gems, jade, Fischer-Book

A work by the German chemist Karl Wilhelm Gottlob Kastner concerned with establishing chemistry on a systematic scientific basis. Kastner discusses chemical principles, substances and analytical methods within the rapidly developing framework of early nineteenth-century chemistry, including their application to mineral substances. Of interest to mineralogical and gemological history is the use of chemical analysis to characterize minerals and distinguish substances that could not reliably be separated by external appearance alone. The work reflects the period in which chemistry was becoming fundamental to mineral classification and provides context for Kastner’s contemporary investigations of mineral materials, including jade.

corundum, Sri Lanka.12, gems, pearls

An early nineteenth-century account of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) by Robert Percival, describing the island’s geography, inhabitants, economy, natural resources and colonial administration. Of particular gemological interest are his detailed remarks on the pearl fisheries (pp. 59–80), including the Gulf of Mannar fishery, its organization, diving and commercial importance, and his discussion of the island’s minerals and precious stones (pp. 352–360). The work is a useful contemporary source for the natural resources and gem-related industries of Ceylon at the beginning of British rule.

gems, history of gemology, zircon, hyacinth

Among the precious stones coming from Sri Lanka, there occurs a particular genus, hitherto little noticed, which is distinguished from other gems by the following characters. Its colour consists of various shades of pale yellowish green and a dull hue inclining altogether toward smoky grey. Externally, a greasy lustre is observed, and it feels rough when uncut. The size of the individual stones is inconsiderable; commonly twenty or thirty of them weigh only one drachm. The form of their crystals is a rectangular four-sided prism (parallelepipedon), terminated by tetrahedral faces resting upon the edges. However, this form of crystallization is distinctly perceptible in very few specimens only, for the greater part occur merely as loose, minute, rounded grains (abgerundete Geschiebe). But this kind of gem is especially distinguished by its specific gravity, which I have found to be 4.615. Romé de l’Isle was the first, to my knowledge, who mentioned these particular species of stones from Ceylon as a gem; giving them the name Jargon of Ceylon, and stating their specific weight, according to Brisson’s experiments, at 4.416. Other mineralogists and writers, who notice this stone, class it — some with the sapphire, others with the topaz, others with the ruby, others with the diamond, and some with the hyacinth. But Werner has assigned to it a peculiar place in the mineralogic system, immediately under the diamond and the chrysoberyl, and called it Zircon (Silex circonius).

corundum, ruby, sapphire, Burma.12, gems

An account of Michael Symes’s diplomatic mission to the Burmese court at Ava in 1795, undertaken on behalf of the British government in India. Symes describes Burma’s geography, government, society, religion, commerce, natural resources and relations with neighboring countries, together with his journey to and reception at the royal court. Of particular gemological interest is his discussion of Burma’s precious stones, including the ruby-producing region and the royal control and valuation of gemstones. The work provides an important late eighteenth-century European account of the Burmese gem trade and of the association between the kingdom and its celebrated ruby deposits.

gems, peridot, olivine, Egypt, Zabargad, St. John’s Island

An investigation by Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin of beryl from Saxony following Johann Bartholomäus Trommsdorff’s announcement that it contained a supposed new earth, which he named Agustine (Agusterde). Vauquelin chemically examined the material to determine whether this represented a genuinely new substance and found no justification for recognizing Trommsdorff’s proposed earth as a new constituent. The paper belongs to the intense late eighteenth-century effort to determine the chemical composition of minerals and identify new elements and earths. Of gemological interest, it contributed to clarification of the chemistry of beryl shortly after Vauquelin’s own discovery of glucina (beryllia) in beryl and emerald.

gems, jade, ruby, Burma, Myanmar, China, Yunnan

A wide-ranging description of the natural resources, products, geography, peoples, and material culture of Yunnan, completed by Tan Cui in 1799. The work comprises 13 sections, including caves and mountains, minerals and stones, aromatics, implements, animals, plants, and peoples. Of particular gemological importance is the second section, Zhi Jinshi [志金石], which discusses gold, silver, copper, jade, amber, gemstones, pearls, cinnabar, and other mineral substances. Its account of jade is especially significant because it explicitly describes jade from the region beyond Tengyue, the extraction and trading of boulder-like rough material, its transport to Dali and Yunnan, and the considerable uncertainty involved in cutting the rough to reveal fei cui [翡翠]. It is therefore an important early source for the history of the Burmese jadeite trade into China. The work was completed in 1799 and first printed in 1804. Sun Laichen: Volumes 2, 5, and 9 contain descriptions of Burmese products, including jade and jade Buddha images, penis bells, eggplants, insects, rubies, cotton, and cotton cloth. Prefaced in 1799 and printed in 1804.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book, green feldspar

A brief mineralogical notice by Claude-Hugues Lelièvre on the green feldspar of Siberia, the material now known as amazonite, a green variety of microcline feldspar. Lelièvre discusses the distinctive green stone and its mineralogical character at a time when the identities and relationships of feldspar varieties were still being established. The notice is of gemological interest as an early scientific reference to Siberian green feldspar, a material valued for ornamental and lapidary use and subsequently known as amazonstone or amazonite.

gems, lapis lazuli, Afghanistan, history of gemology, gem trade, Central Asia, chemical analysis

The analysis of lapis lazuli made by Margraff has shewn that the blue colour of this stone is not owing to copper, as has commonly been thought, but that it arises from iron. But as we have not hitherto possessed any accurate analysis of this stone, I have thought it might be useful to examine it anew. In fact, Margraff informs us, that lime, gypsum, and silex, together with iron, are its component parts; but he does not determine their proportions; and his analysis is incomplete, as he does not mention the alumine which this stone also contains. According to Rinmann, the lapis lazuli contains lime, quartz, iron, and the acid of fluor. I have not found the latter; and it is probable that Rinmann’s opinion was grounded upon the phosphorescence of this stone when it is heated. Cronstedt and some others have affirmed that the lapis contains a quantity of silver, after the rate of two ounces per quintal. But my essays have afforded no certain indication of the presence of this metal. I selected for experiment a species of the lapis of a beautiful deep blue colour, and carefully separated the white and pyritous specks. This early chemical analysis of lapis lazuli by Martin Heinrich Klaproth, published in English translation in the *Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts*. Klaproth examines the composition of “Oriental” lapis lazuli using the analytical methods of late eighteenth-century chemistry, seeking to identify the substances responsible for the stone’s characteristic blue color and associated mineral components. The paper is important in the history of gemology and mineral chemistry because it represents one of the early systematic attempts to characterize lapis lazuli chemically rather than solely by appearance and traditional lapidary descriptions.

gems, spinel, history, balas ruby

An important chemical investigation of spinel by Martin Heinrich Klaproth, published in his Beiträge zur chemischen Kenntniss der Mineralkörper. Klaproth subjects spinel to quantitative chemical analysis in order to determine its constituent substances and clarify its mineralogical nature. The study belongs to his pioneering program of applying rigorous analytical chemistry to minerals, helping to replace classifications based primarily on color and external appearance with distinctions based on composition. Of particular importance to gemology, the work contributed to the scientific characterization of spinel as a distinct mineral at a time when red spinel and ruby had long been confused in both commercial and descriptive literature. It represents an important step in the chemical differentiation and modern classification of gemstones.

gems, glyptic, antique gems, engraved gems, rings

Spiegazione di una raccolta di gemme (“Explanation of a Collection of Gems”) is a book written by Luigi Bossi in 1795. This text is a detailed guide to the gem collection of Francesco Melzi d’Eril, an eighteenth-century Milanese nobleman. The book describes each individual gem in the collection with precision and detail, offering information on the physical and chemical properties of the precious stones, as well as on their history and artistic value. Bossi, a passionate gem enthusiast and an expert in mineralogy, wrote this work with the aim of sharing his knowledge and love of gems with the public. His writing is elegant and meticulous, and the book is considered an important work in the history of gemology and the history of art. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and annotations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world’s literature in affordable, high-quality modern editions that are faithful to the original work.