Eyewitness Handbook of Gemstones by Cally Hall.
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DESCRIPTION: Paperback ("Flexibind"). Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishing (1994). Pages: 160. Dimensions: 8¼ x 5¾ inches.
CONDITION: NEW. New oversized softcover ("flexibind" - stiff but flexible covers) with "corner clipped" dustjacket. Dorling Kindersley Publishing (1994) 160 pages. Unblemished except for very faint edge and corner shelf wear to the dustjacket and covers beneath. Pages are pristine; clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. Shelfwear to the dustjacket and covers is principally in the form of very, very faint "crinkling" to the dustjacket and cover edges and "tips" (the open corners of the covers and dustjacket, front and back, top and bottom). The crinkling is very, very faint, almost imperceptible. It requires that you hold the book up to the light and scrutinize it very intently. The bottom corner of the front inside flap of the dustjacket is "corner clipped" (thus removing the manufacturer's list price indication, oftentimes done when a bookstore does not wish to display the publisher's recommended retail price, or a by a purchaser when gifting a book so as to remove the indication of the recommended retail price). Condition is entirely consistent with new stock from a bookstore environment wherein new books might show faint signs of shelfwear, consequence of routine handling and simply being shelved and re-shelved. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! Meticulous and accurate descriptions! Selling rare and out-of-print ancient history books on-line since 1997. We accept returns for any reason within 30 days! #7570.2g.
PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES BELOW FOR DETAILED REVIEWS AND FOR PAGES OF PICTURES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK.
PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW.
PUBLISHER REVIEWS:
REVIEW: The Dorling Kindersley Handbook of Gemstones is packed with more than 800 vivid full-color photographs of more than 130 varieties of cut and uncut stones, organic gemstones, and precious metals. With authoritative text, clear photography, and a systematic approach, this concise guide to identification enables you to recognize each gemstone instantly.
Photo-Encyclopedic Approach: Each expertly written entry combines a precise description with annotated photographs to highlight the gemstone's chief characteristics and distinguishing features. Additional color illustrations and photographs show uncut stones, color variations, and a wide range of popular cuts. Easy-to-use, color-coded bands provide at-a-glance facts for quick reference. Also included is a concise glossary.
Identification Made Easy: For beginners and established enthusiasts alike, the Dorling Kindersley Handbook of Gemstones explains what a gemstone is, how and where gemstones occur, what natural properties they possess, and how they have been fashioned and imitated through the ages. to help you in the initial stages of identification, a color key illustrates the variety of colors found within natural and synthetic gemstones. A concise glossary explains relevant scientific and technical terms.
REVIEW: Designed for beginners and experienced collectors alike, this field guide makes identification of individual specimens sure, simple and straightforward. Each entry has a full color illustration as well as color-coded bands that provide at-a-glance facts for quick reference. Easy to use and beautiful to look at, this series is an invaluable resource for every collector.
REVIEW: Cally Hall is a fellow of the Gemological Association and Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain. She has contributed to several books on gemology, mineralogy, geology, and earth science and is the author of “Identifying Gems & Precious Stones” A member of the curatorial team at London’s Natural History Museum, she spends her days identifying minerals and gemstones and lecturing. She specializes in the study of colored gemstones.
PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS:
REVIEW: Packed with detailed information on gemstone properties, varieties, and more, DK’s “Smithsonian Handbook of Gemstones” is the clearest identification guide to natural and synthetic gemstones for beginners and established enthusiasts alike.
READER REVIEWS:
REVIEW: I fear that I am a bit of a magpie. I like shiny sparkly things, and the usual response is Ooooh! Shiny! And as a young one, when taken on various trips, I started to take an interest in rockhounding and geology. It was finding gemstones that were the real fun, seeing these little bits of glittery rock that turned out to be sapphires or amethysts or garnets. Life would take me in different directions, but the interest in pretty, glittery rocks has remained.
Smithsonian Handbooks: Gemstones is one of those lovely little books that is crammed full of information and pictures, along some folklore and bits of trivia that add to the mystique of gemstones. Compiled by Cally Hall, it's a very readable book, filled with more than 800 photographs, with a text that while it is slanted towards scientific terms, is very readable and accessible.
The first section of the book is an extended introduction to what makes a gemstone different than say, a mineral, although they might be composed of the same chemicals. A brief history of how gemstones and precious metals (silver, gold and platinum) have been shaped, worn and coveted. One section that I found very interesting was the explanation of the Mohs scale used to determined hardness -- it ranges from 1 to 10, with talc at the bottom, and diamond at the top, and how a stone is determined to fit in along the scale. Another fascinating section is how light and crystallization help to determine gemstones, and what part they play in how a stone is shaped and graded.
There is also a section on synthetic gemstones and how they have been created over the centuries, and how the color of stones can be changed by irradiation, heating and staining the stones. Finally, the section closes with a color key, ranging various stones by their hues, with plenty of vivid pictures and the name of each stone underneath along with the page that goes into more detail about it.
The next section deals with the gemstones and precious metals in particular. Each item is classified into Precious Metals, Cut Stones, and Organics -- and each item is given a page or two that goes into further detail. Stones are given their chemical composition, rating on the Mohs scale, crystal structure, some folklore and history, what sort of cuts that the stones are usually shaped into, and lots of photographs.
It here in the photographs that the book sells itself. They are unusually clear, and crisply printed, with each gemstone being shown in a variety of ways. There is jewelry, different colors that the stone can occur in, and a few shown in their 'matrix' or the surrounding stone and minerals that the gemstones are usually found in their natural state. One of the more intriguing sections is on what are known as Organic Gemstones -- stones that are created by natural, not chemical, occurrences, such as pearls, jet, coral, ivory, shell and amber.
The final sections include a table of properties, glossary, index, and some useful addresses to contact if you find that you want to find out more. The binding is very sturdy, the printing very clean and crisp with the design well-thought out that flows easily from page to page. It is designed to stand up to quite a bit of use, with a spine that will not crack, and heavier than usual paper stock, and the quality is top notch.
Packed into less than a 160 pages, this is a wonderfully priced little book that gives a quick, informative and lively look at gemstones. While it's certainly not a perfect book, and is mostly designed to help the reader figure out what a stone may or may not be -- only a trained gemologist can tell you what it really is -- it's a fun way to start learning. The price was extremely reasonable, less than 10$US, although the cover price is listed as 20$US. It would make a perfect book for adding to a home library, or as a gift to the budding
REVIEW: The Smithsonian Handbook on Gemstones is a great little reference book. It is in depth but also a compact sturdy semi-hardback that is easy to take anywhere. I like the fact that I can easily refer to it when my customers ask me questions about the jewelry I sell. Now I can find the answers to almost any question regarding gemstones. The many colorful pictures are beautiful and the interesting descriptions are easy to read and understand. I would recommend this handbook to anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of gemstones as I am.
I am buying a lot of gemstone jewelry on eBay and this book really helps me to identify and know the value of a lot of gemstones I previously did not know about. It is really helping to simplify and make the most of my eBay bids. I can now make more educated decisions and have more insight into the information jewelers and gemologists know. I know I will be using this book a lot so it was a great purchase. I highly recommend this book, because it is what you would expect from the Smithsonian; like an enjoyable walk through the museum.
As a matter of fact, when I recently visited the Museum of Natural Science in Houston and the natural gemstones exhibit (which in the past I might not have had much interest in) I was very pleased at my ability to recognize, know something about, and appreciate the vast array of incredible gemstones, because of how it raised my interest in the subject to a new level, with the information and knowledge I gained from reading the Smithsonian Gemstone Handbook.
REVIEW: While written with a simplicity suitable for a novice gem-lover or enthusiastic youngster, the information assembled in this unassuming little paperback is incredibly detailed, cross-referenced and beautifully organized enough to please a seasoned professional. The photographs of materials described are excellent. I bought this book as it was recommended as a text for a gemology course, and am now motivated to give close scrutiny to anything published by Dorling Kindersley. Thanks for the opportunity to say something nice about this wonderful book.........and although you didn't ask, the book which was described as "used" arrived in almost 'new' condition....and at a price well appreciated!
REVIEW: This is basically the best gem handbook that I've found for anyone who doesn't have a professional certification. It gives all of the necessary information on a variety of stones, and some very interesting and useful history and information about other aspects of gemology.
REVIEW: I bought this book to learn more about all the different gems. I am just starting to make jewelry and thought this would be good for me. This book is an excellent book. It shows all the gems and tells the hardness of them. I found some gems that I never heard of in this book. It showed very good pictures of them so I was able to look them up on E-Bay and get them. I would advise anyone wanting to learn about gems for any reason to get this book.
REVIEW: I bought this book for my 2nd grader who loves rock collecting. The pictures are brightly colored and the book contains a lot of information. He can not read the book on his own yet, but he spends hours paging through the book looking at pictures and descriptions of rocks. This book has so much information on gemstones that I have been able to answer all of his questions.
REVIEW: Guess I'm part Crow; shiny, sparkle things definitely attract my attention, while the human side of me wants to know what they are, where they come from, and how they are formed. This book actually appeals to both sides. The color plates are very eye appealing, so my crow self is happy and my human self has plenty of tables, charts, and descriptions to satisfy it's inquisitive nature. While this will not be the only Gem Reference book in my library, it is very much worth reading over and over again. Highly Recommend
REVIEW: This is an exceptional, concise and thorough handbook. It is informative as to the classification according to structures, methods of mining, identification of stones and minerals and uses. The illustrations are excellent, the index and table of contents are easily accessible, and even have photos, also.. There are stones in their natural, unfinished state, polished and faceted, and lush examples of jewelry made using gems. It is one of my favorite books on gemstones
REVIEW: For a general-interest guide to gemstones, this spectacular little book is remarkably thorough, authoritative, and comprehensive. Minerals are classified by color, crystal structure, composition, and hardness. History and geology are prominent subjects as well. The information throughout is well-organized, clearly-presented, and easy to reference. Best of all, the full-color visuals are absolutely stunning. The book--like its subject matter--is a spectacular marriage of science & art. A big thumbs-up!
REVIEW: A great book for beginners and experienced gemstone enthusiasts alike. Information ranges from simple descriptions for identification purposes (especially inclusions), to detailed terminology for the experienced rock hound. I have purchased so called beginners books in the past (for identification purposes) and they require expert gemologists to understand.
REVIEW: Never thought there were so many crystals that can be cut into gemstones. Never saw so many beautiful pictures of cut loose gemstones in one place. Well explained, from formation, physical and optical properties, imitation and enhancement. Especially appreciate the color key section, with gemstones grouped according to color in which it is always, usually and sometimes available. Probably the best books on properties and identification of gemstones. I am positively THRILLED to own it, and I am only a gemstone lover and admirer.
REVIEW: This is a clear, concise, easy to read guide to gems. Well photographed. A great primer for those unfamiliar with all the different types of stones, and a good reference for those who are more knowledgeable. Excellent for jewelers and designers to use with customers. Highly recommended.
REVIEW: Very happy with this book. Offers full color pictures, RI's, and such for stone identification and/or verification. Interesting and essential for anyone in Lapidary jewelry making work. Well organized and easy to use for reference and finding what you need to find. Definitely a bench handbook for stone identification, Well worth the money.
REVIEW: If you really want to know about gems... buy this book! The information and the Illustrations it contains is remarkable. Absolutely Recommend this to anyone interested in gemstones.
REVIEW: This books is so complete. The introduction takes you through what makes a gem, what gives it value, and then the whole rest of the books is about each gemstone and it's hardness, typical cuts, colors, where found, what to look for. This book is a MUST!!!!!
REVIEW: I ordered this book as a gift for my grandmother. She recently went to New Mexico and fell in love with all the shiny rocks and gemstones she found there. So I came home, I did my research, and searched for an inexpensive gemstone book with excellent reviews. This book seemed highly recommended from fellow lovers of shiny things, and I am really glad I went with it. It is filled with tons of pictures, and the text, while very informative, is simple enough for anyone to understand.
REVIEW: This is a great little book. I bought a copy for my rock and gem club's library, and we liked it so well that we bought another copy and donated it to our local public library. I especially like the way it shows the gems and minerals in their natural state, then cut cabochon, cut and faceted also.
REVIEW: I bought this for my 7-yr. old daughter - budding rock hound and naturalist! Like other DK books, the photography is luscious and the layout is casual and very inviting - full of beautiful images. It provides a great overview and history of gemstones and their appeal, where specific stones can be found and appealing photographs of the different cuts of stones. It also provides detailed "specifics" such as structure, composition and hardness. This is a thoroughly engaging book for all ages and it is highly recommended.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
GEMSTONES IN ANCIENT HISTORY: Throughout history, gemstones were believed capable of curing illness to providing protection. Found in Egypt dated 1500 B. C., the "Papyrus Ebers" offered one of most complete therapeutic manuscripts containing prescriptions using gemstones and minerals. In the eastern civilizations of China, India, and Tibet, gemstones were not only valued for their medicinal and protective properties, but also for educational and spiritual enhancement. Hereinbelow are a few examples of the uses for and beliefs concerning specific gemstone varieties in the ancient world.
Diamond: In the ancient world there was only one source of diamonds…India. Bombay remains today one of the world’s great diamond cutting centers (along with New York, Tel Aviv, and Antwerp). Over 800,000 cutters are employed in the city of Bombay alone; cutting 90% of the world’s diamonds. The best Indian diamonds originated from the Majhgawan pipe, near Panna, India, which was discovered in 1827. However India is no longer a big producer of mined diamonds, producing only about 20,000 carats a year.
Australia produces 2,000 times more diamonds each year – about 40 million carats a year; followed by 20 million carats a year for the Congolese Republic, 15 million carats a year for Botswana, and 10 million carats a year each for Russia and South Africa. However this region of India did produce some of the world’s greatest diamonds, including the Great Mogul (793 carats), the Regent (410 carats), the Nizam (340 carats), the Orloff (194 carats), the Kohinoor (132 carats), and the Hope or Blue Tavernier (112 carats).
The traditional Indian supplies of diamonds which had fed the appetites of the ancient world for thousands of years were almost exhausted when enormous new alluvial deposits of diamonds were discovered in 1725 in Brazil, followed by the staggering discoveries of 1870 in South Africa. Perhaps the earliest symbolic use of diamonds was as the eyes of Hindu devotional statues. The diamonds themselves were thought to be endowments from the gods and were therefore cherished. The point at which diamonds assumed their divine status is not known, but early texts indicate they were recognized in India since at least 400 B.C.
The word most generally used for diamond in Sanskrit was vajra, or "thunderbolt," and the possession of diamond was according to ancient Hindu texts thought to bring, “happiness, prosperity, children, riches, grain, cows and meat. (As well) he who wears a diamond will see dangers recede from him whether he (is) threatened by serpents, fire, poison, sickness, thieves, flood or evil spirits." The ancient Greeks believed diamonds were tears of the gods; and it is from the Greek word adamas, "untameable" or "unconquerable", referring to its hardness, that the word “diamond” is derived. The ancient Romans believed that diamonds were splinters of fallen stars.
The presence of diamond in Rome is established by the writings of Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.). Unfortunately according to Pliny, “these stones are tested upon the anvil, and will resist the blow to such an extent as to make the iron rebound and the very anvil split asunder." One can only imagine the numbers of genuine diamonds smashed into splinters by this ill-advised test. However even diamond splinters were valued by the Romans who used diamond points set into iron scribes to engrave sapphires, cameos, and intaglios. Even early Chinese references to diamond cite its coming from Rome in iron scribes. Chinese interest in diamond was strictly as an engraving or carving tool, primarily for jade, or as a drill for beads and pearls.
In western culture, diamonds have been the traditional emblem of fearlessness and virtue. Though most of the world’s diamonds are cut in Bombay, over 90% of the world’s rough diamonds are traded in Antwerp, Belgium. Between the 13th and 15th centuries the world’s diamond center had been Bruges; then Antwerp until the city’s capture by the Spanish in 1585 A.D.; then Amsterdam through the early 19th century, then back to Antwerp. The Portuguese colony of Goa was the point of origin for diamonds from India, the trade route developing from Goa to Lisbon to Antwerp and thus cutting out the traditional Arabic middle men.
Small numbers of diamonds begin appearing in European regalia and jewelry in the 13th century, set as accent points among pearls in splendidly wrought gold. Louis IX of France (1214-70 A.D.) decreed that diamonds were to be reserved for royalty alone, an indication of the rarity of diamonds and the value conferred on them at that time. The history of diamond cutting can be traced to the late Middle Ages, before which time diamonds were enjoyed in their natural octahedral state. At the time, diamond was valued chiefly for its brilliant lustre and superlative hardness. The most common (“table”) cut diamond would appear black to the eye, as they do in paintings of the era.
Diamond cutting is believed to have originated in Venice about 1330 A.D. By 1375 A.D. there was a guild of diamond polishers in Nurnberg. About a hundred years later absolute symmetry in the disposition of faceting was introduced and the most common cuts were known as pendeloque or briolette. About the middle of the 16th century, the rose cut was introduced. The first “brilliant cut” was introduced in the middle of the 17th century. By the 16th century as diamonds became larger and more prominent, their popularity had spread from royalty to the noble classes. This was in part a response to the development of diamond faceting, which enhanced their brilliance and fire. By the 17th century diamonds were becoming popular with the wealthy merchant class.
Diamonds occur in a variety of colors - steel, white, blue, yellow, orange, red, green, pink, brown and black. The most common diamonds, and arguably the most sought after (though not the rarest) are pure and colorless. The most common impurity is nitrogen, which if dispersed will give the stone a yellowish tint (but if clustered does not affect the diamond’s color). Diamonds without nitrogen impurities are often colored pink, red, or brown – the color arising from molecular structural anomalies. Blue diamonds are colored by boron impurities. A form of carbon, diamonds are not “forever”, even the Romans demonstrated that they will burn (or decay with heat).
However a diamond is likely the oldest thing you will ever own, probably 3 billion years in age, fully two thirds the age of the Earth. Diamonds are carbon crystals that form deep within the Earth under high temperatures and extreme pressures. For instance when as part of “plate teutonics” an ocean floor slides beneath the earth’s crust and into the mantle, entrapped organic carbon may eventually become diamond. They are created at depths generally more than 150 kilometers down into the mantle. Diamonds are brought back to the surface in a rare form of molten rock (or magma), that originates at great depths, which rises and erupts in small but violent volcanoes. When cooled, just beneath such volcanoes is a carrot-shaped "pipe" filled with volcanic rock, mantle fragments, and embedded diamonds.
Diamonds also form as a result of the immense pressures created by meteor impacts. Meteorites also experience impacts themselves and can contain diamonds. And the most ancient meteorite material contains star dust, the remnants of the death of stars. Some of this star dust are very small diamonds and are older than the solar system itself. New studies indicate that they formed more than 5 billion years ago in flashes of radiation from dying red-giant stars into surrounding clouds of methane-rich gas [AncientGifts].
Russian Diamonds: It is believed that the first Russian diamonds were found by a boy on June 22, 1829, at the Biszer Gold Washings, of the Countess Porlier, about 160 miles to the west of the town of Perm, Russia. Just at that time Humboldt was exploring the Urals, and his companions are said to have found diamonds at the above mentioned locality. The Krestovosdvigensk gold workings acquired some reputation for its diamonds, and a portion was at one time worked exclusively for these stones. However diamond finds in Russia remained very rare. However at the conclusion of World War Two, for Russia (which had evolved into the Soviet Union), diamonds in the postwar years were a strategic objective of the highest priority, critical for many industrial applications.
When the Cold War began in 1947, the Soviet Union had no secure source of industrial diamonds. It was entirely dependent on the De Beers cartel for the diamond drilling stones it needed in order to explore for oil and gas, the diamond die stones it needed to produce precision parts and draw out fine wire, and the diamond abrasives it needed to grind machine tools and armaments. Without a continuous supply of these industrial diamonds, it would be impossible for it to rebuild its war-wrecked economy-or to effectively rearm its military machine. Stalin, fully realizing that his crucial supply of diamonds could be cut off at any moment by an embargo, demanded that Russian geologists and scientists develop a more dependable source of diamonds.
The best hope to achieve this ambition was a vast program involved the systematic prospecting of the vast unexplored regions of Soviet Siberia, to seek out the type of volcanic vent pipes which had produced the rich supplies of diamonds in South Africa. The search for diamonds focused on the Siberian plateau in Yakutia Province that lay between the Lena and Yenisei rivers, which Russian geologists concluded resembled geologically the "shield" of South Africa. Both formations had remained stable for cons of geological time, and neither had been deformed or "folded" by convolutions of the earth. Since kimberlite pipes had been found on the South African shield, Russian geologists theorized that they might also exist in this Yakutian shield. It took eight years of massive efforts to finally realize this goal, in 1955.
More pipes were later discovered on the very edge of the Arctic Circle. To service these mines in the "pole of cold," as this region is called by the Russians, the Russians erected an entirely new city, Aikhal. In early 1962, the Soviet Union agreed to sell virtually all of its uncut gem-grade diamonds to the De Beers Cartel. Within a few years, diamond production was nearly ten million carats a year, and the Soviet Union exported some two million carats as gems. By 1976 production soared to 16 million carats. Today, most commercially viable diamond deposits in the world are located in Russia (mostly in Sakha Republic, for example Mir pipe and Udachnaya pipe); as well as in Botswana, Australia (Northern and Western Australia) and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2005, Russia produced almost one-fifth of the global diamond output [AncientGifts].
ALEXANDRITE HISTORY: Alexandrite is known as a "color change" gemstone. It is emerald green in daylight or under fluorescent lighting, and a purplish red or blue under incandescent lighting, candlelight, or twilight. It belongs to the chrysoberyl family of gems, and one of the most extraordinary types is a cats-eye variety of alexandrite, possessing a remarkably prominent "cat's eye". Most sources credit the discovery of this very unique gemstone to the year 1830 on the birthday of Prince (and ultimately Czar) Alexander II in the Ural Mountains of Russia, near the city of Ekaterinburg. In celebration of Prince Alexander's coming-of-age, this remarkable gemstone was named after him. Alexandrite was popular in Imperial Russia both with the royal family and the wealthy elite, both because of its association with the Czar, and because red and green were the colors of the Russian Empire (and its flag).
However this most rare stone did not bring to Alexander the good fortune it is now generally associated with. Upon ascending to the throne of Russia, Alexander II began long-awaited reforms, including abolishing serfdom, a deed that earned him the name of “The Liberator”. But a terrorist’s bomb ended his life. In memoriam of the monarch who passed away so prematurely, many people in Russia started to wear alexandrite jewelry. It was considered to be the symbol of loyalty to the throne and compassion towards the victims of the revolutionary terror, but at the same time, it said a lot about the owner’s fortune and social position. Even in those times, it was quite difficult to buy an alexandrite ring. According to Leskov, “there were people who made quite an effort to find an alexandrite, and more often, they failed than succeeded.”
Alexandrite is well known to be an extremely scarce and very costly gem. The quality of color change with different illumination is the primary basis for its quality and price. According to the Gemstone Institute of America (“GIA”), no more than one person out of 100,000 has ever seen a natural alexandrite gemstone, although synthetic alexandrite is common and widely available. It is likely that if you read the fine print of 99% of the Alexandrite offered at retail jewelers, you will find it to be "laboratory produced" - synthetic. If there is a huge color change from a very intense green to a very intense red/purple, you can be 99.9% sure that both the color change and the gemstone itself is synthetic. The shift in color of natural gemstones is generally much more subtle. Kind of like the difference in taste between fruit juice and Kool-Aide. One is subtle and natural, the other brassy and synthetic.
However even as an artificially grown stone, alexandrite often commands a retail price of $300.00 to $500.00 per carat. Of course, alexandrite can be found in Russian jewelry of the imperial era, as it was well loved by the Russian master jewelers. Master gemologist George Kunz of Tiffany was a fan of alexandrite, and the company produced many rings featuring fine alexandrite in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, including some set in platinum from the twenties. Some Victorian jewelry from England featured sets of small alexandrite. However the original source in Russia's Ural Mountains has long since closed after producing for only a few decades, and only a few stones can be found on the Russian market today.
In the past few decades some very small deposits of alexandrite have been discovered in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, India, and Mozambique. However the Brazilian gemstones tend to have washed out colors when cut, and the African and Celanese sources produce very dark, not brightly colored gemstones. The alexandrite from India tends to be very low quality, with limited color change. The cut alexandrite originating from Russia is usually "harvested" from vintage jewelry. For over a century this source of "recycled" gemstones from Russia was the only source of Alexandrite, and for many years, alexandrite was almost impossible to find because there was so little available. Russian Alexandrite remains elusive. A few specimens are still found from time-to-time in the Ural Mountains of Russia, and are sometimes available as an unset stone, but it is extremely rare in fine qualities.
Stones over 5 carats are almost unknown, though the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., owns a 66 carat specimen, which is believed to be the largest cut alexandrite in existence. The colors within alexandrite are due to trace amounts of the mineral impurities iron, titanium, and chromium (and rarely vanadium is also present). As is the case with emerald, the chromium element both giveth and taketh away. While chromium is responsible both for the green color as well as the color change characteristics of alexandrite, chromium also causes alexandrite (like emerald and ruby) to be characterized by fissures and fractures within the gemstone. Just as emerald is treated under high pressure with oil, in recent years newly-mined alexandrite has oftentimes similarly treated under high pressure with a fluxing agent such as resin, wax, or borax.
The tiny crevasses and fractures are then filled with this material under high pressure, and the treatment is generally very difficult to detect outside of the laboratory. However whereas emerald (and ruby) are routinely treated, alexandrite is only occasionally (and only recently) afforded such treatment. The treatment is a recent development, and was not used on gemstones produced in the nineteenth century. In Russia alexandrite is thought to bring luck, good fortune and love, and also to allow the wearer to foresee danger. It is also believed to encourage romance, and to strengthen intuition, creativity, and imagination. Alexandrite is also believed to be beneficial in the treatment of leukemia. On the metaphysical plane, alexandrite is believed useful in reinforcing one's self esteem and balancing positive and negative energy [AncientGifts].
Diopside: Gemstone quality diopside is generally found in two varieties, black star diopside and chrome diopside (called “chrome” because trace amounts of the element chromium give chrome diopside its characteristic, rich green color). Star diopside is black or brown in color and is so named because it contains needle-like inclusions that reflects back light and produces a four-ray star on the surface known as an “asterism”, such as that found in star sapphire or star ruby. The gemstone is very abundant in India. Chrome diopside is the only transparent variety of diopside, and the only variety of diopside commonly considered “gemstone grade”. It is most often simply referred to as “diopside” in the trade, rather than “chrome diopside”.
Chrome diopside gemstones are very brilliant, with a lot of sparkle, due to very high refractive index, which is double that of the precious gemstone emerald. There are two other types of diopside which though generally not used in jewelry (as they are opaque) are considered “collectible” stones. There’s a purple type of diopside known as “violane” which is typically found in Italy. Then here is a light, yellow-green stone known as “tashmarine diopside” which is found in Uzbekistan. Diopside derives its name from the Greek “dis”, meaning "two kinds"; and opsis, meaning “faces”, or “appearances” (or “opinions”). Taken together it literally means that diopside has “two kinds of vision” or “two opinions”, or a “double appearance”. It is so named because when viewed from one side it exhibits one color, while from another side it appears differently. This phenomenon is known as “pleochroism”.
Chrome diopside is a very beautiful, sparkling gemstone, but due to the limited quantities in which it is produced has been overlooked for many years by the mainstream jewelry industry. There’s simply not enough supply to make it a worthwhile promotional project, and it is quite difficult to procure this stone. The area of Northern Siberia it is mined from is so rugged, and the winters so loing and bitter, that it only can be produced a few months of each year. Gemstones with an attractive pure green color are generally rare and very costly. Emerald is of course the most valuable and popular green gemstone. Tsavorite garnet and chrome tourmaline also have a rich green color but they are increasingly difficult to find and have become relatively expensive as a result.
Chrome diopside, every bit as beautiful as chrome tourmaline or tsavorite garnet, is found in commercially viable quantities only in the Russian Ural Mountains of Siberia. Given the significance and prominence of this source, it is not surprising perhaps to learn that a chrome diopside gemstone may be found on the ceremonial, official “mace”, emblematic of the authority of the Ukrainian President. Other minor sources of chrome diopside include Australia (including Tasmania), Austria, Antarctica, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Greece (Macedonia), Outokumpu in Finland, Japan, Norway, Poland, North Korea, Switzerland’s and Italy’s Alps, Slovakia, France, Germany, Finland, Italy (Mount Vesuvius), Madagascar, South Africa, Kenya, and the United States.
Diopside gemstones were certainly used in the ancient world, and have on occasion been uncovered by archaeologists, however few records exist as diopside was not identified as such, and was likely confused with other gemstones such as emerald. There was a tendency for all green gemstones in the ancient world to be identified as “emerald”. This tendency even persisted through the Renaissance. When “chrome tourmaline”, a similarly colored green gemstone was discovered in the seventeenth century by German miners in Brazil, it was enthusiastically received in Europe as “Brazilian Emerald”. Many years passed before it was realized that the “emerald” from Brazil was not, in fact, emerald.
You can imagine with so many sources within what was the classical world (Italy’s Mount Vesuvius, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Macedonian Greece, Finalnd, Poland, Czechoslovakia, France, etc.), chrome diopside must have been known in the ancient world, even if not widely. So it is almost certain that chrome diopside, though known in the ancient world, must have been misidentified with emerald. Most sources record that the first (“ever”) discovery of chrome diopside was in Siberia, Russia in 1988. Actually, those commonly perceived “facts” are wrong on both accounts. Chrome diopside was not first discovered in Siberia, Russia; and when it was discovered in Siberia, it was actually much earlier than 1988. First, even Russian sources acknowledge that when chrome diopside was discovered in Siberia, it had already been discovered centuries earlier.
Even according to (other) Russian sources, chrome diopside was first found in Italy at the River Ala in the Mussa Valley. The gemstone was known to the Italians as “alalit” (referring to the “Ala” River), or “mussit” (referring to the Mussa Valley or the Italian “Mussa” Alps). There are published references to both mussit and alalit in European sources dating at least as far back as the 1700’s. There are also references to the same gemstone, chrome diopside, as “baikalit”, so named for another source known hundreds of years ago, also in Siberia, Russia, near Lake Baikal (and thus the gemstone was named “baikalit”). And there’s yet another source referred to in European literature of the 1700’s known as “malacolit”, which was found in Finland.
So chrome diopside was not new even to Russians when the deposits presently the source of the majority of the world’s gemstone quality material was discovered in the twentieth century. It had been known centuries before from deposits around Lake Baikal. And even when the present production source was discovered, it was actually discovered well before 1988. It was actually discovered in 1968 by one “Anatoli Mihalovich Korchagin”, who analyzed the gemstone and published his findings as part of his doctoral dissertation within Russia. Mining of the gemstone actually started in 1972, however descriptions of the discovery were not published internationally until 1988, and it was in 1988 that chrome diopside was “discovered” by sources in Western Europe and America. .
However it was in 1968 when the gemstone was discovered near the city of Aldan, on the Inagli River, and so the gemstone is oftentimes referred to in Russian Literature as “inaglit”. In Russia it is more frequently referred to as “Siberian Emerald” or “Yakutsk Emerald” (oftentimes incompletely spelled as “Yakut Emerald” in English-language publications). Recently some Russian producers are trying to use a more marketable name for chrome diopside, now calling it “vertelite”, after the Greek “vert” (for green) and “lite” (for stone). Nonetheless chrome diopside is most commonly referred to as “Yakutsk Emerald” in Russia, so named as the city of Yakutsk is the nearest major city in relation to the source of the gemstone, and it is into that city that the rough crystals are transported after being mined.
Yakutsk is the capital city of the Sakha Republic of Russia, located about 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of the Arctic Circle. Yakutsk is a major port on the Lena River. It is actually best known as being a major supplier of Siberian diamonds. Yakutsk was founded as a fort in 1632, and in 1639 it became the center of the province. Yakutsk is one of the destinations of the Siberian Lena Highway. The city's connection to the highway is only accessible by ferry in the summer, or in the dead of winter, directly over the frozen Lena River, as Yakutsk lies entirely on its western bank, and there is no bridge anywhere in the Sakha Republic that crosses the Lena. The river is impassable for long periods of the year when it is full of loose ice, or when the ice cover is not sufficiently thick to support traffic, or when the water level is high and the river turbulent with spring flooding.
Under what name chrome diopside was known in the ancient world is indeterminable. It was likely misidentified as emerald. It is almost certain that chrome diopside was known in the ancient world, particularly considering that the sources of the gemstone include Mount Vesuvius, the famous volcano which buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. Found also in Macedonian Greece, nonetheless chrome diopside was not identified in ancient literature, at least by a name which we would recognize as referring specifically to chrome diopside. So history is silent as to how transparent chrome diopside crystals may have been used for healing or for mystic or shamanic purposes. However it is possible that the beliefs which modern practitioners hold pertaining to diopside crystals may reflect more ancient beliefs. It is common for such beliefs to be carried forward in folklore. It’s perhaps of particular relevance to examine Russian folklore pertaining to the gemstone’s attributes and history.
According to Russian folklore, “once upon a time”, a long time ago, a god was flying above Yakutsk (the North Ural Mountains) during a blizzard. The blizzard was so cold that the god’s hands became frozen, causing him to drop a bag of gemstones which fell over the Siberian mountains and tundra. The gemstones of course were chrome diopside. In Russian folk medicine, wearing chrome diopside as an amulet is believed to prepare the body for heavy medications, predisposing the body to absorb the medications more completely and without side effects. It is also believed that worn near the heart as a pendant, chrome diopside is very good for relieving stress, but it is cautioned that if worn too frequently, it will relieve stress to the point where the opposite occurs, the wearer is so relaxed they slip into listlessness and then emotional depression.
In Russia chrome diopside is also credited with bringing overall good health to the wearer, and is regarded as useful for relieving tired eyes. Metaphysically it is said to bestow the wearer with a feeling of freedom and hopefulness. There are even specific prescriptions for the wearing of chrome diopside in the folklore of Russia. Worn on the left hand, set into silver, it is said to be an aid to preventing or recovering from diseases involving the lungs and respiratory system. Worn on the right hand and set in gold, it is said to have a beneficial effect on stomach and digestive disorders. Finally, when worn on the left hand, it is said to engender a more appealing personality for the wearer, and is so recommended to wear on dates and on job interviews.
Though there is not a great deal of literature in American sources pertaining to the medicinal and metaphysical uses for “crystal healing” using chrome diopside, there are some contemporary sources suggest that chrome dipside will aid in the development of the intellectual and analytical skills of the wearer, and to enhance mental clarity. It also said to provide protection from evil and bad memories. Meditation with diopside is said to unlock the secrets of the wearers mind and to help them better understand their innermost self. It is also said to be a helpful stone for magicians and spiritual seekers, revealing the mysterious magic and sacred power of everyday people, places and things that might otherwise be overlooked. It is also said to benefit some sufferers of chronic diseases of respiratory and circulatory systems, and is also said to benefit wearers of the gemstone by cleansing their organs [AncientGifts].
FLUORITE HISTORY: The ancient Egyptians were probably the first to use fluorite as a gemstone, both in the carving of statues as well as in the production of scarab amulets. The ancient Chinese also employed fluorite for gemstone carvings. There are many mentions of fluorite in ancient Roman texts. Pliny the Elder, the ancient first century Roman naturalist and historian, wrote of fluorite in 77 A.D. in his encyclopedia of natural history. Pliny describes fluorite as one of the world’s most precious gemstones, and describes its healing and magical properties. Pliny also relates an account of a particularly fine fluorite gemstone which was purchased by the Roman Emperor Nero (for the equivalent of about $250,000 in today’s dollars).
Ancient Roman sources also relate other mentions of fluorite, including six valuable vases taken by the Roman Emperor Augustus from the pharaoh’s palace in Alexandria, Egypt. Roman sources also tell of an even earlier incident where Julius Caesar’s predecessor “Pompey the Great” took six fluorite vases from Mithridates' treasure and installed them in the temple of Jupiter. There are also descriptions in Roman literature attesting to the “fact” that drinking alcoholic beverages from vessels carved of fluorite kept the drinker from becoming intoxicated. Recent archaeological excavations in the ruins of Pompeii have uncovered artifacts of carved fluorite. In America archeologists discovered a figurine carved of fluorite from the Mississippi Moundbuilders era, dating between 900 and 1650 A.D.
The name fluorite is derived from the Latin “fluo” or “fluere”, meaning “to flow”, in reference to its industrial use as flux in the smelting of metallic ores (written records describing such use date back to 1530 A.D.). Some of the more significant sources of fluorite in the ancient world included mines in Bavaria (and elsewhere in Germany), Bohemia, Austria, Italy, Norway, Spain, Hungary, Switzerland, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Canada, Mexico, and some very popular and valuable multi-colored banded deposits in Castledon, Derbyshire, England. These deposits yielded fluorite known as “Derbyshire Blue John”, beautiful purple-blue and yellow fluorite which was used for ornamental purposes.
The deposits of “Blue John” fluorite were mined by the Romans after the conquest of Britain, and then continued to be extensively mined up until the nineteenth century when the deposits were exhausted (though a few hundred pounds a year are still produced). The name “Blue John” derives from french "bleu et jaune" (blue and yellow) characterizing its color. It is now scarce, and only a few hundred kilograms are mined each year for use in jewelry production. In previous centuries miners in Saxony called this gemstone “ertsblaume”, or "ore flower", because its presence often indicated the proximity of more valuable gemstones. Green fluorite was also known in centuries past as "Transvaal" or "South African" emerald.
Fluorite (also called “fluorspar”) is a mineral with a veritable bouquet of brilliant colors ranging from purple and blue through green, yellow, pink and reddish orange, deservedly reputed as “the most colorful mineral in the world”. It is also prized for its glassy luster. Most specimens of fluorite have a single color, but a significant percentage of fluorite gemstones have multiple colors, and the colors are arranged in bands or zones that correspond to the shapes of fluorite's crystals. To top it all off, fluorite is frequently fluorescent, phosphorescent, and even luminescent (will change color when warmed, sometimes even merely by being held). In fact the term “fluorescent” as in fluorescent light tubes is derived from the name “fluorite”. Fluorite lenses are also used in telescopes, microscopes, and cameras.
Throughout the history of the ancient world, gemstones were believed capable of curing illness, possessed of valuable metaphysical properties, and to provide protection. Found in Egypt dated 1500 B. C., the "Papyrus Ebers" offered one of most complete therapeutic manuscripts containing prescriptions using gemstones and minerals. Gemstones were not only valued for their medicinal and protective properties, but also for educational and spiritual enhancement. In the ancient world it was believed that fluorite was crystallized light, and as such, could bring light into the brain (enlightenment). Ancient peoples also believed that fluorite would provide protection to the wearer traveling dangerous paths or roads. Some ancient cultures believed that fluorite deposits were the “home” of rainbows when they were not found in the sky; that (given their brilliant color banding), rainbows sprang from the ground (or terminated in the ground) wherever fluorite deposits were found.
In the eighteenth century, fluorite was powdered in water to relieve the symptoms of kidney disease. In the contemporary world, fluorite is used medicinally in the treatment of bones, teeth (the source of fluoridation in drinking water), and is utilized in the human body’s cell structure. It also has been used to assist in the prevention and repair of RNA and DNA damage, and is also believed by some homeopaths to be effective in the treatment of stomach ulcers, “heartburn”, acid reflux, liver disorders, high cholesterol, colds, headaches, flu, viral infections, spinal injuries, arthritis, ear, nose and throat disorders, and respiratory ailments such as bronchitis, emphysema, pleurisy, and pneumonia. It is also said to rekindle sexual appetite, and is also said to enhance the immune system, and laid upon flesh, it is claimed that it will absorb pain from the region upon which it is laid.
Spiritualists purport that fluorite can be used as a scrying (viewing the future) tool by viewing a candle flame through the stone, and also can aid in visions of past lives and astral travel. It is also said to eliminate the discord that causes infection and disease. This mineral's energy is purported to help the evolution of harmonious, peaceful and organized spiritual growth, as well as to aid in balancing hormones in women. Fluorite is also believed to not only balance and focus positive energies but to absorb, alter, and release negative energies. It has been said to help clear the mind and heighten mental achievement while increasing the ability to concentrate and enhancing meditation. Also, that it helps one to see the truth behind illusion, enable dispassionate decisions and considerations, and enhance the wearer’s intuition.
Fluorite is also believed to strengthen the wearer’s analytical and creative abilities, as well as enhance their ability to concentrate, enabling the wearer and grasp higher, more abstract concepts. Some sources say that Fluorite lessens the wearer’s fear of failure while also boosting self confidence and belief in their abilities. Fluorite is also believed to foster objectivity, truth, harmony, and attract wealth and abundance. Last it is believed effective in treating emotional disorders such as substance abuse (detoxification), anxiety, insomnia, disorganization, disruptive behavior, desperation, depressions, and anger. Purple fluorite in particular is said to increase psychic awareness, green fluorite to aid in spiritual healing, blue fluorite to empower the wearer with clear, concise communicative skills, and yellow fluorite to enhance creativity and intellect [AncientGifts].
SHIPPING & RETURNS/REFUNDS: We always ship books domestically (within the USA) via USPS INSURED media mail (“book rate”). Most international orders cost an additional $17.99 to $48.99 for an insured shipment in a heavily padded mailer. There is also a discount program which can cut postage costs by 50% to 75% if you’re buying about half-a-dozen books or more (5 kilos+). Our postage charges are as reasonable as USPS rates allow. ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount, typically about $5 per book (for each additional book after the first) so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs.
Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. All of our shipments are fully insured against loss, and our shipping rates include the cost of this coverage (through stamps.com, Shipsaver.com, the USPS, UPS, or Fed-Ex). International tracking is provided free by the USPS for certain countries, other countries are at additional cost.
We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. Please note for international purchasers we will do everything we can to minimize your liability for VAT and/or duties. But we cannot assume any responsibility or liability for whatever taxes or duties may be levied on your purchase by the country of your residence. If you don’t like the tax and duty schemes your government imposes, please complain to them. We have no ability to influence or moderate your country’s tax/duty schemes.
If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked 30-day return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price; 1) less our original shipping/insurance costs, 2) less any non-refundable fees imposed by eBay. Please note that eBay may not refund payment processing fees on returns beyond a 30-day purchase window. So except for shipping costs, we will refund all proceeds from the sale of a return item. Though they generally do, eBay may not always follow suit. Obviously we have no ability to influence, modify or waive eBay policies.
ABOUT US: Prior to our retirement we used to travel to Eastern Europe and Central Asia several times a year seeking antique gemstones and jewelry from the globe’s most prolific gemstone producing and cutting centers. Most of the items we offer came from acquisitions we made in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) during these years from various institutions and dealers. Much of what we generate on Etsy, Amazon and Ebay goes to support worthy institutions in Europe and Asia connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. Though we have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, our primary interests are ancient/antique jewelry and gemstones, a reflection of our academic backgrounds.
Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, in Eastern Europe and Central Asia antique gemstones are commonly dismounted from old, broken settings – the gold reused – the gemstones recut and reset. Before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, we try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state – most of them originally crafted a century or more ago. We believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting.
Not everyone agrees – fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with us that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or “lab produced”) gemstones which dominate the market today. We can set most any antique gemstone you purchase from us in your choice of styles and metals ranging from rings to pendants to earrings and bracelets; in sterling silver, 14kt solid gold, and 14kt gold fill. When you purchase from us, you can count on quick shipping and careful, secure packaging. We would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from us. There is a $3 fee for mailing under separate cover. I will always respond to every inquiry whether via email or eBay message, so please feel free to write.
