gems, turquoise, Iran, Persia, Persian turquoise, Nishapur

An early mineralogical examination by James Prinsep of specimens collected by E. Stirling at the turquoise mines near Nishapur in Persia (Iran). Prinsep describes and analyzes the turquoise-bearing material and associated minerals in an effort to characterize the deposit and the nature of the gemstone. The paper is valuable as one of the earliest scientific studies based on specimens taken directly from the famous Nishapur mines, long regarded as the principal source of high-quality Persian turquoise. It contributes to the early nineteenth-century mineralogical understanding of turquoise and its geological occurrence.