gems, jade, Fischer-Book

A short antiquarian study by Joseph Emele on amulets and related protective objects. The work surveys ancient beliefs and practices associated with amulets, with particular attention to phallic symbols and their use as protective charms in classical antiquity. Emele discusses the forms, meanings and supposed powers attributed to such objects and illustrates the subject with three plates. Although not a mineralogical treatise, the book is relevant to the cultural history of gemstones and jewelry because amulets were frequently made from precious or ornamental materials and worn for protection rather than ornament alone. Published in Mainz in 1827, it is a useful source for early nineteenth-century scholarship on amulets, superstition and ancient material culture.