gems, Arabic mineralogy, Persian gemology, history of gemology, Arabic gemology, al-Tamīmī, pearl,

Mineralogical and gemological extracts from the large Arabic treatise on medicine and medicaments, based on the Paris manuscript. Schönfeld notes that this pharmacopoeia is “one of many dealing with simple healing materials, which borrow from Greek pharmacopoeias, particularly those of Dioscorides and Galen.” Among its contents are a list of abbreviations, an index to the literature, a biography of al-Tamīmī, descriptions of the manuscripts, orthographic and stylistic peculiarities, a discussion of medicine and magic, and a heavily annotated translation accompanied by the Arabic text. In general, the two classes of stones found in this work are: (1) “eye-healers,” including antimony, pearl, zircon, emerald, carnelian, hematite, coral, lapis lazuli, jet, turquoise, and meerschaum, among others; and (2) personal protective devices incorporating diamond, malachite, bezoar, and other substances. Isis, Critical Bibliography, vol. 69, 1978, p. 64.