corundum, synthetic corundum.7, Verneuil, Linde, gems

gems, history of gemology, Roman, Rome, Greek, Greece, history of mineralogy, history of science, Arabic mineralogy

Rackham’s Loeb Classical Library edition presents Books 3–7 of Pliny the Elder’s Natural History in parallel Latin and English texts. These books comprise Pliny’s geographical and ethnographical survey of the known world: Books 3–6 describe Europe, Africa, and Asia, including the Mediterranean lands, the Near East, India, and regions beyond, while Book 7 turns to humanity, discussing human characteristics, unusual peoples, remarkable births, longevity, exceptional physical and intellectual abilities, inventions, and other notable features of human life. Pliny draws extensively upon earlier Greek and Roman authorities, travelers, administrators, and geographical writings, preserving a large body of ancient geographical and ethnographic information, often intermingled with reports of marvels and fabulous peoples. For the history of gems and precious materials, these books provide geographical context for the regions from which luxury goods and mineral products reached the Roman world, although Pliny’s systematic treatment of stones and gemstones occurs later in Book 37.

gemology, asterism, phenomena, gems

corundum, inclusions.5, Burma.12, Sri Lanka.12, Thailand.12, gems

gems, early lapidaries, early gemology, early mineralogy, Chaucer, history of gemology, nomenclature, lore, medicinal use

To the long-established list of analogues to Chaucer’s House of Fame, I propose still another: the apocalyptic vision of St. John in the New Testament. Though largely lacking in direct verbal similarities, the Revelation of St. John presents numerous compelling parallels that cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence. The sparse details from Ovid, Vergil, and Boethius are acknowledged to fall short of accounting for the grandeur of Chaucer’s portrayal of Lady Fame in Book III. Rambeau’s argument that Chaucer modeled his goddess on the Virgin Mary as depicted in Dante’s heaven is unconvincing, given how scattered and dissimilar the cited resemblances are. Cummings has thoroughly refuted the identifications by Koeppel and Child of Chaucer’s Fame with the Gloria del popolo mondano in Boccaccio’s Amorosa Visione. Evidence from the poem itself supports the view that Chaucer had the vision of St. John in mind when composing the palace of Fame. In describing the enthroned goddess, Chaucer draws on Vergil’s image of the many-eyed deity (Aeneid IV, 180–183), a detail that recalls the Revelation’s account (IV.6) of the four beasts “full of eyes before and behind,” which Chaucer explicitly references: “the bestes foure / That Goddes trone gunne honoure / As John writ in th’ Apocalips” (House of Fame, 1384–85).

gemology, asterism, phenomena, gems

gemology, physical properties, gems

corundum, synthetic corundum.7, fashioning.9, gems

A collection of reminiscences and anecdotes drawn from Louis Kornitzer’s career in the international gem trade, ranging from his apprenticeship to encounters with refugees dealing in precious stones. Episodes set in Europe, Asia, and the United States bring together diamonds, pearls, emeralds, jade, rubies, and other gem materials with the merchants, buyers, and adventurers whose lives intersected with them. Kornitzer combines observations on gems and commercial dealings with stories of human ambition, ingenuity, misfortune, and chance, moving between comedy and near tragedy. The illustrations depict notable jewelry and aspects of lapidary work. Written as entertaining recollections rather than a systematic gemological treatise, the book conveys the atmosphere and personalities of the trade through a practiced storyteller’s eye. Some of its more sensational adventures prompted contemporary reviewers to question their literal accuracy, making the volume valuable as a record of gem-trade storytelling as well as personal experience. The book contains the Rudolph Oblatt story on reconstructed rubies.

gems, ancient gemology, ancient jewelry, early metallurgy, India, Indus, Harappa, treated etched carnelian, steatite, agate, assembled stones, chalcedony, jade, feldspar, amazonite, lapis lazuli, faience, frit, ivory, shell

The excavations at Harappa described in this Volume were carried out between the years 1920–21 and 1933–34. Being one of the two best known and important sites of the Indus Valley Culture, large scale work was undertaken here by the Archæological Department and the excavations have contributed not a little to our knowledge of the prehistoric civilization of India. On account of the close relation and mutual dependence of the discoveries made at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, this monograph has been planned as a complement to the three* monumental volumes on Mohenjo-daro and the Indus Civilization edited by Sir John Marshall and the two volumes of Further Excavations at Mohenjo-daro by Dr. E. J. H. Mackay. The arrangement of Chapters and Plates follows the former work as far as possible. In Mohenjo-daro and the Indus Civilization, Sir John Marshall has most ably dealt with the Art, Religion, Disposal of the Dead, Extent and the Age and Authors of the Indus Civilization mainly on the basis of the discoveries made at the above two sites, while Dr. Mackay has fully described and illustrated numerous finds, mostly identical with those of Harappa — notably Plain and Painted Pottery and other experts have written on the Indus Script, System of Weights, Minerals and Metals, etc. To that extent, not only has it been possible for me to avoid much needless duplication and to curtail my own work, but what is more, I have derived infinite help and guidance from their masterly handling of so many difficult problems for which I am greatly beholden to them all. To Sir John Marshall I owe a very special and infinite debt of gratitude not only for the thorough guidance and inspiration I received from his great work and the instructions given by him from time to time both in the conduct of excavations and for the preparation of these volumes, but also for the very great trouble he generously undertook (at the sacrifice of much valuable time when he was fully occupied with several pressing works of his own) in preliminarily editing my work, in course of which he made numerous corrections and many valuable suggestions which I have gratefully incorporated.

beryl, emerald, Russia, Colombia, inclusions, gems