gems, corundum, History.1, sapphire, ruby

Medieval documents can provide information about the types of gems in use at that time and their terminology. Some such texts show a level of sophistication regarding what we might consider to be early gemmology, prompting questions as to how such knowledge was passed on. This article considers the range of gems used in thirteenth-century England and the level of gemmological knowledge at the time, based on an inventory of the treasures owned by St Albans Abbey that was drawn up in 1257. The compiler was the monk and polymath Matthew Paris (ca. 1200–1259), and the inventory is noteworthy for its detailed descriptions and colour paintings of each object. From these we can learn about the range of gems familiar during that period, as well as the way in which different qualities and origins were described, and even some terminology used for jewellery settings.