Tablet to Tablet: Treasured Pages from Past to Present

Even 2,000 years ago people used books to attain knowledge. This very early encyclopedia contains a plethora of information on natural history including gems.

The Library’s oldest book, Pliny’s Natural History, the content of which dates back to 77 CE, is one of the earliest, and most celebrated, academic treatises of all time. It was the foundation of all science until the Renaissance. (Ball, p. 3) It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day.

Gaius Plynius Secundus (Pliny the Elder) was born in northern Italy, in 23 CE. During his life, he was a lawyer, military commander, naturalist, philosopher and a prolific writer. Pliny the Younger, who was Pliny’s nephew and adopted son, said “he completed so great a number of books.” Although seven writings are ascribed to him, “of his literary works, the Natural History, alone survives.” (Ball, p. 1)

Although he was not a scientist, it was his recording the natural history of his time that preserved the knowledge of the mineral kingdom that otherwise would have been lost. Encyclopedias gather together information from other sources and this work, citing or quoting from 672 authors, is a compilation of all that he could discover about nature. As science has evolved, we know now that not everything Pliny recorded was correct. An interesting example is his reasoning that rock crystal is actually “frozen water, a very hard variety of ice” (Adams p. 44).

This work consists of 37 books (or chapters) with the last five books on metals and gems:  Book 33, precious metals; Book 34, base metals; Book 35, painting and the colors used in art; Book 36, marbles and other materials used in sculpture and building; Book 37, gems. This last book is what our knowledge of ancient gemology is based upon. Over the centuries, over 200 editions have been published in many languages. The Library owns 31 different editions ranging from the 1496 incunabulum* in Latin (on display) to a 12-volume set in French, along with a variety of English translations.

Ever curious, during Pliny’s last assignment as the commander at the Bay of Naples, he learned of an unusual cloud formation – later found to have resulted from an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. It “overwhelmed Herculaneum, Pompeii and other lesser cities of the plain.” (Adams, p. 45) Initially, he went ashore to ascertain the cause but it quickly turned into a rescue mission for the inhabitants. In the town of Stabiae, Pliny and some of his party tried to put out to sea but it was too rough so there they sat, literally, on the shore. Pliny the Younger recounts the following in a letter to his uncle Tacitus: “The flames being preceded by a strong whiff of sulphur, dispersed the rest of the party … He raised himself up with the assistance of two of his servants, and instantly fell down dead; suffocated…by some gross and noxious vapour.” (Adams p. 47). Pliny the Elder died on August 24, 79 CE.

*Incunabulum: An arbitrary term describing a book or manuscript printed with movable type between 1455 and 1501. (Olmert, p. 203)

ON DISPLAY:
Pliny the Elder. (1496) C. Plynius Secundus de Naturali Hystoria Diligentissime Castigatus. Bartolameu de Zanis, Venetiis

1) The book is open to Book 37: Origo Gemmarum.
2) Backdrop: rendition of Mt. Vesuvius’ first recorded eruption, 79 CE.
3) Other Pliny’s: 
Historiae mundi libri XXXVII, 1560-1561, Lugduni [Lyon], (4 vols.)
The historie of the world, 1634-1635, London (2 vols.)
Caii Plinii Secundi Naturalis historiae, Vol.1, 1778
Plinii Secundi Naturalis historiæ libri XXXVII, Vol.2, 1826
4) Artist’s depiction of what Pliny may have looked like.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Adams, F.D. (1954) The Birth and Development of the Geological Sciences. Dover, New York

Ball, S.H. (1950) A Roman Book on Precious Stones: Including an English Modernization of the 37th Booke of the Historie of the World. Adapted from the English translation of Philemon Holland. Gemological Institute of America, Los Angeles, CA

Olmert, M. (1992) The Smithsonian Book of Books. Smithsonian Books, Washington, D.C.

Sinkankas, J. (1993) Gemology: An Annotated Bibliography. Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, NJ

Pliny, the Elder. (1601) The Historie of the World: Commonly Called, the Natural Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Translated by P. Holland. Printed by A. Islip, London

Pliny, the Elder. (1855-57) The Natural History of Pliny. Translated with copious notes and illustrations by the late John Bostock and H. T. Riley. H.G. Bohn, London

Pliny, the Elder. (1957) Pliny's Natural History: An Account by a Roman of What Romans Knew and Did and Valued. Compacted from the many volumes of the Historia Naturalis by Loyd Haberly. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., New York

Pliny, the Elder. (1958-67) Pliny: Natural History. With an English translation by H. Rackham. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

Did you know that in this exhibit, there are more than 26,000 pages of information spanning over 500 years?

The Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library and Information Center is the premier resource for information on all aspects of gems and jewelry. Every day, GIA’s expert library staff answers questions from jewelers, gemologists, scientists, students and the public from all over the world. Anyone can contact or visit the library to have their queries answered or to do their own research.

The growing collection encompasses more than 38,000 books, 1,200 videos/DVDs, hundreds of CDs and over 700 magazine and journal titles in the 8,000 square foot library. In addition to print materials, the Visual Resources Library comprises approximately 100,000 digital images of gems, gem localities, and jewelry which are used primarily in GIA course materials, classroom lectures and publications. The combination of all these resources allows GIA to fulfill its educational mission.

In this exhibit, the majority of the books are from the GIA Library’s Cartier Rare Book Repository and Archives. The Archives house both the John and Marjorie Sinkankas Gemological Library and the GIA rare book collection. The Archives is a specially designed room where humidity and temperature are strictly controlled. Over a 40 year period, John, a noted author and lapidary, and his wife, amassed a collection of 14,000 items which represents virtually every major work related to the study of gems and jewelry.

Mr. Sinkankas published a finding aid to his collection and it is succinctly titled Gemology: An Annotated Bibliography. It is from this two-volume work that many of our book descriptions in this exhibit are derived and we owe him a great debt for building the collection and sharing his vast knowledge.

ON DISPLAY:

In this display case, the library staff have chosen to showcase their favorite works.

BOOKS

American Mineral Treasures. (2008) Lithographie, East Hampton, CT
GIA Library call number: QE 366.2 .A54 2008

Ball, S. (1950) A Roman Book on Precious Stones: Including an English Modernization of the 37^th Booke of the Historie of the World. Gemological Institute of America, Los Angeles
GIA Library call number: QE 362 .B187

Baum, L.F. (1910) The Emerald City of Oz. Reilly & Lee Co., Chicago
GIA Archives. Appointment to view required

Bonewitz, R.L. (2005) Rock and Gem. 1^st American ed. DK Publishing, New York
GIA Library call number: QE 365 .B66r 2005

Carmona, C. (1998) The Complete Handbook for Gemstone Weight Estimation. Gemania Publishing, Los Angeles
GIA Library call number: TS 752 .C375c 1998

Campbell Pedersen, M. (2004) Gem and Ornamental Materials of Organic Origin. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford
GIA Library call number: QE 394 .O8 C35g 2004

English-Chinese & Chinese-English Dictionary of Gems and Jewelry. (2003) 2 vols. China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, P.R. China
GIA Library call number: QE 355 .E5 2003 v.1, v.2

Ferreira, M.T.G. (1999) Lalique Bijoux. Musee Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbonee
GIA Library call number: NK 7398 .L36 F477L 1999

Folchini Grassetto, G. (2005) Contemporary Jewellery: The Padua School. Arnoldsche, Stuttgart
GIA Library call number: NK 7352 .F593c 2005

Fourestier, J. de. (1999) Glossary of Mineral Synonyms. Mineralogical Association of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
GIA Library call number: QE 355 .F687g 1999

Gilbertson, A.M. (2007) American Cut-The First 100 Years: The Evolution of the American Cut Diamond, 1860-1960. Gemological Institute of America, Carlsbad, CA
GIA Library call number: TS 753.5 .G54a 2007

Gübelin, E., Koivula, J.I. (2004) Photoatlas of Inclusions in Gemstones [vol. 1]. ABC Edition, Zurich
GIA Library call number: QE 392 .G814p

Hurlbut, C., Kammerling, R. (1993) Gemología. Ediciones Omega, Barcelona
GIA Library call number: QE 392 .H87 1993

Koivula, J.I. (2000) The Microworld of Diamonds: A Visual Reference. Gemworld International, Northbrook, IL
GIA Library call number: QE 393 .K648m 2000

Kunz, G.F. (1905) Gems, Jewelers’ Materials, and Ornamental Stones of California. State Printer, Sacramento, CA
GIA Archives. Appointment to view required.

Kunz, G.F. (1907) History of the Gems Found in North Carolina. E.M. Uzzell & Co., public printers and binders, Raleigh, NC
GIA Archives. Appointment to view required

Liddicoat, R.T. (1989) Handbook of Gem Identification. 12^th ed. Gemological Institute of America, Santa Monica, CA
GIA Library call number: QE 392 .L5 1989

Morris, R.L. (2004) Robert Lee Morris: The Power of Jewelry. Harry N. Abrams, New York
GIA Library call number: NK 7398 .M67 M67r 2004

Nassau, K. (1980) Gems Made by Man. Chilton Book Company, Radnor, PA
GIA Archives. TP 873 .N37g 1980

Nassau, K. (2001) The Physics and Chemistry of Color: The Fifteen Causes of Color. 2^nd ed. Wiley, New York
GIA Library call number: QC 495 .N35 2001

Revere, A. (1991) Professional Goldsmithing: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Jewelry Techniques. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York
GIA Library call number: TS 725 .R48 1991

Samsonov, J.P. (1993) Samotsvety Rossii: i Sopedelhykh Gosudarstv = Gemstones Russia & Adjoining States. Russia
GIA Library call number: QE 392.5 .R8 S36sa 1993

Shipley, R.M. (1974) Dictionary of Gems and Gemology Including Ornamental, Decorative and Curio Stones (excluding diamonds). 6^th ed. Gemological Institute of America, Santa Monica, CA
GIA Library call number: QE 355 .S557d 1974

Sinkankas, J. (1993) Gemology: An Annotated Bibliography. 2 vols. Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, NJ
GIA Library call number: Z 5998 .S617g 1993 v.1, v.2

Sinkankas, J. (1986) Mineralogy. “Reissue”. Van Nostrand, New York
GIA Library call number: QE 363 .S617 1986

Strack, E. (2006) Perlen. Ruhle-Diebener, Stuttgart. Germany
GIA Library call number: QE 394 .P4 S894pe 2001

Suwa, Y. (1993) Gemstones Quality and Value. Sekaibanka-Sha, Tokyo
GIA Library call number: QE 392 .S967gj

Taylor, E. (2002) Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry. Simon & Schuster, New York GIA Library call number: NK 7303 .T39 T39e 2002

Triossi, A., Mascetti, D. (2007) Bulgari. 2^nd ed., rev. and updated. Abbeville Press, New York
GIA Library call number: NK 7398 .B933 M36b 2007ny

Untracht, O. (2008) Traditional Jewelry of India. Thames & Hudson, New York
GIA Library call number: NK 7376 .A1 U57t 2008

Webster, R. (1994) Gems: Their Sources, Descriptions and Identification. 5^th ed. Butterworth-Heineman, London
GIA Library call number: QE 392 .W37 1994

Yarnitsky, Y. (1989-2000) The Diamond: [vol. 5 Industrial diamonds]. Israel Diamond Institute, Ramat Gan
GIA Library call number: TS 753 .Y27d v.1 through v.5

CD-ROMs

Jenkins, K. (1996) Diamond Music. Sony Music, London (CD-ROM)
GIA Library call number: AUD .JEd 1996

Russell, G.H. (1988) Birthstone Suite. By-George Publishing Co. (ASCAP), London (CD-ROM)
GIA Library call number: AUD .Rub 1988

PERIODICALS

Gems & Gemology, Summer 2011 issue

VIDEOs/DVDs

9^th Annual Westward Look Sunday Evening Program: [Mineral Artists Show]. (2010) BlueCap Productions, Marina Del Rey, CA (DVD)
GIA Library call number: VID 1377

Bowersox, G.W. (2001) The Gem Hunter in Afghanistan. GeoVision, Honolulu, HI (DVD)
GIA Library call number: VID 0901

National Geographic Society. (1991) Splendid Stones. National Geographic Society, Washington D.C. (VHS)
GIA Library call number: VID 0242

Nova: The Perfect Pearl. (1998) WGBH Boston, Boston. (VHS)
GIA Library call number: VID0664

POSTCARDS

“Birthstones” from Knickerbocker Jewelry Co., New York. From turn of the 20^th century.
GIA Archives. Appointment to view required.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Dirlam, D.; Misiorowski, E.B.; Cook, J.L.; Weldon, R. (1989) The Sinkankas Library. Gems & Gemology, Vol. 25, No. 1, p. 2-15

At 71 years of age, Tavernier published a memoir of his 37-year journey through countries noted for their diamonds, gemstones and fabulously wealthy personages.

Tavernier was a French merchant and jeweler who combined gemology and travel writing to chronicle his exciting journeys through Turkey, Persia, and the East Indies. From 1631-1668, he documented his adventures in this two-volume work originally written in French and translated into many languages. His fascinating accounts of these exotic lands include descriptions of the spectacular gems he examined.

John Sinkankas emphasized collecting different editions of Tavernier and these are contained in GIA’s Cartier Rare Book Repository & Archives.

A later work, Recüeil de plusieurs relations et traitez singuliers et curieux is considered to be a third volume but it contains no gemological information. (Sinkankas, p. 1020)

ON DISPLAY:
Tavernier, J.-B. (1676-77) Les Six Voyages de Jean Baptiste Tavernier... Gervais Clouzier et Claude Barbin, Paris
Tavernier, J.-B. (1678) The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier… Printed for R.L. and M.P. and are to be sold
by John Starkey ... and Moses Pitt ..., London

1) The book on the left illustrates the Great Mogul, Great Duke of Tuscany diamond (a.k.a. the Florentine), Ahmedabad/Ahmadabad diamond, an unnamed diamond from the Kollür Mine in Golconda, and the Bazu diamond.
2) The book on the right illustrates diamonds Tavernier sold to Louis XIV, King of France. The rough diamond crystal shown in A is believed to be the rough from which the Hope diamond was cut.
3) Backdrop: Tavernier portrait by Nicolas de Lagillière (1656-1746). Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, Braunschweig.
4) Backdrop: map of Tavernier’s route.
5) Replicas in cubic zirconia: Florentine (yellow, cut), 137 ct.; Tavernier Blue (crystal); Hope diamond, 45 ct. (Courtesy of Scott Sucher).
6) Replicas in glass: Florentine (yellow, rough); Grand Mogul, 280 ct. (GIA Collection)

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Sinkankas, J. (1993) Gemology: An Annotated Bibliography. Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, NJ

Do gems really grow in these shapes or did someone cut them? Yes, gem crystals do form just like the garnet, chrysoberyl and aquamarine here. Each gem has its own special shape and the study of these shapes is called crystallography.

Haüy (pronounced ow-WEE), was an ordained priest, botanist and mineralogist. René Just Haüy lived from 1744 to 1822. After accidentally dropping a calcite crystal, he observed from the broken pieces its crystal structure. His curiosity caused him to expand that study to a number of minerals. His genius lay in his ability to describe the laws that govern the structure of crystals.

His mathematical theory was published over 200 years ago in Traité de Minéralogie. This was also the first rational system for identifying and classifying minerals. He expanded on that in Traité de Cristallographie published in 1822. In order to describe crystals, he created a system of indicating the different faces. Today Haüy’s law is also known as the law of rational indices. (Bloss)

Haüy’s atlases show the various crystal forms, or geometric shapes, of crystals. People who study crystals often use wooden models to learn how to tell the different crystals apart.  These models are a direct influence of Haüy who improved on the clay models of the 1700s by having models carved out of pear wood. He commissioned sets of models to teach his mineralogy course and then, they were in demand by other universities and museums.  Over 300 years later, crystal models are still used today to show students the forms of minerals.

Throughout the centuries since, Haüy has influenced mineralogists.  A notable example is Professor Victor Goldschmidt, a German mineralogist who attempted to index the crystal forms of every mineral known at that time.  Working with graduate students at the University of Heidelberg where he founded the Mineralogical-Crystallographic Institute, this team produced over 30,000 crystal drawings.  One of the pages from that work, Atlas der Krystallformen, forms the backdrop to this case. Both the Haüy and Goldschmidt atlases are from the John and Marjorie Sinkankas Gemological Library.

Until X-ray analysis was invented in the first half of the 20^th century, the study of crystals was based on their geometry.  For any given type of gem, their habit or crystal shape can vary from locality to locality. (Bloss)

Goldschmidt’s remarkable compendium continues to be a valuable resource to those identifying gem crystals as well as those who want to know more about the shape of gem rough. Since the rough shape also determines the shape of the faceted stone, gemologists, gem cutters, and jewelers find this information helpful. As a result, this multivolume set now is available as a DVD for ease of use.

ON DISPLAY:
Haüy, R.J. (1801) Traité de Minéralogie: [Atlas]. Chez Louis, Paris

1) The atlas from an illustration showing one subset of the gem mineral garnet.
2) Backdrop: beryl crystal drawings from Atlas der Krystallformen by Victor Goldschmidt, 1913-1923
3) Chrysoberyl crystals and hessonite garnet (Courtesy of Wayne and Dona Leicht, Kristalle)
4) Aquamarine and heliodor crystals, garnet, and crystal models (Courtesy of Bill Larson, Pala International)

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Adams, F. D.  (1918) Haüy, the ‘Father of Crystallography’. American Mineralogist, Vol. 3, No. 6, p. 131-132

Black, G.F. (1918) An outline of the life of René-Just Haüy. American Mineralogist, Vol. 3, No. 6, p. 90-91

Bloss, F. D. (1994) Crystallography and Crystal Chemistry, Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, D.C

Goldschmidt, V. (1913-23) Atlas der Krystallformen. 1^st ed. 18 vols. C. Winters, Heidelberg

Goldschmidt, V. (2005) Atlas der Krystallformen. 1^st ed. 18 vol. C. Winters, Heidelberg, 1913-23 in DVD ROM

Saeijs, W. (2008) An appraisal of Haüy’s wooden crystal models. Mineralogical Record, Vol. 39, No. 5, p. 385-396

Whitlock, H.P. (1918) René-Just Haüy and his influence. American Mineralogist, Vol. 3, No. 6, p. 92-98

The spectacular jewelry collection of the Romanov dynasty, acquired over 228 years, is documented in this catalog. Most of the collection still remains in Russia at the Kremlin Diamond Fund.

This rare copy is one of the very few surviving catalogs documenting Russia's regalia and crown jewels at the time of the overthrow of the tsarist government after the February Revolution of 1917. Published in 1925 by the Bolshevik government, it was printed in three versions: Russian, French and English. While we do not know how many were produced, less than 20 copies of the catalog are known to exist today. GIA’s book is housed in the Cartier Rare Book Repository & Archives and has been scanned for viewing in the library.

The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia beginning in 1613. The jewels documented in this catalog date from Peter I, better known as Peter the Great, who reigned from 1689 to 1725 through Nicolas II who reigned from 1894 to February 18, 1917*.

In 1922, under the new leadership of Lenin, leader of the USSR and Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars, the treasure was inventoried and cataloged. The project was overseen by Fersman, the noted Russian mineralogist, with the help of specialists, experts and jewelers including Agathon Fabergé, son of Carl, from the House of Fabergé. (Twining, p. 531; Hill, p. 19).

After the subsequent October Revolution when the provisional government is usurped, Agathon was imprisoned twice. After his release a second time, he was requested to assist in the project by Leon Trotsky. According to Bainbridge’s discussion with Agathon, it was Agathon who insisted that a full-size photograph be taken of every piece as well as the weight of every stone and pearl recorded in the catalog. (Bainbridge, p. 59-62) While the catalog entries are very detailed, the catalog was published with only 100 full size photographs. Many of the photographs are different views of the same object and some of the photographs are of portions of paintings in which the crown jewels and regalia are depicted.

Of the 406 separate pieces of jewelry in the treasure, 269 pieces were documented as having come from a particular Romanov reign: Peter I (1619-1725) and his daughter Elisabeth (1741-1761) accounted for 52 items; Catherine II (1762-1796) and her son Paul I (1769-1601) accounted for 110 items; Alexander I (1801-1825) and his brother Nicolas I (1825-1855) 62 items; Alexander II (1855-1881) and his brothers Alexander III (1881-1894) and Nicolas II (first part of his reign 1894-1899), 24 items, and the remaining years of Nicolas II’s reign (1900-1917), 14 items. (Fersman, pt. 1, p. 14)

The treasure is comprised of crowns, globes, scepters, chains, stars, crosses, emblems, diadems, necklaces, brooches, rings, earrings, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, spinels, pearls, alexandrites, etc.

The catalog states that the National Property would “never be sold or done away with”. However, because of the government’s desperate need for money, the catalogs were sent to potential buyers for the jewelry, stones and regalia. Although the treasure was later removed from the market, some of the pieces were sold to a syndicate and eventually wound up at auction at Christie’s London, March 16, 1927.

*Before February 1, 1918, Russia used the Julian calendar. The February and October Revolution and the date for Nicolas’ abdication follow this calendar. On the Gregorian, or Western, calendar, the abdication is recorded as March 15, 1917.

ON DISPLAY:
Fersman, A. E. (1925) Russia's Treasure of Diamonds and Precious Stones. The People's Commissariat of Finances, Moscow

1) Plate 12: Imperial diadem with Brazilian diamonds and ancient pearls. The metal is silver-topped gold.
2) Backdrop: Plate 1: the treasure as it was exhibited in the offices of the Moscow National Metal Fund where the inventory and cataloging took place.
3) Exhibit catalog Jewels of the Romanovs: Treasures of the Russian Imperial Court, 1997.
4) Portrait of Grand Duchess (Later Empress) Maria Feodorovna, wife of Paul I (Catherine the Great’s son). (From Jewels of the Romanovs).
5) Cultured pearl strand with gold, diamond, ruby and emerald clasp (Gift of Harriet Cocomo)
6) Gold and diamond brooch (Gift of Harriet Cocomo)

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Abdication of Nikolai II, March 15, 1917. The Times [of London], March 19, 1917: www.dur.ac.uk/a.k.harrington/abdicatn.html. (Accessed October 4, 2011)

Bainbridge, H.C. (1979) Peter Carl Fabergé: Goldsmith and Jeweller to the Russian Imperial Court, His Life and Work. Crescent Books, New York

Fabergé. T., Proler, L.G., Skurlov, V.V. (2000) The Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs. Christie’s, London

Fersman, A. E. (1925) Russia's Treasure of Diamonds and Precious Stones. The People's Commissariat of Finances, Moscow

Hill. G., Ed. (1989) Fabergé and the Russian Master Goldsmiths. Wing Books, New York

Jewels of the Romanovs : Treasures of the Russian Imperial Court [exhibit] (1997). The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. www.alexanderpalace.org/jewels/welcome.html. (Accessed October 18, 2011)

Litwin, P. (2002) “The Russian Revolution”. EURO 344, Spring 2002 depts.washington.edu/baltic/papers/russianrevolution.htm (Accessed August 20, 2011)

Twining, Lord. (1960) A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe. B.T. Batsford, London