Gems

According to Dirlam et al. (1992), ruby was first discovered in Tanzania in the early 1900s near Longido, in the northern part of the country (figure 2). At Longido and other similar Tanzanian ruby-producing localities such as Lossogonoi, the corundum is found in "anyolite," a rock composed of green zoisite and dark green to black amphibole. In 1960, rubies and sapphires were discovered near the Kenyan border in the Umba River valley (Hänni, 1987), where desilicated pegmatites intrude serpentinite.

Im 18. und frühen 19. Jh. erreichte das Interesse an antiker und antikisierender Steinschneidekunst selten gekannte Höhen. Gori, Caylus, Winckelmann und andere studiosi verwendeten in ihren gelehrten Werken fleißig Gemmen, und die Zahl von Glyptiksammlungen wuchs in ganz Europa in schnellem Takt. Dieses gestiegene Interesse hing eng mit der Begeisterung für antike Skulptur zusammen. Aber im Unterschied zur Skulptur hatte die Glyptik aller Kulturen und aus allen Perioden in reichen Mengen überlebt; nirgends sonst schien man sich besser eine Auffassung von antiken Bildmotiven und Stilepochen machen zu können. Gemmen waren eine Art portable monuments, um die Worte Ian Jenkins zu gebrauchen, 1 handlich zu studieren und von einer Grand Tour mit nach

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.

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 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 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 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 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, 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 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.

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.

Quaderni di archeologia fenicio-punica/CM 02] [Alle sorgenti del Kothon] Il rito a Mozia nell'Area sacra di Baal 'Addir -Poseidon Lo scavo dei pozzi sacri nel Settore C Sud-Ovest (2006-2011) [di Lorenzo Nigro e Federica Spagnoli] [con contributi di Francesca Alhaique, Francesco Guizzi, Ingrid Melandri] ROMA 2012 MOTYE Università di Roma «La Sapienza» Dipartimento Scienze dell'Antichità Sezione di Orientalistica Missione archeologica a Mozia [Quaderni di archeologia fenicio-punica/CM 02] www.lasapienzamozia.it Una collana sottomessa a revisori e a un comitato scientifico dedicata all'Archeologia di Mozia e alla cultura fenicia e punica nel Mediterraneo. A peer-review series dedicated to the Archaeology of Motye and the Phoenician and Punic culture in the Mediterranean. QAFP/Colour Monograph è la collana di volumi a colori connessa alla serie "Quaderni di Archeologia fenicio-punica", dedicata alla pubblicazione dei risultati delle indagini archeologiche e degli studi condotti dalla Missione archeologica a Mozia, la città fenicia e punica della Sicilia Occidentale. Le ricerche a Mozia sono condotte in convenzione con l'Assessorato Regionale dei Beni e dell'Identità Siciliana, secondo la convenzione stipulata con la Soprintendenza di Trapani. QAFP/Colour Monograph is the colour monograph series related with "Quaderni di Archeologia feniciopunica", the series devoted to the publication of results of archaeological investigations and studies carried on by Rome "La Sapienza" Expedition to Motye, the Phoenician and Punic city in Western Sicily. Researches at Motye are carried out under the aegis of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni e dell'Identità Siciliana according to the agreement established with the Superintendency of Trapani. Lorenzo NIGRO e Federica SPAGNOLI Alle sorgenti del Kothon. Il rito a Mozia nell'Area sacra di Baal 'Addir -Poseidon. Lo scavo dei pozzi sacri nel Settore C Sud-Ovest (2006-2011) (= Quaderni di Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Colour Monograph 02) 

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 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 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.

Material: Brown clay. Dimensions: Bulla: L 27.5 mm., W 21.5 mm., T 5.5 mm.; seal: L 14.25 mm., W 8 mm. Method of manufacture: A lump of clay was attached to a rolled papyrus where the string tied it; the clay was then impressed by a seal. 1 Workmanship: Bulla: excellent; seal: mediocre (part of the oval frame is missing). Technical details: Fingerprints and seal impressions on the face; string and papyrus impressions on the back..Unfired. Preservation: Broken; the right part is missing. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

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 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.

he gem mines of Afghanistan are some of the oldest in the world. The lapis lazuli mines at Sar-e-Sang, in the Badakhshan region, have been worked for at least 6,500 years (see, e.g., Wyart et al., 1981). Today, Afghanistan continues to be an important source of various gem minerals-including emerald, ruby, sapphire, aquamarine, tourmaline, and spodumene (see, e.g., Bowersox and Chamberlin, 1995). Yet relatively little is known about many of the gem localities. This article reports on the only known source of ruby in Afghanistan: the Jegdalek region. A historical review, the geology, mining methods, and current production of gem corundum (figure 1) from Jegdalek are given below, together with the results of our research on the gemological properties of this material. BACKGROUND Although most of the records of the Ministry of Mines and Industry have been destroyed by the rocket attacks and bombs that have plagued Kabul since 1979, we were able to glean a fair amount of information from the literature. The geographic location of Afghanistan among several powerful neighbors (i.e., China, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan; figure 2) has resulted in a long history of turmoil. Additionally, invasions by the Greeks (327 BC), Mongols (1227), British (1838-1919), and Russians (1979-1988), among others, destroyed and/or displaced portions of the Afghan population. However, these major invasions also influenced gem exploration and production, as gems were sought to trade for weapons. In addition, throughout history, Afghan mining areas have been the objects of tribal wars and banditry (see, e.g., Wood, 1841). In 1992, the senior author experienced nightly rocket attacks when he visited the ruby mining area. The Jegdalek mines have been worked for more than 700 years. During the 1200s, wealthy Muhammadan merchants sold rubies to Kublai Khan and other famous historical fig

"""La presente relazione costituisce una sintetica e preliminare rassegna delle testimonianze (scaraboidi e sigilli) in ambra e serpentino nelle aree di occupazione etrusca tra VIII e VII sec. a.C. Particolare attenzione è rivolta ai manufatti che presentano raffigurazioni più complesse al di là di semplici motivi decorativi geometrici.
Riguardo all’ambra, le serie testimoniali più significative si riscontrano a Veio e Vetulonia, con quest’ultima che presenta anche manufatti di relativo impegno artistico quali un sigillo della tomba del Tridente. Di questo viene proposta una lettura che potrebbe inserirsi nella valutazione espressa dagli editori del complesso, relativamente al portato semantico di alcuni oggetti del corredo. Una proposta alternativa rispetto all’edito viene espressa anche riguardo ad alcuni scaraboidi della necropoli del Caolino del Sasso di Furbara.
Da ultimi infine sono brevemente considerate tre gemme in serpentino, ovvero lo scaraboide del complesso della Civita di Tarquinia e il sigillo e lo scaraboide rinvenuti negli strati di prima fase del palazzo di Murlo. L’esemplare tarquiniese è significativo dal momento che è pertinente a strati dell’Orientalizzante Antico e per il fatto che potrebbe trattarsi di un manufatto locale in considerazione dell’analisi petrografica. L’importanza degli esemplari di Murlo è rilevante dal momento che potrebbero essere stati oggetti personali dei signori titolari del palazzo.

This paper is a short and preliminary contribution on amber and serpentine seals and scaraboids in Etruria between the 8th and 7th century BC. In addition to the simple and geometrical decorative motifs, particular attention is given to the more complex scenes.
As far is amber is concerned, the largest part of these items comes from Veii and Vetulonia, where some of them seem to have also a relative good quality, like a seal from Tomba del Tridente. The interpretation of the scene can be inserted in the evaluation already given about some of the grave goods. In this paper another interpretation is suggested about the scenes on two scaraboids from the necropolis of Caolino del Sasso di Furbara.
Finally some considerations are made on three serpentine gems, i.e. the scaraboid from the complex of Pian di Civita in Tarquinia and the seal and the scaraboid from the “palace” of Poggio Civitate, Murlo. The item from Tarquinia is particularly interesting as it comes from layers of the ancient orientalising period and it could also be a local production on the base of the petrographic analysis, while the stones from Murlo could have been personal objects belonging to the palace’s owners."""

As the ancient sources make clear, the Etruscans excelled in many fields of artistic craft, especially in the production of jewelry and bronzes. They also produced numerous gems, a small number of which show artisans-blacksmiths, carpenters, shipbuilders, sculptors, etc.-at work. Although the similarity between these artisans and mythological craftsmen such as Hephaestus and Daedalus, along with mythical characters such as Argos and Epeios, leads to problems of identification in cases where the Etruscan gem does not bear an inscription identifying the character depicted, iconographic comparisons can be used as a guide for reliable identifications. In this article, I present the evidence for the depiction of artisans of all types, as well as laborers/quarrymen, on Etruscan gems. This subject matter was most common in the third to first centuries BCE, including on gems related to Italic and/or Roman-Republican production. Some crafts appear much more frequently than others: for example, the men employed in the manufacture of perfumes and leather, and the dyeing of fabrics, are absent, while those engaged in the production of weapons, ships, or sculpture appear more regularly. In addition, female artisans are absent, despite women's known activities in the crafts of weaving and leather tanning, to name just two of their occupations. Because of the absence of workshop scenes, it is unlikely that the owners of these gems (i.e., craftsmen) chose this subject matter as a means of selfrepresentation, although, in some cases, they may have wanted to elevate their status by alluding to a legendary craftsman. It is also possible that some of the images on the gems-in particular, blacksmiths making weapons and carpenters building ships-reference the activities of the person who bought the gem (i.e., military and naval activities, both for trade and for war).

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 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.

(Lippke 2010) GGG (Göttinnen, Götter und Gottessymbole) im forschungsgeschichtlichen Kontext, zugleich ein Nachwort zur 6. Auflage, in: Keel, Othmar/Uehlinger Christoph, GGG – Göttinnen, Götter und Gottessymbole. Neue Erkenntnisse zur Religionsgeschichte Kanaans und Israels aufgrund bislang unerschlossener ikonogra-phischer Quellen, Fribourg 2010, 565-592 (=V.IRAT II-1)

Ziel der Publikation ist die Darstellung der Rezeptionsgeschichte des Standardwerkes von Keel/Uehlinger, sowie eine erste Aktualisierung und Kontextualisierung. Hierzu werden aktuelle Fragen aus dem Bereich der Palästina-Archäologie und der alttestamentlichen Wissenschaft angeschnitten und konsequent weiterführende Literaturhinweise gegeben (mehr als 120).
Aus dem Inhalt
1. Ein Standardwerk
2. Ein Standardwerk mit Geschichte
3. GGG in „seinem“ Kontext
4. Die weiteren Entwicklungen
6. Exkurs: Archäologie und Ikonographie in Palästina/Israel



Zugleich ein Nachwort zur 6. Auflage des Werkes Keel, Othmar/Uehlinger Christoph, GGG – Göttinnen, Götter und Gottessymbole. Neue Erkenntnisse zur Religionsgeschichte Kanaans und Israels aufgrund bislang unerschlossener ikonographischer Quellen

The aim of the publication is to present the history of reception of Keel/Uehlinger’s basic corpus, as well as to provide a first update and contextualization. For this purpose, current issues in the field of the Palestine Archaeology and Old Testament research are raised, consequently enriched with further reading-suggestions (bibliography, over 120 entries).

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Content:
1. A basic publication
2. A basic publication with its own history
3. GGG in its context
4. Further developments
6. Archaeology and iconography in Palestine/Israel