gems, jade, Fischer-Book, Russia, Siberia, Altai Mountains, Siberia

An account by the French naturalist Eugène-Melchior Patrin of his 1781 journey to the Altai Mountains of Siberia, undertaken during several years of travel and mineralogical investigation in the Russian Empire. Patrin describes the mountainous country, mining districts and mineral resources encountered during the expedition, with observations on geology, ores, minerals and mining activities. The work is of particular interest for the early history of mineral exploration in the Altai, a region already important for its rich metalliferous deposits and mineral specimens. Based on firsthand travel and collecting, it provides an eighteenth-century European naturalist’s account of the geology and mineral wealth of southern Siberia.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book, bibliography

A large bibliographical catalogue of the natural-history library assembled by the Augsburg merchant and collector Johann Paul Cobres. Deliciae Cobresianae records books and other printed works relating to natural history, including zoology, botany, mineralogy, geology, chemistry and related subjects, often with bibliographical notes and references useful for identifying earlier literature. For gemological research, it is particularly valuable as an eighteenth-century guide to books on minerals, precious stones, lapidary subjects and related branches of natural history. The work provides an important snapshot of the scientific literature available to a well-informed private collector in the late eighteenth century and remains useful for tracing rare or obscure early works.

gems, jade, jade imitations, glass, Fischer-Book

A volume of Lorenz Crell’s influential chemical periodical devoted to reporting recent discoveries and experimental investigations in chemistry. Of particular gemological interest is section III (pp. 42–44), which discusses the so-called Rice Stone from China and investigates its constituent materials. The substance is described as an artificially formed mass rather than a natural stone and refers to the material later known as pâte de riz, used in China to imitate nephrite. The account is an early European chemical discussion of an artificial jade imitation and is therefore of particular interest to the history of gem materials, simulants and their identification.

jade, jade used in muscial instruments by the Chinese, Chinese jade, gems

An essay by the Jesuit missionary Pierre-Martial Cibot on the Chinese “sonorous stones” (qing 磬), stone chimes used in Chinese ritual and court music. Cibot discusses their form, manufacture, arrangement and acoustic properties, together with their role in Chinese musical theory and ceremonial practice. He considers the kinds of stone employed and the relationship between the shape and dimensions of the individual pieces and the tones they produced. Written from information gathered in China and from Chinese sources, the essay is an important eighteenth-century European account of Chinese lithophones and is of particular interest for the history of mineralogy, musical acoustics and the use of stone in Chinese material culture.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book, Fischer-Chinese

The Manchu official Qishiyi, in [the present work], offers a frontiersman’s view of the conquest quite different from that of the imperial center. Qishiyi, who earned his jinshi degree in 1754, served as a low-ranking official in charge of grain supply in Turkestan. He narrates vividly the struggle for succession to the Zunghar Khanate after Galdan Tseren’s death, describes the states bordering the Qing in Central Eurasia, and recounts the wars against Amursana, Khoja Jihan, and Burhan ad-Din, and the return of the Torghuts. Under the pen name ‘Chun Yuan,’ he takes on the persona of a commentator who reflects on the general principles exemplified by his account… “He discusses in detail the major cities of Central Eurasia and the customs of many of its peoples, including the Kazakhs, Kirghiz, Andijanis, Hindustanis, Kashmiris, and Ottomans. His discussions include an extraordinary amount of detail about these peoples, clearly gathered from diverse sources, mostly travelers and envoys. This text contains more information about Central Eurasia than any of the other geographical works produced in his time… “Qishiyi’s residence on the frontier had expanded his geographical horizons far beyond the conventional Chinese awareness of those within and those beyond the passes. He knew that the multifarious landscape of Central Eurasia contains realms and peoples whose identities challenged any conventional classification schemes.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book, pounamu, greenstone, nephrite, Māori, New Zealand

A firsthand narrative of James Cook’s second Pacific voyage (1772–1775), written by the German naturalist Georg Forster, who accompanied the expedition with his father, Johann Reinhold Forster, aboard the Resolution. The two-volume work describes visits to the Cape of Good Hope, New Zealand, numerous islands of Polynesia and Melanesia, and other parts of the southern Pacific, combining travel narrative with detailed observations of geography, natural history, Indigenous peoples, customs and material culture. Of particular gemological and ethnographic interest are Forster’s observations on the greenstone (pounamu/nephrite) of the Māori of New Zealand, including ornaments, tools and weapons fashioned from the material and its importance in Māori society. The work is an important primary source for eighteenth-century European knowledge of Pacific natural history and material culture.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book, bibliography, history of mineralogy

A major bibliographical history of practical medicine compiled by the Swiss physician and naturalist Albrecht von Haller. Published in four volumes between 1776 and 1788, the work surveys medical writings from antiquity through the eighteenth century, arranged broadly chronologically and accompanied by Haller’s bibliographical and critical comments. It forms part of Haller’s extensive series of specialized bibliographies documenting the literature of medicine and the natural sciences. Of interest to gemological research are its references to early medical and pharmacological works in which precious stones, minerals and other natural substances were prescribed as remedies, making it a useful bibliographical source for tracing the medicinal use of gemstones and the literature of the older lapidary tradition. Lists obscure reference to nephrite from 1636.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

A major collection of reports and studies on China sent to Europe by Jesuit missionaries in Beijing and published in Paris in sixteen volumes between 1776 and 1814. The Mémoires cover Chinese history, geography, government, philosophy, religion, language, literature, sciences, technology, agriculture, natural history, medicine, arts and customs, often drawing upon Chinese texts as well as the missionaries’ own observations. Richly illustrated in places, the series became an important vehicle for transmitting detailed knowledge of China to late eighteenth-century Europe. Of particular relevance to gemological research are discussions of Chinese minerals and precious materials, including jade, together with information on their terminology, sources, working and cultural significance. The collection remains an important primary source for European understanding of Chinese material culture and natural history during the Qing dynasty.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

Jonathan Hill: First edition of this introduction to precious stones written for collectors and jewelers; according to the author this is the first complete treatise on precious stones. Dutens describes the chief varieties including diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, etc. He has also provided an interesting table at the end of current prices of diamonds of increasing carats. In the Preface, Dutens reviews the writings on precious stones of earlier authors including Pliny, Theophrastus, Boyle, and Romé de l’Isle. This work is a notable work in typography as well: it is the first book printed by François Ambroise Didot, l’aîné (1730-1804), who promoted technical innovation in printing and papermaking and introduced the new form of typographical measurement, the “point Didot.” We quote from the 1783 catalogue of Mérard de Saint-Just: “Ce petit Traité est le premier Ouvrage sorti des presses de M. Didot l'aîné, où l’on ait aperçu cette supériorité de talents qui l’a mis tout de suite au-dessus de tous ses confrères de France, d’Italie, d’Allemagne et de Hollande, et qui l’associe dès lors à la gloire de Baskerville, et surtout à celle d’Ibarra.”–from André Jammes’ wonderful Les Didots catalogue, no. 73. Dutens (1730-1812), diplomat and man of letters, edited the works of Leibniz (1768), was a fellow of the Royal Society, and was historiographer to the King of England. Sinkankas: In his preface, Dutens discusses the merits of previous works on gemstones and explains why he decided to write this one. A connoisseur of arts and of gems, he traveled widely throughout Europe and spent much time visiting collections and discussing their contents with their owners. One would therefore expect that the book was based on his experiences, but it seems that it is no more than a reworking of information available in earlier books treating gemstones, as remarked by King above, who believes Dutens derived most of his information from De Boodt and De Laet. In the first part, Dutens explains his system of classification whereby the finest and most durable of gemstones are dubbed “oriental,” while those of lesser quality and hardness receive the title of “occidental,” thus perpetuating in a highly popular and widely distributed work these unfortunate and misleading terms that persisted in use well into the last century. Some generalities on gemstones also appear here, such as curious lore, origin of gemstones, and other topics, followed by separate chapters on the major gemstones beginning with diamond. The latter chapter records recent experiments in France and elsewhere on the combustibility of diamond, one such experiment he personally observed. The second part describes lesser gemstones, mainly massive types used mostly in cabochons or in the manufacture of small to large ornamental articles or decorations. Despite King’s criticisms, Dutens’ work did provide useful, accurate information and received acclaim and wide distribution.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book

A three-volume compilation of British voyages of exploration in the Pacific, prepared by John Hawkesworth from the journals of Commodore John Byron, Samuel Wallis, Philip Carteret and James Cook, together with papers supplied by Joseph Banks. The work records voyages undertaken between 1764 and 1771 and includes Cook’s first voyage in the Endeavour, with extensive descriptions of Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia and other Pacific islands. It contains observations on geography, Indigenous peoples and customs, natural history, trade and natural resources, supplemented by maps and engraved illustrations. Of particular gemological and ethnographic interest are descriptions of the greenstone (nephrite/pounamu) ornaments, tools and weapons of the Māori of New Zealand, including their manufacture, use and high value in Māori society. The work was an important early European source of information on New Zealand jade and Pacific material culture.