History of Gem Collecting: Early Gemstone Explorers

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Gemstones History and subjects of interest

History of Gem Collecting: Early Gemstone Explorers

Did any of us need much encouragement to begin our jewel collection? Some of us devote a great deal of time completing our collection, driven by the passion for finding the next great stone. Just one more and it will be complete, right? No it won't, there will always be one more; or good heaven...let's just start another collection altogether. Oh, why not?

We may collect by species, type, color, you name it. There's no limit to the ways in which we decide how to assemble a wonderful collection of gemstones. Some people I know collect gems by the region of the world. An "all Asian" collection may have Peridot, jade, serpentine, pearl, coral, lapis lazuli, and the like. But how in the world did all this get started?

Let's go back to Marco Polo's travels in the 13th century. He wasn't just looking for spaghetti--or fire crackers, although those Chinese trophies made for interesting dining and entertainment. He brought back jewels, as did Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great. Jewels, and plenty of them, filled their treasure troves in pre-souvenir-store days when world travelers brought home all things exotic from distant lands.

Since ancient times, traders went in search of rare gems to satisfy the appetites of the wealthy aristocrats of Europe. Men were bejeweled up to their crowns in those days. And what an appetite they had for "bling," putting to shame the modern hip-hop star who adorns him/herself with oversized neckwear featuring their names spelled out in diamonds.

To meet this extravagant taste, adventurous explorers set out for parts unknown in search of exotic jewels to grace the robes of royalty. In so doing, they graced their own lives with super-star status in their day.

The Portuguese, and later the Italians, set out across Europe, through Russia, into Persia, and finally to India in search of the largest and finest jewels mined in Golconda, India--the world's first diamond site.

Enter Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. In the 17th century, Tavernier set himself apart as a prince of a jewel trader. He undertook six voyages, which took him as far as the East Indies and Java. He was an intelligent man, speaking all the known languages of Europe at the time. Known for his honesty and good character, he was embraced by the people in the Orient. It was there that he amassed a fortune in the trade of precious stones. Later portraits of him reveal a robust elder statesman in full Oriental garb, complete with a splendid turban, wide pantaloons, and curly-toed slippers.

Ennobled in 1669 by French King Louis XIV, he took the title Baron d'Aubonne after an estate he bought near Geneva. It is said that he died on a seventh journey, which was to take him to Asia by way of Russia. His book Six Voyages en Turquie, en Perse et aux Indes, beloved by gem historians, contains a wealth of information and has been frequently reprinted in several languages.

Romantic stories say that Tavernier stole a blue stone from the eye of a Hindu god statue and, because of that theft, the stone--a blue diamond--was forever cursed. Tavernier was then bilked out of his fortune by a nephew and mauled to death by a pack of wild dogs in India.

Naahh, I don't think so--good story though. The diamond in question made its first documented appearance in 1642 when Tavernier purchased a blue diamond that weighed more than 112 carats and was believed to come from Golconda. Tavernier was not cheated out of his fortune, and he lived to the ripe old age of 84. While there remains no documentation of how he died, I imagine he was quite the raconteur back at the castle in his final days.

This most famous 17th century gem merchant, Tavernier used the phrase "gem of the finest water" in describing the finest diamonds and pearls he saw on his six voyages to India. Although Tavernier is long since gone, his impact on the way we communicate gemstones remains. Even now in the 21st century, one can pick up a copy of GIA's Dictionary of Gems & Gemology and find in it that gemologist Robert M. Shipley defines "water" as a term occasionally used "as a comparative quality designation for color and transparency of diamonds, rubies and other stones." Color and transparency together equal "water."

Ah yes, Tavernier had a gift for acquiring and describing gems. And we owe him and his colleagues a great debt of gratitude for introducing

 Santa Cruz, Bolivia, the bittersweet story of am-etrine begins. According to legend, the Spanish explorer Don Luis Felipe received the world's only Am-etrine mine as a dowry when he came to Bolivia to marry Princess Anahi of the Ayoreos tribe. Later, when Felipe was ready to return to Spain, Princess Anahi was sad to leave her homeland but determined to remain by her husband's side and vowed to follow him anywhere.

When the Ayoreos tribesmen learned of her plans to leave them, they plotted to sacrifice Princess Anahi. As the wounded princess lay dying in her beloved husband's arms, legend has it that she placed her final gift to him in his hand and took her last breath. When Felipe opened his hand, he found a perfectly divided bi-color Am-trine, a symbol of his princess's divided heart--full of love for him as well as for her heritage.

Darlene Sabella

Princess Anahi was buried at the base of the mountain where the am-etrine mine is located, to be forever near her people. The mine then became known as the Anahi mine. Other stories maintain that Princess Anahi first warned her beloved of the tribe's plans to battle him for her affections, gifted him with the Am-trine crystal she'd always worn around her neck, and then disappeared into the Am-etrine caves, never to be seen again. Am-etrine remained relatively unknown to the rest of the world until the mine went into modern production in the late 1970s. Today, the Anahi mine in Bolivia remains the only mine in the world to produce good-quality am-etrine.  Half Amethyst and half Citron....

August's birthstone, Peridot is a relatively inexpensive, beautiful gem with a pedigree dating back as far as early Egyptians. Among its accolades, Peridot can count being a favorite among royals and clergy, used to adorn everything from a queen's crown to a knight's sword. Peridot jewels were among Cleopatra's beloved treasures, though many were found to be emeralds once the science of gemology advanced beyond classifying gemstones in ways other than just by color.

Name Origin and Meaning

The name "Peridot" is likely derived from the Arabic word faridat, meaning "gem," or the Greek word peridona, which roughly translates as "to give richness." Peridot has three other names: It's known as chrysolite in Europe, derived from the Greek word meaning "gold stone"; olivine, which is its mineral group name; and Hawaiite, which refers only to Peridot found in Hawaii. Ancient Romans called Peridot the "evening emerald" because it continued glowing vibrantly at night, even in dim candlelight.

Discovery and History

The discovery of Peridot, like many mainstream gemstones, was likely thousands of years ago. More recent discoveries--at least those since such records were kept--include a deposit found on a small volcanic island in the Red Sea near the Egyptian coast. Those deposits were rediscovered around 1900 and were soon mined out.

Darlene Sabella

Peridot had an uneventful history after that until, in the mid 1990s, a very plentiful, high-quality new Peridot deposit was found in the mountains of Pakistan. Peridot once again became a darling of the gem community when those stones--some of the finest ever discovered--hit the market as Kashmir Peridot.

Peridot can exhibit two-phase liquid and gas inclusions called lily pads, named such because that's exactly what they look like. Peridot’s unique lily pads are just another example of inclusions that can be attractive and positive, rather than having a negative effect on a stone's appearance or value.

Phenomena: Star and Cat's-Eye

In very rare cases, Peridot can display asterism (a star) or chatoyancy (the cat's-eye effect).

My Life Is A River

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My Life is Like the River

I am sure many writers have written about life as a river

I live in the mountains with plenty of lakes, ponds, damns and rivers

I love tol my days sitting by the river with my two dogs

I found a huge boulder, flat in the center

This was my preach, to watch the river swirl around me
sometimes it would move fast and furious, angry like it is being forced

On Earth water will always seeks the lowest level, and so can I

Water starts at a high point, so do I

Then still waters in the river, the water caresses you with gentle love, this is where you create life

There are areas in a river that are so peaceful and calm, it could last for day, months or year

One thing that is for sure, each part of the river will change, nothing will ever stay the same

All of a sudden you're being rushed and pushed forward, about to drop down the water fall of life, and you get tumbled and tossed all about, all you ever knew in you life is gone, but not forgotten, and another new world has started, a new cycle a new beginning....

Then you are flowing gently like a summer breeze when there is a bend in the river which over flows its banks, another new discovery.

I love my life as a river, I never know what to expect. Many stay in the calm waters, forever to scared of change and the unknown, never knowing or seeing the rainbows that appear once you hit the bottom of the waterfall

The only truth in life is change, so as they use to say, go with the flow, don't fight the current, it is going to take you whether you like it or now, so relax, and go on this journey that is called life

Live is a river and it flow, bends, rushes, falls, merges together with many other rushing rivers, and streams, enjoy the ride, for this is it.

Who will I meet when I turn this corner, surprise, a friend from Ireland, or England, or Ohio. See we are all one, the river can't flow with one drop of water, it takes millions of drops to form a river and it is all connected and is searching for the lowest point to settle, that is when you have grown very old.

Then you are tired and retreat to a place that is calm, promising, fore-filling. At this place the river is settled and has found it place, until the end of time, but this is where you wait for the end. Where it supports an amazing verity of life. So drift and feel safe, the rush is over, the expectations are over.
you're finally found yourself, in full promise, God will wait for you, you have come to the end.

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The copyright to this article is owned by Darlene Sabella. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. (You can, however, freely use the opening introduction and photo with a link to the article here on RedGage and My Smashing Magazine to read the remainder of the article.) I am also a member of Copyscape, they hold all my articles and will show if anyone should copy my hubs...

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My sister husband gave this to me

Information on UFOs: A Strange Visitor One Night; My UFO Experience

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A Strange Visitor One Night

Living in Taos New Mexico can be compared to existing far, far back in the past. Nonetheless, there is a legend regarding the Taos hum, it can interrupt your thoughts and agitate you when you are trying to clear your head. Not a soul, in truth really comprehends all there is to distinguish about this perplexing sound, the Taos hum. It resonances like an engine with a high pitch vibrating rhythm; you can look up the Taos hum on a Google search.

Throughout my time living in Taos, I would glance at articles in the newspaper about cow mutilations’ in fields, frequently in a insignificant town called Arroyo Hondo, the locals call it Hondo, situated about ten minutes outside the town of Taos, and absent from the tourist world. This is where Bear and Edna lived my Native American friend, where I went to my sweats. One day, I discovered a side road off to my left, following a stream, and to be found, all around me were cattle fields, and the road dead ends at the Rio Grande River. I take pleasure in driving all-around to investigate my universe. Subsequently, one day I observed a for rent sign for this trailer exactly in the interior of the cow fields, with a pleasant large fence to protect my dogs. I could glance across the stream, and glimpse Bears house on the top of a knoll.

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I remain excited, to be in the heart of this, ‘Taos hum,’ I intended on executing my own investigation, as you all know I possess a curious mind. This happened to be elongated single trailer with two bedrooms. In addition, the folks that owned the land lived on the pinnacle of a small mountain over gazing this dwelling and their cattle. Scores of generations of Spanish owns all the land. With the exception of the Taos Pueblo, where the Natives Indians live, consequently I found a room mate, a nice girl that worked in my store, named Ruby, and we moved in, with delight, I found simply sitting on the patio and watching Bears’ substantial sweat fires burning from across the stream.

At first, we suffered a considerable predicament with a skunk that lived there way before us, along with my two Chow dogs, Cody and her mom, Penny. The Skunk was infuriated at us for disturbing his habitat that he kept spaying my dogs, it was summer with the windows open, this skunk unrelenting would spay us through the screens of our windows, what a nightmare, and then the locals recommended inserting moth balls surrounding the parameter of our home, this ceased the skunk in a jiffy.

One night, it remain summer and hot, the wind was still and quiet, Ruby said her good nights and went off to her room, I recollect, without a doubt, that I unquestionably make tea, peacefully persistent to read a good book, it was a Dean Koontz book I recollect it well. I sat on my fine cozy chair with my two dogs fast asleep at my feet, all of a sudden there were bright lights shining in all the windows, and the trailer started to shake, I was so petrified I ran into  Ruby’s room, I jiggle her and jumped up and down on her bed for her to wake, she would not commence to come alert, I shouted at her as the spine-chilling hum and the trailer was shuddering still. Nevertheless, to no avail I could not wake Ruby or my dogs. I was too frightened to peek out a window, so I remain motionless, back into a corner for hours; my gut reaction was that I have got to stay awake.

Next an abrupt dreadfully load humming noise, like a somewhat spinning pulsation causing the trail to shake, it was right over the trailer. I was determined to stay awake all night and immediately before dawn, the humming and lights left, in a split second. I was so distraught and livid a Ruby and my dogs for not waking up, that I drove over to chat to Edna and Bear.

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Their son, Phil was about seven or eight at the time, while talking to them they called Phil to join us in the living room. Phil looked over at me, while his parents insisted he tell me about his night, he was shaken and pale as he related this story to me, "My mom and dad never woke during the night, Phil reported to me, they just would not wake up; these creatures came in the night and seized him from his room, and he was so afraid, he then recalled being back in his bed". Afterward, in the many years they lived there, Phil on no account, ever again slept in his room, he would sleep on the floor of his parent’s room, and in no way would Phil bring up this incident ever again. Accordingly, I was questioning my own mind, I don’t believe in these fairy-tales, what really happened last night?

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I had to scuttle back home, to prepare for visit of out of town guests, it was an author that was having a book signing at my store in Taos. They appeared as a strange couple, and we all sat outside in the morning sun looking at the view, red rocks, sage and the cattle. The husband was positioned adjacent to me, we were all talking when he suddenly stared at me and said, “You had company last night from a ship, you were given a second implant, you first implant were given to you as a child, do you want me to remove it?” Well my mouth just dropped, I was utterly shocked and appalled, I never told them about last nights ordeal.

I moved back into town and this is the first time I have talked about this, does anyone have a guess, what happened to me on that fateful night of 1996?

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The copyright to this article is owned by Darlene Sabella. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. (You can, however, freely use the opening introduction and photo with a link to the article here on My Smashing Magazine and RedGage to read the remainder of the article.)

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