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

An analytical study by Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin of the stone known to contemporary jewelers and merchants as “chrysolite” (peridot). Vauquelin examines its physical and chemical properties in an effort to determine its composition and mineralogical identity, illustrating the growing application of chemical analysis to problems of gemstone nomenclature and classification at the end of the eighteenth century. The paper is particularly significant because commercial gemstone names such as chrysolite were applied inconsistently to different minerals, and chemical investigation offered a means of distinguishing materials that had previously been grouped largely by color and appearance. The study is an early contribution to the chemical characterization and scientific classification of gemstones.