corundum, History.1, gems

For their aesthetic and symbolic value, gemstones have always been sought out and used by humans. The Mesopotamian tablets, the oldest written records, frequently mention gemstones: lapis lazuli, carnelian… However, due to their rarity, the hard precious stones of Antiquity (diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire) have been less studied. The examination of the Parthian statuette preserved in the Louvre Museum, an object inlaid with rubies, provided an opportunity for the Laboratory of Research of the Museums of France (LRMF) to implement ion beam analysis methods for in-depth research in the field of historical gemmology. The archaeological piece at the core of this study was discovered in Mesopotamia. Based on typology, it is attributed to the Parthian period and would thus date to the 3rd century BCE. This remarkable object represents the goddess Ishtar, associated with Aphrodite. The statuette is made of alabaster; her eyes and navel are inlaid with a red stone initially thought to be glass (fig. 1). In 1995, during the dossier-exhibition Precious Stones of the Ancient East, from the Sumerians to the Sasanians organized by François Talion at the Louvre Museum, Annie Caubet, curator in charge of the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities, proposed that we study this statuette. The objectives were, on the one hand, to confirm the suggestion of S. Van Roy², who believed these cabochons to be rubies, and on the other hand, to attempt to determine the geographic origin of these gems. The study of the rubies on the Parthian statuette from the Louvre Museum combines optical observation of their inclusions with their geochemical characterization using the PIXE method (with the help of AGLAE). It first confirmed that the red inlays of the eyes and navel are indeed natural rubies. Furthermore, it provided an opportunity to build a compositional database for major ruby deposits. Finally, thanks to statistical analysis, we can propose Burma as the most probable origin of the statuette’s rubies, though Sri Lanka cannot be ruled out. These results, along with recent improvements to the AGLAE accelerator, pave the way for a complementary study to strengthen the attribution and attempt to decide between a Burmese or Sri Lankan origin for these rubies. Indeed, the new extracted beam from AGLAE now makes it possible to focus the beam on an area just 0.03 mm in diameter. This tool is well suited for characterizing the mineral inclusions observed in our study (rutile, zircons, phlogopite…), a key factor for authenticating the paragenesis and, consequently, for tracing the provenance of the gems. These gemstones are evidence of exchange or trade across several thousand kilometers between Mesopotamia and Southeast Asia in the 3rd century BCE. To our knowledge, this is the earliest known use of ruby in this region. This representation of Ishtar is remarkable because it combines influences from three civilizations: Mesopotamia through the deity represented, Greece through its Hellenistic style, and Asia through both the placement (eyes and navel) and the nature of the precious stones.

jade, jadeite, fei cui, Burma, gems

With his eye-catching eyes, Li Yinghao has accumulated more than 30 years of experience in the collection of treasures. Following the best-selling books, Preserving the Value of Jade" and "Differential Emerald," he has devoted himself to his new work. To provide readers with identification of Jade Jade Tips: identify authenticity and inferiority of Cuiyu and its original stone cargo tips, correct folk absurd identification methods and misconceptions, uncover the B-between and C cargo and falsification of tactics. I hope that long-lasting, bright and elegant jade can be treasured by people forever."

alexandrite, beryl, emerald, ruby, sapphire, topaz, biotite, phlogopite, Australia, gems, chrysoberyl, beryl

An unusual association of alexandrite, emerald, ruby, sapphire and topaz is described from Poona, near Cue in Western Australia, following field investigations in 1994. The discovery established the first documented occurrence of alexandrite-bearing bedrock in Australia. The minerals occur as preserved or fragmented porphyroblasts within biotite–phlogopite rocks belonging to a metasomatic blackwall sequence. Three types of emerald mineralization are distinguished: emerald associated with margarite and topaz; emerald accompanied by ruby, sapphire, topaz and alexandrite; and emerald associated with quartz and feldspar, with or without garnet and muscovite. The second assemblage, found in specimens from the dumps of the “Ruby shaft” near the Aga Khan Deep Mine, contains millimetre- to centimetre-scale bands interpreted as metasomatically altered greisens. Pink to violet fluorite, white micas and quartz accompany the gem minerals. Corundum commonly forms tabular crystals and radial or subparallel aggregates, with blue or colourless sapphire locally preserved within younger pink ruby. Many crystals display a deep blue core, a relatively colourless intermediate zone and a red outer zone, suggesting increasing chromium availability during growth. Alexandrite occurs as small prismatic crystals and characteristic star-like twinned aggregates, generally green to blue-green in daylight and blue to violet-red under incandescent illumination. Ruby and alexandrite fluoresce red under ultraviolet radiation, more strongly under long-wave than short-wave excitation, whereas colourless and blue corundum show no fluorescence. Corresponding colour zoning in corundum, chrysoberyl and beryl supports a multistage growth history involving changes in the supply of colouring elements. The proposed genetic model begins with fluorine-, beryllium- and rare-metal-bearing fluids from granites entering Archaean ultramafic rocks and producing greisens and mineralized veins. Subsequent regional metamorphism at upper greenschist to lower amphibolite facies promoted metasomatic reactions between these veins and their host rocks, forming corundum, alexandrite and emerald. During retrogression, topaz, corundum and chrysoberyl were partly or completely replaced by margarite, muscovite and locally emerald. Although the assemblage offers exploration potential, most crystals examined were small, fractured, inclusion-rich or altered, and little material suitable for faceting had been recovered. The economic prospects for ruby and alexandrite therefore remained uncertain.

gems, corundum, quality.10, crown jewels, Austrian crown jewels, spinel, diamond, pearl, beryl, emerald, ivory

The secular and ecclesiastical Treasury at the Hofburg in Vienna keeps outstanding symbols of more than 1000 years of European history, from the insignia and imperial jewels of the Holy Roman Empire to precious relics and robes. Important pieces of this collection are presented in full colour with informative text.

gems, Ukraine, Odessa

The excavation of a Sarmatian burial in Ukraine has provided a new example of a butterfly-pendant necklace and led to a reconsideration of the dating of such objects. In 1982, near the village of Mikhajlovka in the Saratskij district of Ukraine’s Odessa region, the Bugo-Dniester rescue expedition from the Institute of Archaeology in Kiev, led by I.T. Chernyakov, excavated Tumulus No. 3 containing a Sarmatian burial in a wooden coffin. The deceased, a woman aged approximately eighteen to twenty-two years, was found lying on her back with her head oriented to the north-northwest. The burial was richly furnished, including a glass jug and cups, wooden vessels, a toilet box, and various gold and bronze ornaments. Among these items, a rectangular bronze mirror set in a wooden frame with plaster floral decoration has already drawn scholarly attention.

corundum, treatments.6, gems

CMS: The Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) in Basel has found its recent acquisition of a Raman microscope well worth the investment, to judge by this excellent account of its initial applications at this laboratory. Much more accurate, easier to use, and considerably less expensive than its predecessors, the Renishaw Raman microscope at SSEF easily fits on a desktop. It has enabled SSEF staff members to identify CO₂ inclusions in sapphire that are diagnostic of heat treatment, detect and identify fracture fillings in emerald, easily identify mounted gemstones, and characterize specimens with irregular surfaces. It can also distinguish component minerals in many aggregates. The method is nondestructive in all but a few well-documented conditions and works on all types of materials, except those having simple compositions and high symmetry, such as metals and alloys. Raman spectroscopy does require that the user be aware of its limitations and parameters; also, the lack of a large, published database means that each laboratory must obtain many of its own reference spectra from known samples. However, Raman spectroscopy clearly has earned a place of respect among the few high-tech laboratory techniques that have proved indispensable to gemological testing today.

corundum, history.1, quality.10, India.12, Tajikistan.12, spinel, beryl, emerald, ruby, diamond, gems, , Indian lapidary

gems, beryl, emerald, Pakistan, Swat, emerald chemistry

Emerald deposits in Swat, northwestern Pakistan, occurring in talc-magnesite and quartz-magnesite assemblages, have been investigated through stable isotope studies. Isotopic analyses were performed on a total of seven emeralds, associated quartz (seven samples), fuchsite (three samples) and tourmaline (two samples) from the Mingora emerald mines. The oxygen isotopic composition (δ 18O SMOW) of emeralds shows a strong enrichment in18O and is remarkably uniform at + 15.6 ± 0.4‰ (1σ,n = 7). Each of the two components of water in emerald (channel and inclusion) has a different range of hydrogen isotopic composition: the channel waters being distinctly isotopically heavier (δD = −51 to −32‰ SMOW) than the other inclusion waters (δD = −96 to −70‰ SMOW). Similarly the oxygen isotopic compositions of tourmaline and fuchsite are relatively constant (δ 18O = + 13 to + 14‰ SMOW) and show enrichment in18O. Theδ 18O values of quartz, ranging from + 15.1 to + 19.1‰ SMOW, are also high (+ 16.9 ± 1.4‰ 1σ, n = 7). The meanδD of channel waters measured from emerald (−42 ± 6.6‰ SMOW) and that of fluid calculated from hydrous mineralsδDcalculated (−47 ± 7.1‰ SMOW) are consistent with both metamorphic and magmatic origin. However, the close similarity between the measuredδD values of the hydroxyl hydrogen in fuchsite (−74 to −6‰ SMOW) and tourmaline (−84 and −69‰ SMOW) with pegmatitic muscovite and tourmaline suggests that the mineralization was probably caused by modified (18O-enriched) hydrothermal solutions derived from an S-type granitic magma. The variation in the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of magnesite, locally associated with emerald mineralization, is also very restricted (δ 13 ∼ −3.2 ± 0.7%, PDB;δ 18O ∼ + 17.9 ± 1.27‰ SMOW). On the basis of the isotopic composition of fluid (δ 13C ≈ −1.8 ± 0.7‰ PDB;δ 18O ≈ + 13.6 ± 1.2‰ SMOW calculated for the 250-550°C temperature), it is proposed that the Swat magnesites formed due to the carbonation of previously serpentinized ultramafic rocks by a CO2-bearing fluid of metamorphic origin.

gems, diamonds, fiction

In the heart of New York City is a solid block of buying, selling, haggling, and handshakes over million-dollar deals. West 47th Street is the diamond district. And whenever a big jewel heist is pulled off anywhere, the men and women on the street know about it - fast. Now the word is out about a robbery in New Jersey that left a rich Iranian dead, his adulterous wife fighting for her life, and six million dollars worth of hot goods ready to hit the market. That's where Mitch Laughton comes in. A former Madison Avenue jeweler, Mitch Laughton makes a lucrative but highly dangerous living: he recovers stolen insured jewelry. He's married to Maddie, a lustful, gorgeous, wealthy woman, who despite being blind plays flamenco guitar in the nude and lavishes luxuries on him. The last thing Mitch needs is more excitement in his life. Then he takes on the case of the Iranian jewel heist... and is caught in a violent spiral of deceit. In pursuit of the missing swag, Mitch must confront two vicious though very different mobsters, a disillusioned cop, a half-mad fence, and informants of all shades. Yet it's only when Mitch makes a remarkable recovery of the missing merchandise itself that he finds the truth. Still out there is a pair of inscribed emeralds worth twenty-five million dollars to the finder. More than enough to turn honest men into liars, thieves into killers, and Mitch and Maddie into a couple who must run - and fight - for their lives.

gems, Red Sea, Egypt, emerald, ancient gems, ancient trade, glyptic, archaeology, archaeogemology, trade routes, Roman

Not since the Ptolemaic-Roman-Byzantine era (late 4th century B.C. to 7th century A.D.) have the Eastern Desert and Red Sea coast of Egypt witnessed the activity now taking place, as tourism and settlements for Egypt’s burgeoning population encroach into once sparsely settled areas. During the Ptolemaic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, a healthy trade between the Mediterranean region, South Arabia, East Africa, and South Asia traversed the Eastern Desert and the Red Sea (Fig. 1). These trade routes fell into disuse with the decline of the Roman Empire and virtually disappeared with the discovery of the sea route around the Horn of Africa in the late 15th century. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 somewhat revived commerce in this area, but for most of the period between the 7th and the 19th century, the Eastern Desert lay nearly abandoned. Evidence of scores of ancient sites remained unrecorded until now.