corundum, ruby, sapphire, quality.10, gems

O’Donoghue documents prices paid by the Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend for gemstones acquired from the celebrated collection of Henry Philip Hope, using manuscript annotations in a museum copy of B. Hertz’s 1839 catalogue of that collection. These annotations provide a rare record of prices paid for good-quality gemstones during the middle nineteenth century. Townshend subsequently bequeathed his collection of precious stones, together with pictures, drawings and watercolours, to the institution then known as the South Kensington Museum, later the Victoria and Albert Museum. Although the Townshend Collection contains 154 items, the article is restricted to stones purchased from the Hope sales. The entries link descriptions and purchase prices with references to Hertz’s catalogue and museum accession numbers, recording dimensions and, where available, historical weights. Because the collection was sealed in a security case, the author could reproduce only some of the weights quoted by Hertz. The gemstones are mounted in gold rings, some constructed to swivel so that their backs can be examined. The catalogue covers diamonds, sapphire and other corundum, topaz, tourmaline, garnet, peridot, emerald, aquamarine, opal, quartz varieties and turquoise. Recorded prices include £250 for a lemon-yellow diamond, £85 for a green diamond and £30 for a small diamond described by Hertz as approaching red spinel in colour. A deep claret-coloured topaz cost £180, compared with £25 for a yellow topaz showing reddish ends. Aquamarines range from £15 to £300, while the listed opals range from £4 to £70. Descriptions preserve distinctive features such as chatoyancy, iridescence associated with fractures, colour variation, dendritic inclusions and engraved decoration. Examples include an emerald engraved with Persian characters, a garnet engraved with a faun and turquoise carved with a female head in relief. The article also corrects several earlier identifications: stones catalogued by Hertz as zircon are identified as tourmaline, hessonite and aquamarine, while two specimens listed as ruby spinel are assigned to corundum. By connecting surviving museum objects with their earlier catalogue descriptions and documented purchase prices, the paper supplies primary historical evidence for the study of nineteenth-century gemstone collecting and valuation.

corundum, synthetic corundum.7, gems

corundum, synthetic corundum.7, Chatham, gems

gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Mesoamerica, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mayans, Olmecs, Aztecs, archaeology, history, archaeogemology

This is a study of Mesoamerica—Mesoamerica as a whole. Like other great civilizations, it possesses its own history, and like other successful epics it is composed of a number of episodes, a climax, and an ending. We know a great deal about the last scene, and vast chapters have been written about the earlier episodes, but a complete study of its beginnings has never appeared. Hence the present history—fraught with perils since it is an attempt to gather all important (but isolated) data into a coherent whole; dangerous since the explorer is not only drawing a map of newly discovered islands but is forced to chart unknown seas. Archaeological exploration in Mesoamerica, together with other anthropological studies, is, at best, an incomplete map of a number of islands, large and small, in an uncharted ocean. At times, in fact, these isles can hardly be called islands; they seem to be no more than poorly illuminated rocks, jutting out from the depths of a murky sea—the past. Let us trust that there will be a minimum of errors in our factual material. My sources have been basically the reports of field archaeologists. Nevertheless, as Alfred Kroeber said, “No one can really examine all the evidence on any major problem; at least not at first hand. This puts us in a nice fix when, as so often happens, we claim to have reached valid conclusions after having examined and weighed ‘all the evidence.’ I would rather publish as fast as I can feel reasonably sure of my material, even at the risk of errors and uncertainties, so that it will be out where others can shoot at it. Nothing is worth much in any profession until it is published.”

gems, ancient gemology, early gemology, ancient mineralogy, early trade, Rome, Romans, Greeks, ancient trade, commerce, Africa

The Classical Review: This volume brings together nine papers by scholars connected with the Department of Classics at Ibadan, aimed at Classical scholars, Africanists, and West African students. Several essays are general overviews intended to introduce students to modern research on contentious subjects or fields where source material is scarce—such as J. Ferguson’s discussions on early Christianity in North Africa and the influence of Greek thought on Islam. The papers reflect individual interests rather than a unified theme, though Ferguson’s “Classical Contacts with West Africa” naturally opens the collection, addressing a crucial question in the region’s prehistory: the extent of contact between West Africa and the classical Mediterranean. While Ferguson surveys linguistic and religious parallels and known Carthaginian trade along the Atlantic coast, much of the evidence remains fragmentary and speculative. The notable absence of Roman interest in West African gold, despite Carthaginian efforts, is highlighted, as is the importance of the Mogador site, with its layered Mediterranean connections from the 6th century BCE to the Roman period. Ferguson rightly emphasizes archaeology as the key to future discoveries. D. Williams’ “African Iron and the Classical World” explores the possible transmission of iron-smelting techniques, comparing Meroitic and Niger-area furnaces to Aegean and Celtic types, though he remains cautious about suggesting direct links. L. Thompson’s contribution outlines clear and sustained contact between eastern Africa and the Graeco-Roman world—especially via Egypt and the Nile—contrasting it with the sporadic and largely inconsequential trans-Saharan interactions in the west, where the desert posed a persistent barrier to lasting cultural or economic exchange.

gems, ancient gemology, early gemology, ancient mineralogy, early trade, Rome, Romans, Greeks, ancient trade, commerce, Africa

Classical Review: This volume brings together nine papers by scholars connected with the Department of Classics at Ibadan, aimed at Classical scholars, Africanists, and West African students. Several essays are general overviews intended to introduce students to modern research on contentious subjects or fields where source material is scarce—such as J. Ferguson’s discussions on early Christianity in North Africa and the influence of Greek thought on Islam. The papers reflect individual interests rather than a unified theme, though Ferguson’s “Classical Contacts with West Africa” naturally opens the collection, addressing a crucial question in the region’s prehistory: the extent of contact between West Africa and the classical Mediterranean. While Ferguson surveys linguistic and religious parallels and known Carthaginian trade along the Atlantic coast, much of the evidence remains fragmentary and speculative. The notable absence of Roman interest in West African gold, despite Carthaginian efforts, is highlighted, as is the importance of the Mogador site, with its layered Mediterranean connections from the 6th century BCE to the Roman period. Ferguson rightly emphasizes archaeology as the key to future discoveries. D. Williams’ “African Iron and the Classical World” explores the possible transmission of iron-smelting techniques, comparing Meroitic and Niger-area furnaces to Aegean and Celtic types, though he remains cautious about suggesting direct links. L. Thompson’s contribution outlines clear and sustained contact between eastern Africa and the Graeco-Roman world—especially via Egypt and the Nile—contrasting it with the sporadic and largely inconsequential trans-Saharan interactions in the west, where the desert posed a persistent barrier to lasting cultural or economic exchange.

jade, jadeite, fei cui, nephrite, China, Burma, Chinese jade, jade carving, gems

Sinkankas: Excellent color photographs illustrating 50 objects carved from nephrite, jadeite, several from agate and “black crystal,” with brief descriptions and dimensions in text. Summary in G. M. Born, 1982, [247], who attributes the work to Na Chih-liang; Yang [2062]; Journal of Gemmology, [13] (8), 1973, [333–4].

corundum, ruby, sapphire, Malawi.12, geology.11, gems

Rutland describes gem-quality corundum from Chimwadzulu Hill in southern Malawi, where mining began in 1965 following earlier geological investigation. The corundum occurs in situ in epidotized amphibolite and in residual and eluvial concentrations produced by weathering; rounded crystals also occur in fine-grained granulary matrix within a dike-like body. The crystals are generally rhombohedral, commonly with basal parting and triangular growth figures, and range in color from pink through yellow and pale green to dark greyish green, with some showing pronounced color zoning. Cut stones examined included blue, pale bluish green, and red specimens, with refractive indices of approximately 1.760–1.770 and densities of 3.88–4.13. Dichroism, absorption spectra, and X-ray fluorescence analyses are reported; iron was prominent in the blue stones, while red material contained chromium. The stones showed no fluorescence under long-wave ultraviolet light, while some fluoresced under short-wave radiation. Rutland also reports that parcels cut in London produced attractive stones, some up to about 12 carats, although many contained veils and sharp internal flaws; the finest colors were described as a very fine rich blue and a dark iron blue, with pinks much smaller and red stones pale but of very good color reminiscent of good Siam material.

corundum, USA.12, Montana.12, Yogo Gulch, assembled stones.8, gems

Liddicoat reports an unusual assembled stone examined by the Gem Trade Laboratory in Los Angeles consisting of Montana sapphire used in a doublet. The brief laboratory note describes the construction and appearance of the composite and the features that permit its recognition under gemological examination. The specimen illustrates the variety of assembled stones encountered in the gem trade and emphasizes the importance of careful examination for junction planes and other evidence of composite construction when identifying apparently natural sapphire.

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

Gübelin examines the nature and gemological significance of mineral inclusions in gemstones, emphasizing that inclusions are integral records of the conditions under which their host crystals formed. The two-part article discusses the identification, morphology, and genetic relationships of included minerals and explains how their crystal form, orientation, alteration, and association with other internal features can provide evidence concerning the origin and geological history of a gemstone. Numerous photomicrographs, including color plates, illustrate characteristic mineral inclusions in important gem species. Particular attention is given to the value of inclusions in distinguishing natural gemstones and in determining geographic or geological origin where sufficiently diagnostic inclusion assemblages occur. The study demonstrates the importance of systematic inclusion microscopy both as a practical gemological tool and as a means of investigating gemstone genesis.