gems, jade, Fischer-Book

A Renaissance Latin edition of the medical writings of Aetius of Amida, the sixth-century Byzantine physician, whose Tetrabiblos compiles Greek medical knowledge from numerous earlier authorities into sixteen books arranged in four groups. The work covers diseases, diagnosis, pharmacology, surgery, ophthalmology, toxicology, and therapeutic substances of vegetable, animal, and mineral origin. Of particular gemological interest are passages concerning precious stones and minerals used medicinally, preserving elements of the classical lapidary and pharmacological traditions and their supposed therapeutic properties.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book, early gemology, early mineralogy

Schuh: Very rare. One of the earliest 16th century treatises on mineralogy and precious stones. It is a different type of lapidary, with its arrangement of gems and minerals according to color rather than the typical alphabetical sequence. The four classes are white, green, red and blue or black. Thus are classified: I. De gemmis candidis, including diamond, rock crystal, iris, ceraunia & astroite, pederote, asteria, achate, draconite, allectorio, and margaritis. II. De gemmis viridibus, including smaragdo (emerald), beryllis, chrysoprasio, topatio, callaide, prasio, heliotropio, jaspide. III. De gemmis rubeis, including carbunculorum generibus, amthysto, hyacintho, sarda, sardonyce, anyce, hematite, corallio, hephesite, chrysolito, electro, and opalo. IV. Gemmis coeruleis & nigris, including cyaneo, saphiro, calaide & ceraunia, de moris gemmis, de gemmis ad ectypam, etc. Adams (1938) notes that the descriptions are better than earlier works, although Thorndike (1923-58) declares the work little more than a compilation from Greek and Latin writers, above all, Pliny ...""

gems, Greek science, Theophrastus, ancient gemology, early gemology, early lapidaries

The first printed Greek language edition of Aristotle's collected works, with the exclusion of the Poetica and Rhetorica. Includes works of Galen, Philo of Alexandria, Theophrastus, and Alexander of Aphrodisias, among others. Edited by Aldus Manutius with the assistance of Alexander Bondinus (Agathermeros), Scipio Forteguerri, and Franciscus Caballus.

gems, encyclopedia, lapidaries, minerals, early gemology, early mineralogy

A major medieval vernacular encyclopedia by the Florentine statesman and scholar Brunetto Latini (ca. 1220–1294), Li livres dou tresor was composed in Old French during Latini’s exile in France in the 1260s. Organized in three books, it assembles a broad compendium of contemporary knowledge: the first treats theology, universal history, geography, astronomy, natural history, animals, plants, stones, and other aspects of the physical world; the second concerns ethics, virtues, and vices, drawing particularly upon Aristotle; and the third addresses rhetoric, politics, and the government of cities. Of particular gemological interest are the sections dealing with minerals and precious stones, which preserve medieval European conceptions of their names, characteristics, origins, and reputed properties. The work circulated extensively in manuscript and was translated into several European languages, making it an important source for the transmission of natural-history and lapidary traditions in the later Middle Ages.

gems, jade, pyroxene jade, fei cui, Guatemala, Mesoamerica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, archaeogemology, Cuba, Dominican Republic

In this study, we focus on the classification of celt-form jade pendants, which constitute the majority of jade artefacts in Costa Rica. These pendants are called “dioses-hacha,” meaning “axe-gods” in Spanish. It is understood that this designation does not refer to their function as actual axes, but rather to their celt-like shape. However, the author suggests that some of them may originally have been used as real axes or tools before being reworked into pendants. The characteristic manufacturing technology, which left the lower part undecorated, continued to be seen into the later period, during the age of gold artefacts. In addition, it can be observed in pendants made from other materials, such as bone or shell. Therefore, the celt form retained on the lower part of the pendant appears to have held important symbolic meaning. Regarding the factors used for stylistic classification (size, surface shape, and motifs), it is clear that there are several types of axe-god pendants, and there appears to have been a variety of manufacturing procedures.

gems, archaeology, archaeogemology, Mediterranean, glass, beads, glyptic, engraved gems, color science, pigment, glass

Examines Roman glass vessels and painted vessels associated with Kushana-period funerary contexts, considering them within the wider cultural and ritual environment of the Kushana realm. Particular attention is given to imported Roman glass and its occurrence in Central and South Asian archaeological contexts, including the luxury material from Begram, and to the role such prestigious vessels may have played in funerary practices. The study places these objects within the broader interchange between the Mediterranean world, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent during the Kushana period.

gems, inclusions, garnet group

Inclusions in various types of garnets are illustrated and discussed.

gems, jade, Fischer-Book, early gemology

Schuh: Extremely rare. Editio Princeps. Attributed to Mandeville this lapidary written in the French language first appeared in manuscripts that date from the middle 14th century. Pannier (1882) describes and compares several such manuscripts that had come under his inspection, and concludes that the text was probably not an authentic work of Mandeville. Instead, Pannier believes it to be the work of an unnamed jeweler. The text describes the most important precious stones and many others of a fantastic nature. It begins by coping from Marbode, the leading lapidary of the period, descriptions of about two dozen stones. Then are given descriptions of other stones and minerals both imaginary and real including pumice, mica, alabaster, and lapis lazuli. Stones formed in the human body or the bodies of animals are very prominent, as these bezoar and eaglestones were believed to bestow on their owner marvelous or supernatural power. Due to the extreme rarity of all of the early editions the printing history of this work is a difficult bibliographical problem. The widely unknown incunabula edition described above was first noticed and examined in detail by David J. Shaw, whose information is copied (person communication). This is most probably the first printing of Mandeville's Lapidaire, although Klebs (1938) who copies Claudin (1900) briefly describes a tantalizing Lapidaire written in French and published at Lyon in 1477 that is perhaps a still earlier printing. The difficult to read manuscript description of this 1477 book published in Pellechet (1970) does not mention Mandeville's name, but the work deserves closer examination.

jade, jadeite, fei cui, treated jade, FTIR, gems

Michael Bradley demonstrates the use of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to distinguish natural fei cui from material subjected to acid bleaching and impregnation, treatments that may escape routine gemmological testing. The application note contrasts three commercial categories: A material, described as natural; B material, chemically cleaned and subsequently impregnated; and C material, artificially colour-enhanced. In the treatment described, strong mineral acids remove brown or black staining but also leach constituents and weaken the stone. Wax or polymer resin fills the resulting pores, improving appearance through its optical similarity to the host, and an additional surface hardener may be applied. Bradley emphasizes that the principal identification problem concerns disclosure, since treated stones can retain refractive indices consistent with fei cui and show no spectroscopic evidence of artificial dyes. Microscopic recognition may also require considerable experience. Infrared spectroscopy instead detects absorption associated with the organic impregnant. Measurements were made using a Thermo Scientific Nicolet spectrometer with OMNIC software. Samples were mounted with adhesive putty, with precautions against contamination, and a fourfold beam condenser was employed, although the note states that such an accessory is not generally essential. Resin could be recognized using only 4–16 scans; the illustrated spectra were collected with 64 scans to improve signal-to-noise ratio, at a resolution of 4 cm⁻¹. Strong absorption by the gemstone obscured signals below approximately 2,300 cm⁻¹, but the diagnostically important region between 2,600 and 3,800 cm⁻¹ remained accessible. The B-material spectrum showed a conspicuous absorption in the aliphatic hydrocarbon region that was readily distinguishable from the illustrated A-material spectrum. Searching the 4,000–2,500 cm⁻¹ region against infrared reference libraries returned epoxy resins as the closest matches, demonstrating that the method can indicate the class of impregnant as well as its presence. Bradley presents the procedure as rapid and non-destructive and proposes standardized software workflows suitable for bulk testing or use by operators without specialist infrared experience. Chemometric classification and automated reporting are suggested as possible extensions, rather than demonstrated outcomes of the experiments presented. The spectra and experimental details were supplied by the GIA Gem Laboratory. The note concludes that infrared detection of treatment-related organic substances provides a practical means of supporting identification and disclosure of impregnated fei cui.

corundum, Sri Lanka.12, treatments.6, gems