Gemstones: Symbols of Beauty and Power (Rocks, Minerals and Gemstones)
Eduard Gubelin and Franz-Xaver Erni
Geoscience Press, Inc.
Tucson, Arizona
This beautiful gemstone book, at first glance, looks like a typical coffee table book. Looks can be deceiving. It is a substantial work on the part of researchers and authors to present a quick reference to comprehensive, scientific and historical information on the study of gemstones. The student can certainly leave it on a coffee table, or put it along side their other study materials on a book shelf. It doesn’t matter where it rests, it should be available for quick reference by the gem and jewelry enthusiast.
In the introduction, the authors write: “The purpose of this book is to guide the layperson with illustrations and text into one of nature’s most fascinating puzzles without any need for a specialist’s knowledge.”
Even though they avoided getting too complex, the information they present is pretty extensive.
First of all there is a whole section, in language any layman can understand, about the origin of gemstones and how they have been formed. To assist the reader there is an adequate glossary of terms in the back of the book. Time is spent explaining a certain scientific phenomenon rather than leaving the reader in the dark. Then there is a whole section on what causes the different variety of colors among gemstones. Some colors are created chemically while others are caused by physical and optical coloration effects.
There are also whole sections describing how gemstones are mined, processed and finally cut for distribution.
Then the authors cover each gemstone and gemstone families well enough so that a beginner can get some idea of what makes each stone special. They also discuss where they are found and how stones are extracted and processed. The pictures in this book are beautiful. There are a lot of illustrations of some the world’s most famous jewelry.
The book is beautifully written. This is how the Sapphire is described. “The blue sapphire, which displays its charms with dignified restraint, is surrounded by a sacred aura. It superbly enacts the symbiosis of elegant distance and spiritual depth. For this reason, the sapphire is involved, like no other among its noble brothers, in heathen and Christian magic, which attempted to harness psychic powers with the help of this celestial gem.”
There is a section entitled Gemstones: Symbols of Authority and Power. This area of the book covers the prized jewels, crowns and swords of royal families, and tribal elders around the world. It is a wonderful resource for someone who is interested in history, because historical facts are inter-mixed with technical information. There are whole legends surrounding the Crown of Charlemagne, believed to have been destroyed by a mob during the French Revolution. A brief history of the crown is covered as well as information about other imperial crowns worn by other rulers.
Noble Gems for the Word of God goes into the history of precious jeweled artifacts claimed by the different religions in the world. Special attention is given to valuable relics from the middle ages. “The people of the Middle Ages focused on life after death. They not only hoped for the end of all earthly ills but, above all, for a new life in Paradise—eternal life in the presence of God, which God had promised them.” This attitude was reflected in the jeweled decorations that appeared on sacred texts and other religious ornaments.
There is also a historical section about how gemstones were used in medicine. Information can be found in this section as well as other areas of the book. One of the most important features for the avid researcher is the bibliography at the back of the book. For the new student as well as more seasoned researchers this list of material is a good place to launch an in depth study of gemstones, and the processes that created them.
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