gems, jade, pyroxene jade, fei cui, Guatemala, Mesoamerica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, archaeogemology, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Olmec, Mayan, Aztec, Mixtec, Toltec, Zapotec

gems, archaeology, archaeogemology, Black Sea, Sarmatians

Minns surveys the art of the northern Eurasian nomads, examining the geographical range, distinctive animal imagery, and cultural relationships of a tradition that combined stylized design with close observation of natural forms. Archaeological objects are considered within their geographical and ethnological settings, with particular attention to the opportunities and constraints imposed by mobile life. Nomadic artistic production is represented chiefly by compact articles of personal equipment and camp furnishings, fashioned from gold, bone, and horn. Wood, leather, and textiles are less adequately represented because of their perishability, although exceptional preservation in frozen deposits provides evidence of these otherwise largely lost materials. The characteristic subjects include reindeer, deer, horses, and occasional lions; human figures are comparatively uncommon and may reflect later contact with Greek or Iranian traditions. A particularly striking feature is the transformation of projecting parts of an animal’s body into additional animals or animal heads, creating intricate compositions in which naturalistic observation and ornamental invention operate together. The study considers the persistence of this artistic vocabulary, its resistance to external influences, and its capacity to absorb borrowed elements while retaining a recognizable character. Contacts with neighbouring civilizations provide important evidence for chronology and artistic exchange. Greek, especially Ionian, contributions help establish approximate dates for early developments, while Greek and Iranian objects found in the same tombs assist in dating the mature tradition conventionally described as Sarmatian. Connections extend eastwards towards China and westwards towards the Germanic peoples of Europe, with later comparisons reaching the art represented by Sutton Hoo and the Book of Durrow. Assigning particular styles to specific peoples or migrations remains difficult, however, and broad ethnic designations such as Scythian require caution. The transmission of steppe designs to craftsmen in northern and central Europe is likewise incompletely understood. The evidence is further limited by the earlier rarity and scattered discovery of objects, the remoteness of major collections, and the disturbance or robbery of important burial sites. Bringing together archaeological discoveries and comparative artistic evidence, the lecture presents northern nomadic art as a durable and geographically extensive tradition whose significance lies both in its distinctive treatment of animal forms and in its relationships with the settled cultures surrounding the Eurasian steppes.

gems, Tajikistan, spinel

A comprehensive economic-geological survey of the mineral resources of southern Tajikistan, covering the Pamir, Badakhshan, Darvaz, and Karategin and synthesizing the results of the Tajik-Pamir expeditions. Popov relates mineral occurrences to the regional geology and distinguishes the metallogenic character of the principal geological zones. Of particular gemological importance is his treatment of the southern crystalline belt of the Pamir, which he characterized as especially rich in nonmetallic mineral resources, including lapis lazuli, gem spinel, clinohumite, garnet, kyanite, and graphite. He also records pegmatites associated with younger granites carrying mica, beryl, tantalite, and columbite. The work is an important early synthesis of the mineral resources and gem-bearing geology of the Pamir and remains a frequently cited foundation for later studies of the region’s gem deposits.

corundum, India.12, jewelry, gems, Indian lapidary

The most recent comprehensive work on the subject, distinguished by its authoritative text and wealth of illustrations. The text discusses the vogue for beads in India, ancient jewelry forms, Muslim jewelry types, modern trends, the craft of the goldsmith, precious stones, and advice for collectors. The chapter on precious stones (pp. 134–150) deals primarily with the traditional lore associated with gems in India, but also includes information on several famous stones, their owners, and elementary gemological data. The volume concludes with a list of Indian ornaments. References are provided at the end of each chapter; however, although the author cites the Journal of Indian Art & Industry for many illustrations, she fails to credit its author, T.H. Hendley (q.v.). The text paper is browned and brittle.

gems, jade, China, Adam, Chinese jade books, jade lore

Zhang Hongzhao’s Shí Yǎ (石雅, “Elegance of Stones”) is a pioneering attempt to reinterpret the mineral substances recorded in Chinese literature through modern mineralogy. Drawing extensively on classical texts, including the Shan Hai Jing and later historical, literary, pharmacological, and antiquarian sources, Zhang examines traditional names and descriptions and attempts to identify the materials to which they refer. The work is divided into three broad sections: the first concerns yù (玉) and related precious and ornamental stones, including 璆琳, 瓊瑰, and 水精; the second treats stones and mineral substances, including worked jade, decorative stones, and coal; and the third deals with metals. An appendix examines the historical development of China’s Bronze and Iron Ages. Particularly important for gemology is Zhang’s application of contemporary mineralogical knowledge to traditional Chinese gemstones and jade terminology, demonstrating that historical names cannot automatically be equated with single modern mineral species. The work consequently provides an important bridge between traditional Chinese lapidary literature and modern geology, mineralogy, and gemology and remains a major source for the historical study of Chinese stone terminology. The 1927 edition is a reprint, issued by the Central Geological Survey as Memoirs of the Geological Survey of China, Series B [乙種], No. 2; catalogues confirm the December 1927 reissue.

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

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.