,” he added, “appear to have reached the West as early as antiquity and to have served as a type for representations of the Savior.”
Keywords
gems, glyptic, antique gems, engraved gems, rings, beryl, emerald
Precious stones
Kunz, G.F. (1894)
Book Section · Source: Mineral Resources of the United States | Calendar Year 1893 · Publisher: Govt. Printing Office · Pages: pp. 680–702
Abstract
The value of rough gems produced in the U.S. decreased from $312,050 in 1892 to $264,041 in 1893, mainly due to financial depression. Notable discoveries include a 3+ carat diamond in Wisconsin and small rubies in North Carolina. American turquoise sales reached $143,136, surpassing Persian mines’ annual sales. Diamond Industry: Several diamond discoveries were made in the U.S., including a 3+ carat diamond in Wisconsin and small diamonds in North Carolina and California. Diamonds were found in meteorites, specifically the Canyon Diablo meteorite, confirming their presence through cutting experiments. The diamond-cutting industry in the U.S. employed 236 people in 1889, with significant importation of rough diamonds. Other Gemstones: Sapphires from Montana were actively sold, with efforts to introduce them into the London market. Rubies found in North Carolina were of good color and quality. Turquoise mining was highly successful, with significant production and sales. Tourmaline discoveries in Maine and California yielded valuable gems. Emerald mining in Colombia continued to be profitable, with significant production and export. Artificial Precious Stones: Experiments by Thomas Edison and the Cowles Electric Smelting and Aluminum Company to produce artificial rubies, sapphires, and diamonds were unsuccessful due to issues like bubbles and lack of genuine diamond production. Other Minerals: Moss agate, hydrolite, dumortierite, opal, staurolite, jadeite, lapis lazuli, labradorite, and other minerals were found and mined in various locations across the U.S., with varying degrees of success and market value. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the mineral and gemstone industry in the U.S. during 1893, highlighting significant discoveries, production data, and market trends.
Keywords
corundum, USA.12, North Carolina.12, Montana.12, gems
Der ägyptische Smaragd nebst einer vergleichenden mineralogischen Untersuchung der Smaragde von Alexandrien, vom Gebel Sabara und vom Ural
The Egyptian emerald together with a comparative mineralogical study of the emeralds of Alexandria, the Gebel Sabara and the Urals
Schneider, O. and Arzruni, A. (1892)
Journal Article · Source: Zeitschrift für Ethnologie · Volume: Vol. 24 · Pages: pp. 41–100 · Language: in German
Abstract
Sinkankas: The discovery of the Alexandrian hoard of gemstones and other materials, including glasses, enamels, partly-worked, and finished gemstones during 1867–9, inspired the present study of Egyptian emeralds in a monograph of great historical and archaeological value, not to mention the numerous gleanings of pertinent information from ancient writers who mentioned Egyptian emerald. As a result of the discovery of the hoard, a controversy arose concerning the origin of the emeralds—were they from Egypt or were they from the Urals? Andreas Arzruni, the eminent European mineralogist, was called in to examine the specimens and compare them to emeralds from Gebel Sabara in Egypt and from the Urals. From his examinations, especially of inclusions, he concluded that the Alexandrian stones were from Gebel Sabara. In the course of his study, Schneider examined works by K.R. Lepsius (1810–1884), a German Egyptologist, Leo Africanus, Diodorus Siculus, Ptolemy Philadelphus, Solinus Polyhistor, Aelian, Lucian, Strabo, Olympiodorus, and other ancient writers, and took much from a treatise on gemstones by Masudi (Abu-al-Hasan Ali al-Masudi, d. 956 AD) and Achmed Teifaschi (13th c. Cairo gem dealer), not to mention much later accounts of travelers, explorers, and visitors to the Gebel Sabara emerald mines. Among the latter may be mentioned Frederic Cailliaud (1787–1869), whose account is referenced elsewhere in the present bibliography, and who rediscovered the emerald mines in 1816. [919] The present account by Schneider is of great importance but is rarely mentioned in the ordinary gemological bibliographies; it deserves translation into English and other languages. USGS Kunz Coll, GS 34-1005.
Keywords
gems, beryl, emerald, Egypt, Russia
The Naulahka: A Story of West and East
Kipling, R. and Balestier, C.W. (1892)
Book · Publisher: MacMillan and Co.
Abstract
Kipling and Balestier’s novel follows Nicholas Tarvin, an ambitious American from the fictional town of Topaz, Colorado, who travels to the Indian state of Rhatore in pursuit both of his fiancée, Kate Sheriff, and of a fabulous jeweled necklace known as the Naulahka. Kate has gone to India to work as a nurse, while Tarvin hopes to obtain the necklace and use it to advance his commercial schemes at home. The story contrasts American enterprise and optimism with the authors’ portrayal of princely India, combining romance, adventure, political intrigue, and descriptions of court life. Of particular gemological interest is the Naulahka itself, a legendary state necklace composed of extraordinarily valuable diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other gems, whose history, appearance, and attempted theft form a central element of the plot. The novel provides a late nineteenth-century literary portrayal of Indian royal jewels and the fascination they exercised upon Western observers.
Keywords
fiction, India, gems
Precious stones
Kunz, G.F. (1890)
Book Section · Source: Mineral Resources of the United States | Calendar Year 1888 · Publisher: Govt. Printing Office · Pages: pp. 580–585
Abstract
The section on precious stones, authored by George F. Kunz, highlights notable discoveries and mining activities for various gemstones such as emeralds, diamonds, beryl, phenacite, topaz, garnet, epidote, agatized wood, fire opal, dumortierite, tourmaline, rhodonite, turquoise, gadolinite, fluorite, and amber. It details specific finds, their locations, and the values of the stones, emphasizing the potential for future mining and commercial use.
Keywords
corundum, USA.12, North Carolina.12, Montana.12, gems
A naturalist's rambles in Ceylon
Hensoldt, H. (1889)
Journal Article · Source: American Naturalist · Volume: Vol. 23 · Issue: No. 272 · Pages: pp. 690–707
Abstract
Hensoldt recounts observations made during two years of travel in Ceylon beginning in 1875, with particular attention to natural history, geology, religion, and the island’s gem deposits. He describes the central highlands as composed chiefly of ancient metamorphic rocks, including garnetiferous gneiss, and attributes the alluvial gem deposits to weathering of these rocks and subsequent transport by mountain streams. He identifies the Kalu Ganga and Ratnapura as the center of the native gem trade and describes the buried “gem gravel,” from which rubies, sapphires, topazes, cat’s-eyes, garnets, and cinnamon-stones were recovered; he states that diamond was unknown from the island. Hensoldt also provides an eyewitness description of the Temple of the Tooth at Kandy, including reliquaries decorated with large pearls, uncut rubies, sapphires and emeralds, and an enormous hollowed star sapphire said to have been found near Adam’s Peak. He discusses the contemporary gem trade and demand among Indian princes and records the reopening of the Puttalam pearl fishery, where more than 7,000 baskets of oysters were landed during a six-week season.
Keywords
gems, Ceylon, Sri Lanka, gem minerals, natural history
Colection des Anciens Alchimistes Grecs
Collection of the Ancient Greek Alchemists
Berthelot, P.E.M. and Ruelle, C.-É. (1888)
Book · Publisher: G. Steinheil · Language: in French and Greek
Abstract
Berthelot and Ruelle assemble, edit, translate, and interpret the surviving Greek texts relating to ancient alchemy, providing one of the fundamental source collections for the history of early chemistry. The work includes Greek texts with French translations and extensive commentary on the techniques, substances, apparatus, and theories described by Greek and Byzantine alchemical writers. Of particular gemological interest are passages dealing with minerals, metals, coloring processes, and the artificial production or imitation of precious materials, including recipes intended to give stones the appearance and colors of emerald, ruby, sapphire, and other gems. The collection is especially important for documenting ancient methods of dyeing, staining, and otherwise altering stones and glass, and for tracing the relationship between practical craft recipes and the developing theoretical traditions of alchemy.
Keywords
gems, glyptic, engraved gems, agate, cameo, intaglio, Greece, history of gemology, treatments, alchemy
The ruby-mines of Burmah
Anonymous (1887)
Journal Article · Source: Science · Volume: Vol. 9 · Pages: pp. 97–98
Abstract
The article describes the ruby mines of Burma at a moment when British occupation had generated considerable interest in their potential value, drawing largely upon a contemporary account in the London Times together with earlier descriptions by Tavernier, Father D’Amato, and Bredemeyer. Tavernier located the principal workings at Kyat-pyen and reported rubies, spinels, sapphires, and other gems, while noting that fine large rubies were scarce and that the Burmese king reserved the best stones. D’Amato, who visited about 1830, described gem-bearing gravel reached by pits 20–30 feet deep, with mining hindered by water; rubies, sapphires, “topaz,” “oriental emeralds,” and abundant spinels were reported, while valuable stones belonged to the king and some were smuggled out through Chinese and Tartar merchants. More recent reports stated that most rubies weighed less than a quarter carat and that larger stones were generally flawed. Fine sapphires, although rare, were reportedly found weighing 9–13 carats, and the royal monopoly yielded about £15,000 annually in 1856. The Times correspondent remained skeptical that British control and improved mining machinery would necessarily make the deposits highly profitable, citing experience in India and Ceylon as grounds for caution. [97–98]
Keywords
corundum, Burma.12, Mogok, gems
Precious stones
Kunz, G.F. (1886)
Book Section · Source: Mineral Resources of the United States | Calendar Year 1885 · Publisher: Govt. Printing Office · Pages: pp. 437–444
Abstract
Detailed report by George F. Kunz on the progress in the field of precious stones during 1885, including notable finds and mining activities in various locations such as Maine, North Carolina, Colorado, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and others. It mentions specific discoveries of emeralds, hiddenite, quartz, agates, garnets, jasper, and other minerals. Production of Precious Stones: Estimated production values of various precious stones in the United States for the years 1883, 1884, and 1885, including diamonds, quartz, garnet, pyrite, amazonstone, pipestone, turquois, moss agate, amethyst, jasper, sunstone, fossil coral, and gold quartz. Imports: Data on diamonds and other precious stones imported into the United States from 1867 to 1885, including rough or uncut stones, stones not set, and those set in gold or other metals
Keywords
corundum, USA.12, North Carolina.12, Montana.12, gems
Handbook of Engraved Gems
King, C.W. (1885)
Book · Publisher: George Bell and Sons · Pages: 286 pp.
Abstract
Sinkankas: As in the first edition, the history chapter (pp. 1–133) is the lengthiest. It is followed by sections on famous rings and signets, cabinets of gems, descriptions of plates, and the catalog of artists. There are many changes and additions: the poem of Christodorus is omitted; the plates are entirely new, although in most cases the same gems are illustrated, now classified as Assyrian, Parthian, Sassanian, Indo-Sassanian, Sassanian-Christian, Egyptian, Gnostic, Christian, Phoenician, Etruscan, Greek, etc., with plates illustrating the Apotheosis of Augustus cameo and several other very large cameos, as well as Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance gems. Among the plates are a cameo of jade from Mexico and the “Emerald Vernicle,” or representation of Christ. Another issue differed in omitting the folding frontispiece and substituting the plate formerly tipped in to face p. [1]; the text description, however, was not altered, and the plate itself still bears the note stating that it is to face that page. As usual, both versions appear most commonly in poor condition.
Keywords
corundum, ruby, sapphire, history.1, quality, gems, glyptic, engraved gems, collection, comparanda, catalogue, jade cameo
Leisure Hours Among the Gems
Hamlin, A.C. (1884)
Book · Publisher: James R. Good · Pages: 439 pp.
Abstract
Hamlin presents a broad popular survey of gemstones, combining mineralogical information with historical accounts, legends, famous specimens, mining localities, cutting, valuation, and use in jewelry. He discusses diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, tourmalines, topaz, garnets, opals, turquoise, pearls, and numerous other ornamental materials, describing their physical properties, colors, geographical sources, and notable examples. Particular attention is given to American gemstones and mineral localities, including the tourmalines of Maine, a subject on which Hamlin had previously written extensively. The work blends contemporary gemological knowledge with anecdotes and historical lore and provides a useful late-nineteenth-century account of popular and commercial attitudes toward precious stones in the United States.
Keywords
gems, diamond, corundum, ruby, sapphire, garnet, tourmaline, topaz, opal, turquoise, pearl
El Gobierno Español fomentó la industria minera de los Estados Unidos de Colombia
The Spanish Government promoted the mining industry of the United States of Colombia
Restrepo, V. (1884)
Journal Article · Source: Revista Minera Metalúrgica · Volume: Vol. 35 · Issue: No. 1.022 · Pages: pp. 253–254 · Language: in Spanish
Abstract
Restrepo discusses measures taken by the Spanish government to encourage mining in the territory that later became the United States of Colombia. He draws attention to official efforts to develop mineral resources and promote mining activity, placing these initiatives within the historical development of the Colombian mining industry. The brief article provides contemporary historical commentary on Spanish colonial mining policy and its role in the exploitation of Colombia’s mineral wealth.
Keywords
gems, beryl, emerald, Colombia, Chivor
De la couleur bleue du saphir, de la lazulite et du lapis-lazuli; de la couleur verte de l’emeraude et la couleur pourpre de l’amthyste
On the blue color of sapphire, lazulite, and lapis lazuli; the green color of emerald, and the purple color of amethyst
Ross, W.A. (1882)
Journal Article · Source: Annales de Chimie et de Physique · Volume: Series 5, Vol. 27 · Pages: pp. 532–536 · Language: in French
Abstract
Ross discusses the causes of color in sapphire, lazulite, lapis lazuli, emerald, and amethyst, considering the chemical constituents responsible for their characteristic blue, green, and purple hues. He examines contemporary explanations for gemstone coloration and relates color to the presence of small quantities of metallic compounds or other coloring substances within otherwise colorless mineral materials. Particular attention is given to the blue coloration of sapphire and lapis lazuli, the green of emerald, and the purple of amethyst. The paper represents an early attempt to explain gem coloration in chemical terms and illustrates late nineteenth-century ideas concerning the relationship between trace constituents and color in minerals.
Keywords
gems, corundum, color.4, lazurite, lapis lazuli, emerald, amethyst, beryl
Die Indischen Mineralien, Ihre Namen und die Ihnen Zugeschriebenen Kräfte
The Indian Minerals, Their Names and the Powers Attributed to Them
Narahari (or Naraharipandita) and Garbe, R. (1882)
Book · Publisher: Verlag Von S. Hirzel · Pages: 104 pp. · Language: in German
Abstract
Sinkankas: Richard von Garbe’s complete work is reproduced in facsimile, including the original title page, and centers on his discovery and translation of a significant Sanskrit treatise on minerals by the Kashmiri physician Narahari. Despite the general absence of Sanskrit monographs on minerals, Garbe uncovered Narahari’s work, a section of the larger encyclopedic text King of Dictionaries, written between 1235 and 1250 AD. The translated extracts are organized into three categories: metals, non-metals, and precious stones, the last of which spans pages 70 to 91 in the German edition. This section includes discussions on the nine classical gemstones of Indian tradition—ruby, pearl, coral, emerald, topaz, diamond, sapphire, hyacinth, and cat’s-eye—as well as other stones like rock crystal, sunstone, moonstone, lapis lazuli, and turquoise. Each entry provides Indian synonyms, medicinal uses, and notes on color and quality, along with astrological associations. Garbe relied extensively on Tagore’s Mani Mala, though he acknowledged its shortcomings and urged cautious use. His translation remains a valuable contribution to early Indian gemological literature and a crucial supplement to Tagore’s work.
Keywords
corundum, ruby, sapphire, history.1, India.12, gems, Indian lapidary
A Paper on Corundum and its Gems
Jenks, C.W. (1876)
Book · Publisher: Press of John Wilson and Son · Pages: 17 pp.
Abstract
A paper by Charles W. Jenks on corundum and its gem varieties, based largely on his personal observations of the corundum deposits of western North Carolina. Jenks discusses the historical use of corundum as an abrasive, compares its cutting power with emery and diamond, and describes contemporary experiments with manufactured corundum grinding wheels. Much of the paper concerns the North Carolina occurrence, where massive corundum and colored crystals were found together in chloritic veins associated with serpentine; he describes the mine workings, gangue minerals, crystal forms and several unusually large specimens. Jenks also discusses the corundum gem varieties then known under such names as “Oriental” sapphire, ruby, asteria, emerald, topaz and amethyst, and compares the American material with that from Ceylon, India and Burma. The paper is valuable as an early firsthand account of corundum mining in the United States and of the developing industrial and gemological uses of the mineral.
Keywords
corundum, ruby, sapphire, North Carolina.12, USA.12, gems
Further notes on “inclusions” in gems, etc.
Lea, I. (1876)
Journal Article · Source: Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia · Issue: May · Pages: pp. 98–107 (reprinted in Gems & Gemology, Winter, 1955, pp. 230–236, 254)
Abstract
A detailed continuation of Isaac Lea’s earlier studies of microscopic inclusions in gemstones and minerals. Drawing on an enlarged personal collection, Lea examines cavities, fluid inclusions and minute enclosed crystals in sapphire, ruby, spinel, emerald, beryl, zircon, moonstone and other gem materials. Of particular importance is his observation that fine sapphires commonly contain abundant acicular crystals and cavities; he relates the oriented needles directly to the intersecting bands that produce the star in asteriated corundum. He also describes inclusions in North Carolina corundum, Ceylon sapphires and spinels, emeralds containing fluid-filled cavities with enclosed cubic crystals, and other distinctive internal features, illustrating many of them on two plates. The paper is an important early contribution to gemstone microscopy and to the recognition of inclusions as diagnostic evidence of a gem’s internal structure and growth history.
Keywords
corundum, inclusions.5, gems
Notes on the early literature of chemistry: The book of the balance of wisdom
Bolton, H.C. (1876)
Journal Article · Source: American Chemist · Volume: Vol. 6 · Issue: May · Pages: pp. 413–422
Abstract
A historical study by Henry Carrington Bolton of the twelfth-century Arabic scientific treatise The Book of the Balance of Wisdom (Kitāb Mīzān al-Ḥikma), attributed to al-Khāzinī. Bolton examines the work’s treatment of the balance, hydrostatic weighing and the determination of specific gravity, drawing on the Arabic text and earlier translations and studies. Of particular gemological interest are the tables and discussions of the specific gravities of precious stones and minerals, including such materials as emerald, rock crystal, cornelian, lapis lazuli and pearl. Bolton emphasizes the sophistication and accuracy of medieval Islamic experimental methods and shows that the treatise represents an important early contribution to quantitative mineralogy and the measurement of density. The paper was subsequently reprinted in expanded form as The Book of the Balance of Wisdom: An Essay on Determinations of Specific Gravity by the Arabians of the XIIth Century.
Keywords
corundum, properties.3, history.1, gems, Arabic mineralogy
Earth and Its Treasures: A Description of the Metallic and Mineral Wealth of Nature
Mangin, A. and Adams, W.H.D. (1875)
Book · Publisher: T. Nelson and Sons · Pages: 405 pp.
Abstract
A popular survey of the earth’s mineral and metallic resources, including a substantial chapter on emerald and beryl. The emerald section opens with ancient traditions concerning the gem, including Marbodus, Pliny, and the legendary griffins and Arimaspians, before discussing evidence that true emerald was known in antiquity. Particular attention is given to the Egyptian emerald mines between the Nile and Red Sea and Cailliaud’s exploration of the ancient workings at Mount Zaharah, including his descent into the mines and discovery of emerald crystals in mica-bearing rocks. The authors then discuss the physical properties, varieties, value, cutting, and notable specimens of emerald, together with ancient accounts of its supposed beneficial effect on eyesight and Nero’s reputed use of an emerald to view gladiatorial contests. Colombian (“Peruvian”) emeralds from near Santa Fé de Bogotá are described as the most highly regarded contemporary material, with additional occurrences noted in the Urals, Salzburg, and Ceylon. The chapter concludes with a discussion of beryl and its relationship to emerald, including aquamarine and blue, greenish-yellow, yellow, and colorless varieties, their properties, sources, historical uses, and notable specimens.
Keywords
gems, beryl, emerald, Egypt
Nouveau recueil de comptes de l’argenterie des rois de France
New Collection of Accounts of the Silver Treasury of the Kings of France
Douët-d’Arq, L. (1874)
Book · Publisher: Renouard · Pages: 430 pp. · Language: in French
Abstract
Douët-d’Arcq publishes a collection of medieval accounts relating to the argenterie of the kings of France, providing documentary evidence for royal expenditure on precious objects, jewelry, plate, clothing, and ceremonial furnishings. Drawn from archival records, the accounts record payments to goldsmiths, jewelers, craftsmen, and merchants and describe objects made or acquired for the royal household, often specifying materials, weights, workmanship, and costs. Of particular gemological interest are references to diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, and other precious stones employed in royal jewels and ornaments, together with information on their valuation, setting, purchase, and reuse. The work is an important primary source for the history of medieval French jewelry, precious stones, goldsmithing, and the organization and expenditure of the royal treasury.
Keywords
gems, history of gemology, early lapidaries, history of mineralogy
Exploring the Literature of Emerald
Emerald literature spans gemology, mineralogy, deposits, identification, treatments, synthesis, history and the gem trade, with important sources covering deposits around the world.
For a curated guide to this subject, read Green Fire — Lotus Gemology's Guide to the Literature of Emerald.
About Four Treasures
Four Treasures is Lotus Gemology's freely accessible gemological reference database. Use the full database to search by author, title or keyword and explore literature on gemology, mineralogy, jewelry and related fields. Where available, hyperlinks on titles may lead directly to the full publication.