gems

gems, ancient gems, glyptic, archaeology, archaeogemology, beads, chalcedony, Harrapa, jade, feldspar, amazonite, lapis lazuli, faience, ivory, shell, brecciated jasper in chalcedony, Indian lapidary, Central Asia

At the request of Mr. Madho Sarup Vats, Deputy Director General of Archaeology in India, I have undertaken to write a chapter on selected beads from Harappa. The fact that I cannot examine the entire collection has made it difficult to assess the likelihood of foreign importation, but Mr. Vats has been of great assistance in providing details on whether each specimen is unique, rare, or common, as well as information on the stratigraphic layer in which it was found. This data, combined with a close examination of the beads, has revealed some interesting possibilities regarding connections with other civilizations, particularly the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia. Since there appears to be little variation among the beads from different layers—many types occurring across several layers—I have chosen to group the beads by material rather than by stratigraphy. Several plates accompany the text for clarification. The first two are diagrammatic and show the beads arranged by shape according to the Beck Method of classification. Plate CXXIX illustrates beads in Group I, those with circular transverse sections, while Plate CXXX shows beads with non-circular transverse sections. Some plates also consist of microphotographs showing internal structure. One especially notable feature of the Harappa beads is the remarkably large number made from steatite. Nowhere else has such a high proportion of beads been found in this material. Moreover, the variety of treatment applied to the steatite is quite exceptional. While some beads are in natural stone, the vast majority have undergone heat treatment that whitens the surface. These are referred to as “burnt” steatite beads. Although I cannot be certain that intense heat was used in every instance, I have adopted the term nonetheless.

corundum, ruby, sapphire, Thailand.12, gems

Credner presents a broad geographical account of Siam based on his extensive travels and field investigations, combining physical geography, geology, climate, vegetation, settlement, population, agriculture, communications, and economic development. He describes the major geographical regions of the country and relates their landscapes and patterns of human occupation to underlying geology and relief. Mineral resources and mining form part of the economic-geographical treatment, including Siam’s important tin industry and other mineral occurrences, while the gem-producing districts are considered within the wider discussion of natural resources. The work is particularly valuable as a detailed picture of Thailand in the early 1930s, shortly after the political changes of 1932, and contains numerous photographs, maps, and observations derived from Credner’s own fieldwork. For gemological purposes its importance lies chiefly in the geographical and geological context it provides for Siam’s mineral and gemstone resources rather than in detailed mineralogical descriptions.

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corundum, Colombia.12, gems, beryl, emerald

Lleras Codazzi provides an early systematic account of the minerals known from Colombia, combining mineralogical descriptions with information on their Colombian occurrences and localities. Produced as part of the Biblioteca del Museo Nacional, a series intended to document the museum’s collections scientifically while making them accessible to a wider readership, the work forms one of the foundational publications of modern Colombian mineralogy. It covers both common and economically significant mineral species and records occurrences of particular interest to mining and economic geology; later geological literature, for example, cites its discussion of pitchblende and other uranium minerals from Norte de Santander. For gemological research the book is particularly relevant because Lleras Codazzi had already studied the mineralogy of Muzo and its emerald deposits in his 1925 Catálogo descriptivo de los minerales de Muzo, and Los minerales de Colombia places such Colombian mineral occurrences within a broader national mineralogical survey.

gems, lapidary arts, ancient lapidary, Afghanistan, Kabul, bow drill, beads, archaeology, archaeogemology, spectacles, quartz, China, jade

Sinkankas: Fascinating account of an optometrist’s study of the development of spectacles in China that were manufactured from transparent quartz varieties and by the same lapidary methods as were used to carve jade. Four of the illustrations show various stages of work while another is a line drawing of a typical lapidary’s lathe-bench employing foot-treadle propulsion. Another valuable feature of this work is an account of the curious lore associated with wear of quartz spectacles and explaining why the Chinese were of the firm conviction that spectacles made from smoky quartz were soothing to the eyes and helped heal diseases of those organs. Very scarce.

gems, lapidary arts, Jura Mountains, France, Switzerland, gem cutting, faceting

A study of the lapidary industry of the French Jura, particularly the long-established communities of fine-stone cutters around Saint-Claude and the Haut-Jura. Boullier examines the historical development and economic organization of this specialized craft, in which gemstone cutting often supplemented agricultural work during the long winter months. The industry relied on skilled home and workshop labor, with cutters shaping and polishing imported precious and ornamental stones for the jewelry and watch trades, despite the absence of local gem deposits. The work is of particular gemological interest for documenting the organization, techniques, labor conditions and commercial structure of an important European lapidary center at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Corundum, USA.12, North Carolina.12, gems

Lewis presents a detailed study of the corundum deposits and associated basic magnesian rocks of western North Carolina, describing their geographical distribution, geology, mineralogy, and economic importance. He traces a belt of peridotitic and related rocks through the region and examines the relationship of corundum to these ultrabasic bodies and their altered products, including serpentine and talcose rocks. Individual mines and prospects are described, together with the occurrence, character, and quality of their corundum and associated minerals. Lewis discusses the geological origin of the deposits, the alteration of the enclosing rocks, and the manner in which corundum occurs in veins and contact zones. Attention is also given to mining methods, production, and the commercial use of corundum as an abrasive, as well as to crystals and colored varieties of mineralogical or gemological interest. The bulletin provides an important late nineteenth-century account of the Appalachian corundum belt and its relationship to the basic magnesian rocks of western North Carolina.

gems, jade, China, chinese jade carving, Chinese lapidary arts, archaic jades, Hetian yu, amphibole jade

Jin Yu Suosui (金玉瑣碎) [Miscellaneous Fragments on Gold and Yu] is a Qing-dynasty collection of miscellaneous observations concerning gold, yu, precious materials, and objects made from them. Of particular gemological interest is its discussion of fei cui (翡翠), including an entry concerning a fei cui mantis (翡翠螳螂), reflecting the terminology, appreciation, and use of fei cui in nineteenth-century China.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

Bulhões presents the definitive engineering studies for extending the Bahia–São Francisco railway from Alagoinhas toward Juazeiro and Casa Nova, describing the proposed route, topography, rivers, terrain, settlements, engineering difficulties, and natural resources encountered across the interior of Bahia. Prepared principally as a technical report for railway construction, the work includes geographical and geological observations made during surveys of regions that were still imperfectly documented. Its relevance to mineralogical and gemological research lies in observations on the rocks, minerals, and potentially exploitable resources encountered along the proposed railway corridor, providing contemporary evidence for nineteenth-century knowledge of the mineral-producing districts of Bahia.