Gems Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Diamonds High Pression High Temperature

References (Bibliography on litho-, mineral-, crystal- and gem-therapy): p. 171-249.

Turquoise in the Life of American Indians. The mankind has known turquoise for more than ten thousand years. This is the only “live” mineral which can change its color with weather changes and the condition of its owner. Probably it is... more

Turquoise in the Life of American Indians.
The mankind has known turquoise for more than ten thousand years. This is the only “live” mineral which can change its color with weather changes and the condition of its owner. Probably it is one of the reasons why it has always been surrounded by so many legends and superstitions in most cultures of the world. Turquoise was already mentioned in the first works about minerals and in a number of myths, especially those of the Navajo Indians of the U.S. South-West. In all continents it has been considered the happiest semi-precious stone which has taken a unique place in the history of civilizations and is still used in a great number of spheres of human activity.
The paper describes its major mineral qualities, deposits, the origins of its name, the most important and the oldest turquoise objects found during archeological digs, the use of turquoise in different countries and times, the legends about it, its role in different mythologies, traditional jewelry techniques of several North American Indian tribes, the varieties of the mineral and its imitations. A special emphasis is laid on the use of turquoise and the beliefs associated with it in American Indian cultures.
A Navajo myth about the goddess called Changing Woman (or Turquoise Woman) is studied separately as an explanation of a special attitude of American Indians to that stone and its very important role in their life up to the present day.

Short contribution presenting some unpublished etruscan scarabs in the Museum of Grosseto.

A gemstone (also called a gem, fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semi-precious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis... more

A gemstone (also called a gem, fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semi-precious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli and opal) and occasionally organic materials that are not minerals (such as amber, jet, and pearl) are also used for jewelry and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a gemstone. Apart from jewelry, from earliest antiquity engraved gems and hardstone carvings, such as cups, were major luxury art forms. A gem maker is called a lapidary or gemcutter; a diamond cutter is called a diamantaire.

Page 1. James E. Shigley, Brendan M. Laurs, AJA (Bram) Janse, Sheryl Elen, and Dona M. Dirlam 188 GEM LOCALITIES GEMS & GEMOLOGY FALL 2010 See end of article for About the Authors and... more

Page 1. James E. Shigley, Brendan M. Laurs, AJA (Bram) Janse, Sheryl Elen, and Dona M. Dirlam 188 GEM LOCALITIES GEMS & GEMOLOGY FALL 2010 See end of article for About the Authors and Acknowledgments. GEMS & GEMOLOGY, Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 188–216. ...

The first part of the book presents archaeological evidence from the Prehistoric Aegean and onward, which demonstrates the existence of an enduring, highly valued and advanced prehistoric Aegean apiculture. Some well known ceramic vessels... more

The first part of the book presents archaeological evidence from the Prehistoric Aegean and onward, which demonstrates the existence of an enduring, highly valued and advanced prehistoric Aegean apiculture. Some well known ceramic vessels from Knossos "palace" are identified here for the first time with beekeeping paraphernalia thus proving the existence of a systematic Minoan apiculture. In the second part, an alternative view is proposed for some of the most important scenes on Minoan and Mycenaean gold rings, seals, and clay sealings that have led Evans, Nilsson, and many others over the past century to various speculations regarding the nature of the Prehistoric Aegean religion. By applying a naturalistic context of interpretation on the depicted scenes, apiculture paraphernalia and practices are recognized, instead of the religious symbols of the "sacred tree", "flying gods", "baetyls and birds epiphany of deities", "great goddess", "horns of consecration", "altars", "temenos" and "double axes".
The authors conclude that established ideas about the prehistoric Aegean religion should be reconsidered, thus creating significant challenges for future research."

This study determined the effects of project teaching method on students’ performance in bricklaying, blocklaying and concreting trade in technical colleges of Gombe State Nigeria. The population of the study was made up of 180 subjects... more

This study determined the effects of project teaching method on students’ performance in bricklaying, blocklaying and concreting trade in technical colleges of Gombe State Nigeria. The population of the study was made up of 180 subjects while 41 NTC II BBC students made up the sample for the study. Multistage sampling technique was used in sampling the study. The subjects were separated into two groups; the experimental group (N = 19) and the control group (N=22). The study adopted pretest, posttest, quasi-experimental and control group design. The topics taught were foundation of building construction and bonding concepts and skills. Two instruments, specifically Bricklaying, Blocklaying and Concreting Achievement Test (BBCAT) and Bricklaying, Blocklaying and Concreting Practical Performance Test (BBCPPT) were used for data collection. Five research questions were raised and three hypotheses were formulated. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation whi...

Prima sintesi delle ricerche del progetto Shardana. Il progetto vuole riprendere le “prove” portate a favore o a contrasto delle varie ipotesi e analizzarle ex novo, prescindendo da qualsiasi soluzione precostituita; cosa che finora non... more

Prima sintesi delle ricerche del progetto Shardana. Il progetto vuole riprendere le “prove” portate a favore o a contrasto delle varie ipotesi e analizzarle ex novo, prescindendo da qualsiasi soluzione precostituita; cosa che finora non era stata fatta, per lo meno nel caso della Sardegna. I risultati, per ora, confermano lo scetticismo verso il riconoscimento di un rapporto tra Sardegna e Shardana.

THE GREEN JASPER IN SARDINIA. ITS VEINS, CHARACTERS AND USE IN THE WORKSHOPS OF THE PHOEINICIAN AND PUNIC SARDINIA The jasper, expecially the green one, had been widely used in Sardinia during the phoenician-punic age: in that period,... more

THE GREEN JASPER IN SARDINIA. ITS VEINS, CHARACTERS AND USE IN THE WORKSHOPS
OF THE PHOEINICIAN AND PUNIC SARDINIA
The jasper, expecially the green one, had been widely used in Sardinia during the phoenician-punic age: in that period, its exploitation underwent a remarkable increase because the expert artisans made tiny e widely spreaded amulets in a scarab shape. J.Vercoutter, already in a study of the 1945 upon the scarabs, looking at some particulars of their iconographies, observed: “C’est donc en Sardaigne qu’ il faut
chercher l’origine de ces objets”.That let think at a utilization of the sardinian jasper also for the similar scarabs which had been discovered in Carthage. Then this fact revealed the inversion of trading routes known until that. So it’s probable that the supplies of scarabs for the african metropolis come from the workshops of Tharros, which disposed of rich veins of that mineral in the neighbouring countryside, particularly in the area of Mogoro and Monte Arci (Oristano). This work, that collect and examine the studies made till now and stopped years ago, propose to analyse the issue with an attentive look to the geological aspects too.

Se presenta aquí un conjunto de trabajos, dirigidos a los especialistas, que bajo el lema «Arte, mitologías, creencias», toman como objeto de estudio (como documento) las gemas y camafeos antiguos, producidos en época romana, aunque... more

Se presenta aquí un conjunto de trabajos, dirigidos a los especialistas, que bajo el lema «Arte, mitologías, creencias», toman como objeto de estudio (como documento) las gemas y camafeos antiguos, producidos en época romana, aunque muchos de ellos inspirados en otras culturas: la griega como fuente de temas mitológicos, y la egipcia (con diversas adaptaciones propias y características) para el universo de las gemas mágicas, de las que aquí se presentan varias investigaciones.
Esta es la primera entrega de Glyptós. Con este título pretendemos iniciar una serie de volúmenes, del mismo tenor que el actual, para contribuir al afianzamiento de esta disciplina en nuestro país de la mano de reconocidos especialistas en glíptica antigua.

Page 1. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Dr. Shigley (jshigley@gia.edu) is director of research, Ms. Dirlam is director of the Richard T. Liddicoat Library and Information Center, and Mr. Laurs is senior editor of Gems... more

Page 1. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Dr. Shigley (jshigley@gia.edu) is director of research, Ms. Dirlam is director of the Richard T. Liddicoat Library and Information Center, and Mr. Laurs is senior editor of Gems & Gemology, at GIA in Carlsbad, California. ...

Historically believed to be a key zone for the extraction of red garnet, the region of Rajasthan, India has now allegedly become »second choice« for the gemstone manufacturers from Jaipur. According to craftsmen in the »Pink City«,... more

Historically believed to be a key zone for the extraction of red garnet, the region of Rajasthan, India has now allegedly become »second choice« for the gemstone manufacturers from Jaipur. According to craftsmen in the »Pink City«, sourcing gem-quality garnet in Rajasthan has become increasingly rare. During a field trip in the autumn of 2014, with the intention to look for red garnet sources in the region of Rajasthan, a different story turned up: large mining operations for all kinds of minerals, including garnet, go on despite being outside the law. In the case of gem-quality garnet, small-scale and artisanal mining activities are being carried out in different parts of the state and it seems that this type of informal mining might have been the rule rather than the exception in earlier times, as well.

Robert Deutsch interprets six bullae from the late Judean Monarchical period. Four of the bullae are aniconic while the other two are iconic depicting Egyptian iconography. The seal impressions are used as “fiscal bullae” in King... more

Robert Deutsch interprets six bullae from the late Judean Monarchical period. Four of the bullae are aniconic while the other two are iconic depicting Egyptian iconography. The seal impressions are used as “fiscal bullae” in King Hezekiah’s taxation system. They include names of biblical towns heretofore unknown to us from collateral sources. "

New Inscriptions and Seals Relating to the Biblical World edited by Meir and Edith Lubetski Society of Biblical Literature 2012 pp. 59-68 Robert Deutsch interprets six bullae from the late Judean Monarchical period. Four of the... more

New Inscriptions and Seals
Relating to the Biblical World
edited by Meir and Edith Lubetski
Society of Biblical Literature 2012
pp. 59-68
Robert Deutsch interprets six bullae from the late Judean Monarchical period. Four of the bullae are aniconic while the other two are iconic depicting Egyptian iconography. The seal impressions are used as “fiscal bullae” in King Hezekiah’s taxation system. They include names of biblical towns heretofore
unknown to us from collateral sources.

Greco-Roman culture classified a great variety of gems. Authors such as Theophrastus, Plutarch and Pliny the Elder dealt with the subject. To now which gems were most highly valued in ancient Rome, it is essential to consult book 37 of... more

Greco-Roman culture classified a great variety of gems. Authors such as
Theophrastus, Plutarch and Pliny the Elder dealt with the subject. To now which gems were most highly valued in ancient Rome, it is essential to consult book 37 of Pliny the Elder. Book 37 of Pliny’s Natural History is one of the few accounts on precious stones, gems and amber that collects information from various sources of antiquity, which in many cases have survived only thanks to Pliny’s transcription. He catalogued the most prestigious gems, and discussed their origin, their exploitation techniques, their properties and their etymology. This corpus collects a total of 240 different variants of gems, of which, in 93 cases, its place of origin is known. In order to know to what extent the words of Pliny reflect the reality of the Roman market, we have analyzed as examples ten catalogs of modern collections of gems from various places and compared them with Pliny’s comments. This analysis confirms the fact that the urban Roman elites valued precious stones extracted from the territories beyond the Roman Empire, especially those of the East. The ten catalogues contain more than 4000 different gems and glasses. It compares the information in Pliny’s book on gems with ten current catalogs of various museums, adding more than 4000 analyzed copies. Both of these sources similar results and therefore confirms the interest of the Romans for these productions.

On the eve of her wedding, Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a large sapphire brooch surrounded by 12 brilliants. Nothing was known about the origins of this jewel until correspondence detailing the sale of the brooch emerged. It was... more

On the eve of her wedding, Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a large sapphire brooch surrounded by 12 brilliants. Nothing was known about the origins of this jewel until correspondence detailing the sale of the brooch emerged. It was acquired by Prince Albert's father from Dutch Court Jeweller Josephus Jitta.

L’intervento è indirizzato all’esplorazione dei paesaggi di potere nella Sardegna antica e al formarsi delle identità sarde derivanti dall’incontro tra i mondi nuragico e fenicio. Vengono riesaminati alcuni reperti utili a individuare le... more

L’intervento è indirizzato all’esplorazione dei paesaggi di potere nella Sardegna antica e al formarsi delle identità sarde derivanti dall’incontro tra i mondi nuragico e fenicio. Vengono riesaminati alcuni reperti utili a individuare le fasi e le modalità della prima presenza dei Fenici e il loro rapporto con i Nuragici. Particolare enfasi viene data all’analisi del contesto funerario delle statue di Monte Prama (Cabras) e di alcuni oggetti provenienti da altri siti nuragici. L’analisi segue la rapida trasformazione della società isolana nell’arco di circa 100/150 anni, tra l’VIII e l’VII secolo a.C., con particolare riferimento all’Oristanese.

This study characterizes CVD laboratory-grown diamonds from Apollo Diamond Inc. that have strong pink colors produced by high concentrations of NV centers. The samples examined weighed ~0.3–0.7 ct, and their color and clarity grades were... more

This study characterizes CVD laboratory-grown diamonds from Apollo Diamond Inc. that have strong pink colors produced by high concentrations of NV centers. The samples examined
weighed ~0.3–0.7 ct, and their color and clarity grades were comparable to top natural pink diamonds. A combination of optical centers were detected using photoluminescence and absorption spectroscopy. These centers are similar to those seen in previously studied pink-to-red diamonds that have been exposed to HPHT annealing, followed by irradiation and annealing at relatively low temperatures. These pink CVD products can be separated from natural and treated-color natural
pink diamonds by a combination of gemological and spectroscopic properties, such as fluorescence color, growth zoning, and absorption features in the infrared and UV-Vis regions.

RIASSUNTO Il presente articolo si pone quale ulteriore studio e approfondimento di un argomento affrontato in un precedente contributo presentato nell’anno 2009 in occasione della XLIV Riunione Scientifica dell’Istituto Italiano di... more

RIASSUNTO
Il presente articolo si pone quale ulteriore studio e approfondimento di un argomento affrontato in un precedente contributo presentato nell’anno 2009 in occasione della XLIV Riunione Scientifica dell’Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria, I.I.P.P. . Esso è volto al tentativo di comprendere la giusta attribuzione cronologica da assegnare allo scaraboide proveniente dal sito di Monti Prama, località ubicata nella Sardegna centro occidentale, presso Cabras (OR). Tale manufatto rappresenta l’unico scaraboide rinvenuto presso quella necropoli-santuario di età nuragica meglio nota per le statue a grandezza naturale di recente restauro. In questa sede lo scaraboide di Monti Prama viene comparato con altri esemplari ad esso molto simili, nel tentativo di darne un inquadramento cronologico osservando, nel contempo, le evidenze di altri rinvenimenti glittici avvenuti in Sardegna, sulla penisola italiana e nell’ambito geografico mediterraneo d’Oriente e d’Occidente.
ABSTRACT
This article is a further study on the subject of a previous paper presented in 2009 at the XLIV Scientific Meeting of the Italian Institute of Prehistory and Early History, I.I.P.P.. It aims at understanding the correct chronological attribution of the scaraboid from Monti Prama, a site located in Central West Sardinia, near Cabras (OR). This artifact represents the only seal found in this Nuragic necropolis-sanctuary which is better known for its life-size and recently restored statues. In this contribution the scaraboid is compared to other objects of a very similar types, in an attempt to amend its chronology and also bearing in mind aspects of other glyptic discoveries from Sardinia, the Italian peninsula and other Mediterranean sites.