Joban Oil

Nearly all emeralds are treated with a liquid or resin after cutting. In India, Joban oil (green) is the choice for treating commercial grade emeralds. The treaters believe the oil improves the overall gemstonality of the emeralds. All treatments should be disclosed at all levels of the distribution chain. If you are doubtful have it checked by a reputed gem testing laboratory.

The Color Of Money

Memorable quote (s) from the movie:

Eddie Felson (Paul Newman): You're some piece of work... You're also a natural character.

Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise): You see? I been tellin' her that. I got natural character.

Eddie Felson (Paul Newman): That's not what I said, kid. I said you are a natural character; you're an incredible flake. But that's a gift. Some guys spend half their lives trying to invent something like that. You walk into a pool room with that go-go-go, the guys'll be killing each other, trying to get to you. You got that... But I'll tell you something, kiddo. You couldn't find Big Time if you had a road map.

The Koh-i-noor Diamond

By Stephen Howarth
Quartet Books Limited
1980 ISBN 0-7043-2215-3

Stephen Howarth writes:

Koh-i-noor: the name means Mountain of Light. The diamond called the Koh-i-noor is one of the most famous of the Crown Jewels of Great Britain. It is not the largest diamond in the world, nor is it the most valuable, in monetary terms. Whether or not it is the most beautiful is a matter of opinion; but of all existing jewels, it has the longest history in legend, and the most colorful history in fact.

Diamonds are symbols of eternity. The word comes from the Greek adamas, meaning unalterable and indomitable. This, and the poetic name ‘Mountain of Light’, together indicate the reasons for the high regard in which diamonds have always been held: their beauty and their endurance. Diamonds are one of the hardest natural substances in the world, and many of their uses nowadays are for industrial purposes. But for thousands of years previously they were sought for their beauty, and by their rarity became the province of kings.

The Koh-i-noor was found in an Indian mine, probably more than three hundred years ago, and as the fortunes of India have varied in those three centuries, so the Koh-i-noor has changed hands from one conqueror to another. Through the changes, this special diamond has gradually acquired its own particular symbolism. It has meant different things to different people; to many, it has been an emblem of power and conquest and empire. To others, it has represented something more peaceful, and it is an image of union, factually and philosophically. Diamonds as fact, symbol and legend are woven inextricably into the paradox of Indian society, simultaneously changeless and everchanging. This marriage of constancy and variability can be a difficult concept for many Western minds, but it is this very concept which makes the Koh-i-noor a jewel literally beyond price, for the story of the Koh-i-noor reflects the history of the subcontinent of India. It is a turbulent story, sometimes cruel and violent, sometimes peaceful and calm; and it starts not three hundred years ago, but three thousand years ago, in India’s oldest legends.

The Owners of the Koh-i-noor
Mir Jumla, one-time wazir to the King of Golkonda, presented it to Shah Jahan, the Mogul Emperor, c. 1655-7. It descended to Auragazeb, Shah Jahan’s son. In 1655 it was seen, weighed and measured by Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a French jeweler. It remained with the Moguls until 1739, when it was lost to Nadir Shah, the Persian emperor, after his sack of Delhi. The jewel went to Persia. After Nadir’s assassination in 1747, his grandson Shah Rukh Mirza inherited the jewel. In gratitude for support he gave it to Ahmad Shah, leader of the Durrani clan and unifier of Afghanistan, in 1749. The jewel remained in Afghanistan with Ahmad’s son, Zaman Shah, who inherited it in 1793. Zaman was imprisoned and blinded by one of his brothers, but contrived to hide the jewel, until he passed it on to another brother, Shah Shuja, in 1795. Shuja eventually surrendered it to Ranjit Singh, the ‘Lion of the Punjab’, in 1813, in return for military aid. On Ranjit’s death the jewel passed to Dhulip Singh, his supposed son, in 1839. On the annexation of the Punjab by the British, in 1849, the jewel was claimed by The Board of Government, who took possession of it pending its presentation to Queen Victoria. The presentation took place on 3 July 1850. Since then the jewel has remained in Britain and is now mounted in the State Crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

Thai Jewelry Market

(via The Nation) Petchanet Pratruangkrai writes:

Growth in the Thai jewelry market this year is likely to drop by half from the original target, because of the world's economic slow-down and the recent appreciation of the baht, say jewelry exporters.

More info @ http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/02/27/business/business_30027970.php

Cedar Wood Oil

Nearly all emeralds are treated with a liquid or resin after cutting. The traditional way to enhance emeralds gemstonality has been to treat them with near colorless natural cedar wood oil. The refractive index of cedar wood oil is in the range of 1.495-1.510. The purpose of the treatment is to reduce the visibility of inclusions in emeralds in order to improve the appearance. If in doubt consult a reputed gem testing laboratory.

Casino Movie

Memorable quote (s) from the movie:

Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro): The town will never be the same. After the Tangiers, the big corporations took it all over. Today it looks like Disneyland. And while the kids play cardboard pirates, Mommy and Daddy drop the house payments and Junior's college money on the poker slots. In the old days, dealers knew your name, what you drank, what you played. Today, it's like checkin' into an airport. And if you order room service, you're lucky if you get it by Thursday. Today, it's all gone. You get a whale show up with four million in a suitcase, and some twenty-five-year-old hotel school kid is gonna want his Social Security Number. After the Teamsters got knocked out of the box, the corporations tore down practically every one of the old casinos. And where did the money come from to rebuild the pyramids? Junk bonds. But in the end, I wound up right back where I started. I could still pick winners, and I could still make money for all kinds of people back home. And why mess up a good thing?

Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair

TGJTA writes:

The 39th Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair takes place at IMPACT Challenger (the world’s largest column-free exhibition center) February 28, 2007 to March 4, 2007. Over 3,000 exhibitors will be at the event that will feature gems and jewelry from Thailand and around the world. The jewelry show comes in a range of styles, from traditional to contemporary and offers designs based on both precious and semi-precious gems.

The event has become a favorite amongst the world’s gem’s and jewelry professionals and emphasizes the precision skills of local craftsmen and women. As a world-class manufacturing center and a regional hub for diamond and colored gemstones cutting and trading, Thailand is a natural choice for this trade fair, which opens to the public March 3 and 4, 2007.

More info @ Thai Gem & Jewelry Traders Association
Jewelry Trade Center
52nd Fl, 919/616
Silom Road
Bangrak
Bangkok10500
Thailand
Tel: (66) 0-2630 - 1390
Fax: (66) 0-2630 - 1398 or 99
Website : www.bangkokgemsfair.com
Email : info@bangkokgemsfair.com

Venue Details:
Impact Arena
Exhibition And Convention Center
Muang Thong Thani
99 Popular Road
Banmai Subdistrict
Pakkred District
Nonthaburi 11120
Thailand
Tel: (66) 0-2504-5050
Fax: (66) 0-2504-4445
Website: www.impact.co.th
Email: info@impact.co.th

Gems & Precious Stones Of North America

By George Frederick Kunz
Dover Publications, Inc
1968 ISBN 0-486-21855-4

Edward Oslon (Curator of Mineralogy, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago) writes:

When the early Spanish explorers first entered the North American continent it was the overwhelming desire for precious stones and metals that lured them on. DeSoto, for example, trekked over the entire southeastern quarter of what is now the United States, led on by rumors and tales of fabulous gems and golden cities. He perished having found only a small quantity of freshwater pearls for his trouble. He was not the only one to die unrewarded; the bones of Spanish gold and jewel seekers littered the continent from California to North Carolina, from Central America to northern Kansas. A goodly amount of gold and silver was acquired in Mexico and Central America, and a few gemstones turned up now and then, but it rapidly became apparent that North America was not going to be a fabulous source for precious stones. Today, with the advantage of 400 years of hindsight, the dogged crisscrossing of the continent by these treasure hunters seems foolish to say the least. North America has been no Golconda.

Despite the fact that North America has produced only a handful of gemstones, in contrast to Africa, India, Ceylon, South America and parts of Europe and Asia Minor, which have all been rich sources, the old fever to find diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other stones has never fully abated. Every year Arkansas draws hundreds of diamond seekers; Wyoming attracts ruby and jade hunters; Minnesota and Iowa have their agate hunters; Maine and North Carolina their aquamarine prospectors, and so on.

Until 1890 occurrences of gemstones in North America were matters principally of local knowledge shared only a few avid collectors and specialists in the gem business. Then, in that year, George Frederick Kunz published the first edition of this book, Gems and Precious Stones of North America. It represented years of intimate experience with the gem industry in America as the mineralogical consultant to the largest and most important gem and jewelry house in the United States, Tiffany and Company of New York City. The book is something of a milestone, for it was the first to describe the locations of any and all gem occurrences on the North American continent. As such it is not a textbook or treatise on gemology but primarily a guide to the collector of precious and semi-precious stones; it tells where they occur and something of their history, archaeology and lore. It was, at that time, a unique treatment, but less than six years later a learned German mineralogist, Professor Max Bauer of the University of Marburg, published a major book, Edelsteinkunde (Precious Stones), which treated worldwide occurrences of gems in the manner Kunz had used for North America.

Since gemstones are fundamentally rock-forming minerals, they fall under the wing of the professional mineralogist, who unfortunately is primarily concerned with them as minerals, and too often in an abstruse and academic way that does not interest the gem fancier. This book, on the other hand, was written by a mineralogist whose professional concern was gem minerals only. Such specialists are not common. In fact, as a professional mineralogist on the staff of a company such as Tiffany, Dr Kunz was something of a rare bird. His predilection for minerals as gems is evident in this book.

Primarily the book serves as a source book for information on gem occurrences, and contains a wealth of specific facts about the quality, size and quantity of the rough gem material found in any particular place. For example, within three pages (140-142), twelve localities for ornamental petrified wood are discussed in detail.

Most gem localities in North America are, unfortunately, a one-time thing; one or a few stones of good quality are found, and that’s it. This continent has never had a major gem mining operation even remotely comparable to the Kimberly diamond district in Africa or the emerald mines at Muzo, Colombia. As Kunz himself pointed out (p.7) “The daily yield from the coal and iron mines would exceed in value all the precious stones found in the United States during a year.” Nevertheless, some districts have been fairly consistent producers of gem material, albeit not in large quantities. For these areas the book indicates production figures and the annual value of particular gem materials.

As one reads this book one becomes aware that its author was captivated by the legend, lore and superstition associated with precious stones. The story of Aztec turquoise (pp.62-64) and the history of New World pearls from Colombus’ first contact with them onward (pp.240 ff) are examples of the historical and archaeological vignettes interspersed in the text. The whole subject so fascinated Kunz that in later years he published three full length books that dealt primarily with folklore and superstition connected with gems: The Curious Lore of Precious Stones (1913), The Magic of Jewels and Charms (1915), and Rings for the Finger (1917).

Perhaps the most unique feature of the book is the intriguing description of pearls in the New World (Chapter XII). This section is a kind of book within the book, and certainly represents the most detailed compilation of information and history of the American pearl fishing industry up to that time. This particular topic deeply interested Kunz and in 1904 he and Charles H Stevenson published The Book of the Pearl. This was a definitive work on the subject, based on Kunz’s intimate knowledge both of pearls as mineralogical objects and the pearl fishing industry; from 1892 to 1899 he served as special commissioner on American pearls for the United States Fish Commissioner.

Besides the books already mentioned, Kunz published widely on a great variety of mineralogical and gemological matters, and even made occasional contributions to the subject of meteorites. He was a prodigious writer. In an active career of almost sixty years he wrote a total of 531 articles, papers, reports, books, etc. This averages out to between nine and ten publications per year. This tremendous output of written material was very probably the result of the same strong self-motivation that made Kunz the self-made man that he was.

George Kunz was born in New York City in 1856. After a public school education he attended the famous Cooper Union, but he never received a formal degree. It was at Cooper Union that he began to plan for a professional career. He once wrote about “the Cooper Union, in whose laboratories, lecture rooms and library (I spent) useful, profitable evening hours for several hours, at a time when there were no opportunities of a similar nature in the City of New York.”

Before Kunz went to high school he had begun collecting minerals in the New York-New Jersey area around the city. The (then) recent excavations in the Bergen Hill, New Jersey, are—the site of a large number of rare and attractive minerals—provided him with a fairly sophisticated collection, and by the time he was fourteen years old he had already begun an active series of exchanges with collectors both in the United States and abroad. These exchanges allowed him to put together a number of well-rounded mineral collections and before he was twenty years old he had sold a major collection to the University of Minnesota. In the following years he established his reputation a knowledgeable mineralogist by building and selling mineral collections to a number of institutions, colleges and individuals, including Amherst College, the New York State Museum in Albany, the Field Museum in Chicago, and Thomas A Edison. His reputation grew accordingly and he was only twenty four years old when he joined Tiffany and Company as their gem expert. By the time he had been with the company for twenty years he had visited most of the gem producing localities in the United States, Mexico, Russia, Asia and Australia. One result of these travels was the formation of two major gem collections which were purchased by the famous J P Morgan in New York City. Kunz became, in a sense, a modern-day Tavernier, searching the world of gems. It was largely through his efforts that Tiffany acquired the now famous 128.51 carat Tiffany diamond, which the company still owns today.

Over the years his fame as a gem expert spread and in 1898 he received a honorary M A degree from Colombia University. This was followed by an honorary Ph.D from the University of Marburg, Germany, in 1906, and honorary D.SC from Knox University in 1907. He also received decorations from several foreign governments: the Legion of Honor (France), the Order of St.Olaf (Norway), and the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan). In addition, he held various offices in numerous professional societies and was, for fourteen years, an honorary curator of gems at the American Museum of Natural History. Although Dr Kunz was offered the directorship of the U S National Museum in 1904, he declined the honor and remained with Tiffany and Company throughout his career. He died in 1932.

Gems and Precious Stones of North American went through two editions. The present volume is a reprint of the second edition (1892), which differed from the first in that it included an appendix which Kunz wrote to cover occurrences of North American gems not covered in the text of 1890. By the very nature of this book age cannot detract from its utility. The locations of precious stones which are described cannot have changed over the seventy five years since the book was originally published. In fact, the only major annotation one might make today is to note that Kunz defines the unit of weight used in the gem industry, the carat, as equal to 205 milligrams (pp.13-14), and that over the intervening years this has been redefined to be 200 milligrams exactly. Thus, when carat weights are mentioned in the text they should be adjusted slightly upward, by a factor of 1.025.

Most of the readers of this book will undoubtedly be gem and mineral collectors, lapidary hobbyists, and rock hounds seeking to ferret out old gem occurrences for future collecting trips. On the other hand, there will be those readers relatively uninitiated in the field of gems and minerals who will pick up this book with the thought of finding out something about gems and their history on this continent. The book will serve both groups of readers equally well, for although it was written primarily to document the numerous scattered and unrecorded gemstone occurrences on the North American continent, it stands also as the first and foremost history of the gem mining industry in America.

Laughlin

Lapidary Journal writes:

If you are looking for a gem, mineral, and jewelry show with all the amenities of a big city venue but with the low costs and laid back atmosphere of a smaller show, it’s hard to beat Laughlin, Nevada, a fast growing casino town 90 miles southeast of Las Vegas. Laughlin is a relative newcomer to the gem show circuit, but has already gained a reputation as one of the better spots to be.

All shows at Laughlin are wholesale/retail with free admission to the public. And with the exception of a show put on by the Gem & Lapidary Wholesalers, all the Clouds Jamboree events, sponsored by former Quartzsite show promoter Dick Cloud.

The main event is month-long show held outside the Avi Resort & Casino from January 7 through February 8. The other five shows are held indoors at the various hotels along Casino Drive, from January 14 through 30.

“When you go to Laughlin, you are not competing with a swap meet mentality. You are going to buy gems, minerals, and related supplies—things that have to do with the business,’ says Warron Big Eagle of Eagles Dream Co. Together with his wife Deb, Big Eagle displays gem rough and beads, as well as finished gems and silver jewelry at the Avi Resort at a booth set up outside their trailer.

“The Avi has one of the nicest, cleanest RV setups in the country,” says Big Eagle, a self-described ‘rocker’ who spends most of his time on the road. But he notes that those coming to visit the shows also have the opportunity to stay at one of the many hotels and resorts in town, with discounted rates for those attending the shows as members of the trade.

Many of the dealers who display at Laughlin—particularly at shows which end before February—go on to Tucson. “Laughlin is not a hurried show like Tucson. It’s more of a low-key, relaxed, spread-out affair,’ says dealer Ron Stanford of Precious Pebbles in Bullhead City, Arizona, just across the Colorado River from Laughlin.

“It’s also a lot cheaper for dealers to do, so you get a lot of the smaller dealers who have a wide variety of goods. You may not find a lot of the high-end merchandise that you would in Tucson, but you will find a lot of bargains on just about anything you can think of, from used lapidary equipment to beads, gemstones, finished jewelry, and gem rough. You will find a lot of rough rock there.”

Because so much of Laughlin’s economy centers on tourism, it seems that everything is done to accommodate show goers, including a shuttle service which takes visitors from one show to the next. With Vegas-like weather, a nearby airport, as well as gold courses, restaurants, and lively entertainment, it’s safe bet that Laughlin will continue to expand as a show venue.

“It just a real nice place,” says Big Eagle. “Because the Avi show goes on for so long, the vendors all get to know each other, and we will steer people in the right direction to find what they are looking for. They seem to work together rather than be overly competitive with one another, and they are trying to build the show.”

For more information, visit www.cloudsjamboree.com or call (866) 558-7719

Laughlin show schedule:
- Clouds Jamboree—Edgewater Hotel & Casino (January 14 – 23)
- Clouds Jamboree—Ramada Express Hotel & Casino (January 14 – 23)
- Clouds Jamboree—Don Laughlin’s Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino (January 14 – 30)
- G & LW—Flamingo Laughlin (January 21 – 23)
- Clouds Jamboree—AVI Casino (January 27 – February 6)

Special Effects

I love movies, because the concept enable the characters to simulate their natural talent with good acting and special effects. The reality is that in the movies a sound mixer combines all three elements of the film’s soundtrack: the dialogue, music and sound effects to create the voice of the film. In a way movies and colored gemstones are on the same wavelength. They are sensitive, attractive, and provides constant emotional stimulation--a lightswitch. A gem cutter combines size, shape, color, clarity and cut to create the voice of a colored gemstone. I would say 34% color, 33% clarity, and 33% cut—it’s life.

Citizen Kane

Memorable quote (s) from the movie:

Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles): You know, Mr. Bernstein, if I hadn't been very rich, I might have been a really great man.

Thatcher (George Coulouris): Don't you think you are?

Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles): I think I did pretty well under the circumstances.

Thatcher (George Coulouris): What would you like to have been?

Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles): Everything you hate.

The Jade Kingdom

By Paul E Desautels
Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc
1986 ISBN 0-442-21797-8

Van Nostrand Reinhold writes:

For more than 4000 years, jade has been a stone of legend and mystery, prized for its beauty and superiority as a hardstone carving material. The development of mineralogical and gemological knowledge of jade has been as fascinating as jade lore and history. Yet, until now, no book on jade has explored jade’s physical and chemical properties as well as the stone’s rich history. Instead, past literature has tended toward quick surveys of some of the more exotic carvings that have flowed, generation after generation, from the lapidary shops of China.

The Jade Kingdom is the first book to cover almost every aspect of jade—its occurrences worldwide, its mineralogy and geology, jade’s history, legend, and lore, the major cultures that have made use of it, and the techniques they have developed to master it. Specific areas covered include comparisons of true and false jades, the various methods of testing jade, from simple field tests to sophisticated laboratory analyses, and the known sources of jade, both ancient and modern.

The book also explores China’s centuries—old love of jade, discussing the origins and meanings of symbolic jade carvings as well as the clues to past Chinese culture, philosophy, and technology that are revealed by existing jade objects. The history of jade in the New World is surveyed as well, from the earliest Olmec times to the conquest of the Aztecs by Spanish adventurers. Other jade-using cultures covered in The Jade Kingdom include Europe, New Zealand, South-central Asia, India, Russia, and Japan. Dozens of photographs of nephrite and jadeite—the two main types of jade—as well as ancient and modern artifacts complete this handsome reference work.

Gemologists, collectors, anthropologists, archeologists, and jade dealers will welcome this first-time synthesis of new and old information about jade.

About the author
Paul E Desautels is the author of four other books—The Mineral Kingdom, The Gem Kingdom, Rocks and Minerals, and Gems in the Smithsonian—and has contributed many articles to such magazines as the Smithsonian, Mineralogical Record, Natural History, and American Mineralogist.

Gem Show Tips

If you are planning to attend any gem shows for the first time, here are some things to keep in mind.

- Book in advance
Pre-registering for the shows you want to attend will help you avoid lines. The same applies to book accommodation in advance.

- Set a budget
If you hope to stay within your means, you need to establish a budget for the real stuff as well as for the fun stuff.

- Take notes
We are distracted all the time and worse—we have short memory so take notes. If you see an interesting piece and are thinking of coming back to see it, write down the location you saw it. Otherwise, chances are you will either forget about it or, more likely, forget where you saw it.

- Be comfortable
Dress comfortably. Don’t even think about doing the shows in high heels or clothes that don’t breathe. Drink plenty of water to stay refreshed and to avoid dehydration.

- Talk to people
People are always eager to learn about new things. So when you need help, ask in a sweet language. They will always remember you. Gem shows are unique cultural experiences. Asking others what they have seen and which shows they have visited is a good way to start a conversation. The password is— have the right attitude.

Coated Diamonds

The first step in examining any diamond is to observe the whole diamond. Well-informed consumers start with visual observation. This gives the buyer the chance to examine and classify all aspects of the physical appearance of the diamond.

Natural colored diamonds are available in all mainstream colors, but certain colors are rare. Top quality pinks, reds, blues and other shades are extremely rare and expensive. Many colored diamonds are sold by dealers and jewelers to consumers who crave for rarity, beauty and status. Consumers with disposable income buy them because they like it. A few may be aware of treatments, but they tend to forget it. Many consumers don’t know about it.

Today diamonds can be coated with yellow, orange, pink, purplish pink, blue and green to look like the natural ones. Well-trained buyers look for iridescent film-like coating with proper magnification and lighting. But again this may not be always easy and practical. The treatment is not permanent. If in doubt always consult a reputed gem testing laboratory.

Catch Me If You Can Movie

Memorable quote (s) from the movie:

Frank Abagnale Sr. (Christopher Walken): Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn't quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse.

The Physics And Chemistry Of Color

By Kurt Nassau
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
1983 ISBN 0-471-86776-4

John Wiley & Sons writes:

How does an organic pigment such as chlorophyll interact with white light to produce a green color? Why is the sky blue, a ruby red? To what processes does gold owes its yellow color? Here is the first comprehensive investigation of all the causes of color derived from their physical and chemical origins. Requiring no specialized knowledge since all fundamental concepts are discussed, this fascinating work explores fifteen separate causes of color and their varied and often subtle occurrences in biology, geology, mineralogy, the atmosphere, technology, and the visual arts.

Beginning with a basic introduction to the nature of light and color and quantum theory in Part 1, the book goes on to discuss the colors caused by incandescent objects, flames, and vapor excitation light sources, including auroras and lasers (Part 2). Part 3 explores the effect on electronic energy levels of transition elements in the ligand field, a phenomenon that explains the colors in most inorganic paint pigments and in many minerals and gems, such as red ruby and green emerald.

Colors caused by molecular orbitals and their interaction with light are discussed in Part 4. These include the colors of most organic substances and such minerals and gemstones as lapis lazuli and blue sapphire, where charge transfer is at work. Part 5 examines the colors caused by energy band theory, such as those in gold, copper, and brass, as well as color centers, as in amethysts. Part 6 investigates the wide range of colors involving geometrical and physical optics theory—including those derived from dispersion, scattering, interference and diffraction. This leads to the colors of the rainbow and of butterfly wings, the blue of the sky, the red of the sunset. A final section discusses a variety of color-related topics, such as lasers, art preservation, and vision.

Over 200 drawings, 30 tables, and 31 color photographs aid in the visualization of the concepts discussed. A detailed bibliography keyed to individual chapters permits readers to pursue areas of particular interest. Also included are end-of-chapter problems and a series of appendices which cover advanced topics and thus serve as a bridge to more esoteric texts and monographs.

The Physics And Chemistry of Color will prove equally useful to specialist and non-specialist alike, and to those with interests as varied as optics and art history.

About the author
Kurt Nassau is the author of Gems Made By Man.

Minerals On Postage Stamps

(via Mineral Digest Vol. 1, 1972) Franklin R Bruns, Jr writes:

In the fall of 1594 the Spanish galleon San Pedro, en route home with treasure from the New World, was wrecked on the north Bermuda reefs, and went down to the bottom. There it lay for more than three hundred years, until Teddy Tucker, a Bermudian diver, salvaged much of the treasure, including jewels, gold and artifacts. Valued at more than US $560000, the treasure was sold to the Bermuda government in 1961. Part of it is now on display at the Museum of Natural History in Flatts Village.

The finest single item from Tucker’s salvage is an emerald-studded gold cross that is three inches long, with a 11/4 inch traverse bar set with seven Colombian emeralds, the cross alone is valued at US$75000. One Dutch jewelry expert said it might take ten years to match at set of perfect emeralds like these, if indeed they could be matched at all. Colombian emeralds are, of course, at their best, second to none. It is believed that the jeweled cross was made by South American Indians, probably under the supervision of a Spanish jewelsmith.

In 1969, Bermuda issued a set of four colorful stamps portraying the emerald-studded cross from the San Pedro. Each stamp bore the identifying legend. “1594 Treasure from the sea.” The four postal items were in denominations of 4d, 1s/3d, 2s, and 2s/6d.

Since the cross was recovered from the sea, it seemed rather fitting that artist V Whiteley should have used a sea fan background for two of the stamps and coral reefs on the others. Of course, Bermuda was not the only country to feature emeralds on its postal issues. A Colombian airmail stamp of 1932-39 showed a large emerald on two high values. In the same period Colombia released a regular postage set with an emerald mine, a platinum mine, gold mining scene, and a scene of oil wells.

However, with thousands of new postage stamps released each year, it is rather surprising that so few designs relate to, or picture, minerals. Plainly, this area has not been exploited philatelically, as have flowers, birds and fishes.

With the technological advances in stamp printing, and the increasing output of brilliantly colored issues by many nations, it should not be long before a number of well awaken and stress the breadth of their mineral resources on their postage stamps. The United States, for example, has not issued a single stamp with a mineral design, or even a mineral theme, unless one considers the commemoration of the first American oil well as celebrating a national mineral asset.

A few years ago, there was a move to persuade the post office to issue mineral stamp to mark the presence of a mineralogy convention in Washington D.C. The design was to feature a brooch that was mounted with gems from each of the states. Unfortunately the move was unsuccessful, although the brooch was made and was presented to Lady Bird Johnson, later to be turned over to the Smithsonian Institution.

Perhaps the closest the United States has come to include any mineral or gem on a stamp is the instance of the $1.00 value stamp in the 1893 Columbian Exposition series which shows Queen Isabella pledging her jewels. Items of jewelry may also be seen in the illustrations on other stamps in this series: Columbus Soliciting Columbus Describing his Third Voyage.

In 1898, the United States also showed a Western Mining Prospector; the “Golden Spike Ceremony” marking the completion of the trans-continental railroad systems; the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill; a gold miner; and one for silver.

Now that Postmaster General Winton M Blount has approved a revival of the conservation stamp program, perhaps there may, one day, be stamps that depict our rich mineral resources. The conservation stamp program, initiated under former Postmaster General Arthur E Summerfield, employed pictures of wildlife, soil, forest, water and range conservation.

Stressing the importance of water conservation, France and Andorra, incidentally, recently released single stamps with a droplet that is a diamond to indicate the preciousness of water. Although Canada has immense mineral wealth, she, too has been remiss here in the field of philatelics. One Canadian stamp shows a miner with pneumatic drill and another miner panning gold. But there have been no Canadian stamps to call attention to the incredible variety of her minerals, not even her asbestos or uranium sources.

Of course, Canada, with its British heritage and association, has often shown jewel bedecked royalty and the great crowns of Britain frequently have appeared on her stamps. Indeed, there have been crowns aplenty on postage stamps. For Canada alone, one can cite the ‘young and old Victoria’ jubilee design of 1897; the Princess and Prince of Wales, later King George V and Queen Mary; Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII; King George V and Queen Elizabeth; and Queen Elizabeth II.

The British crowns naturally appear on postal issues of the United Kingdom and the countries within the Commonwealth. However, other bejeweled items in the state regalia, including those that hundreds of thousands have seen and marveled over at the exhibit in the Tower of London, have not been featured on British issues. Bejeweled crowns have, of course, been utilized widely in stamp designs of other lands. Two instances are Czechoslovakia’s altarpiece with the 14th century crown of St. Wenceslas, and far for Iran the coronation attire of Queen Farak of Persia. The great crowns worn by royalty have been adorned with fabulous gems from various parts of the world. Since these were generally mined before they were cut and polished, it is fitting that the part played by mining should be recognized. The collector of minerals on postage stamps may therefore include mining, and also metallurgy. Victor J Van Lint of the American Topical Association, specialist in mining on postage stamps provided the data for the following:

Surface mining, as depicted by a miner panning gold, for example, on a Canadian stamp is the first step in the many processes concerned with the wrestling of wealth from the earth. Next comes placering. Here water supplies are required, since, gold, platinum or precious stones, are caught behind riffles in a sluice box while a swift current of water carries off the dirt, clay, and gravel. Such a sluice is shown on a British Guiana (now Guyana) stamp. Dredge mining is shown on a Malaya stamp.

Underground mining may be pursued via three methods: by tunnels, inclined shafts, and vertical shafts. An example of a tunnel mine is on a Bolivian stamp, while a Chilean stamp shows an inclined shaft. A vertical shaft appears on a Czechoslovakian stamp.

Other postage stamps illustrate equipment used in mining. On stamps from Austria, Germany, the Saar, and Russia are shown headframes over mines, lamps used by miners, loaders, and, of course, miners with hammer, chisel and pickaxe, as well as the more modern pneumatic airpick. The Federal Republic of Germany recently issued a quartet of stamps that covered the mining operation graphically: a young miner and lamp, a miner with drill, a miner and conveyor, and a miner and coal elevator.

Romania has issued stamps showing a miner in dress uniform and also in work uniform. In 1949, Czechoslovakia marked the 700th anniversary of its mining industry, and the 150th anniversary of its miner’s laws by featuring early miners, a contemporary miner, and a mining machine. In 1952, it marked Miner’s Day—Sept. 14—with a 17th century mining tower.

While fairly comprehensive collections can be formed on mines and mining, the same cannot be said of gems and minerals. Happily for the mineral collector who is not particularly interested in postage stamps except as they feature minerals, there are a number of postal issues that present attractive minerals in crystals or groups. Here Switzerland has been the leader, natural in a sense because the Swiss have always valued the fine specimens found in their Alps. Over a four year period, from 1958 to 1961, this country issued numerous semi-postal stamps, showing fine minerals. (Semi-postal stamps have two values, one for the postage; the other to indicate the amount set aside for some worthy cause, in this instance, to benefit needy mothers.)

The first Swiss minerals set, released in 1958, displayed Fluorite, Garnet and Rock Crystal. The set also included Ammonite. Ammonite, of course, is a fossil, but it is not unusual for fossils to be included in postal issues devoted to minerals, not because so many mineral collectors also acquire fossils but because fossils, too, are found in the earth.

In 1959, Switzerland’s second set showed Agate, Tourmaline, Amethyst and Fossilized Salamander. In 1960, the subjects were Smoky Quartz, Feldspar, Gryphaea Fossil and Azurite. In 1961, to close the Swiss mineral program, came Fluorite, Petrified fish, Lazulite and Petrified fern. Also in 1961, Southwest Africa showed Tourmaline and Topaz. And, in 1963, Mexico, which has vast mineral resources, pictured Crystals.

In a set marking the bicentennial of the famous Mining Academy in Freiburg, the German Democratic Republic included stamps showing splendid Proustite crystals and Sulphur crystals. Other values showed an old furnace and ancient miners, both illustrations based on early woodcuts. More minerals appeared on a fine set of six stamps issued by the German Democratic Republic in mid-1969. The subjects were: Fluorite from Halsbrucke, Erythrite from Schneeberg, Galena from Neudorf, Smoky Quartz from Lichtenberg, Calcite from Niederrabenstein and Silver from Freiburg.

The most striking of the Russian issues relating to mineralogy appeared in 1963. Naturally, they emphasized the precious stones from the mineral-rich Ural mountains. Shown were Topaz, Jasper, Amethyst, Emerald, Rhodonite, and Malachite. In 1968, the USSR offered a 6 kopek stamp with a Crystal and the emblem of the 8th Congress for Mineral Research.

In 1969, Hungary issued a fine series featuring both fossils and minerals. Four portrayed, individually, native Copper coated with Malachite, Cuprite, a group displaying Calcite and Sphalerite with the uncommon Greenockite, and a fine Quartz crystal group. South Rhodesia pictured emeralds in 1964, but a large number of postage stamps have featured the Diamond. Sierra Leone, especially, has emphasized its role as the Land of Iron & Diamonds. Incidentally, this West African country utilizes printed and embossed self-adhesive stamps that are cut in various shapes, and are attached to peelable paper backing which may carry different advertisements.

A faceted pear-shaped Diamond was chosen for the design when Sierra Leone marked the 75th anniversary of its Bay Scout movement with a special postage stamp. This self-adhesive commemorative was released December 3, 1969. Late in 1965 Sierra Leone released three airmail stamps in unique form. The self-adhesive stamp was cut in the shape of a faceted Diamond, with a reverse-embossed design of an elaborate Diamond necklace. The name of the famous American jeweler Harry Winston was on either side of the bottom apex of the Diamond.

Other self-adhesive issues from the Land of Iron & Diamond appeared in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967. These had the shapes of a map of Sierra Leone, a cola nut, an eagle and a round coin. In 1961, when statehood was attained, one of the first traditional Sierra Leone stamps showed a Diamond miner. In 1961, Tanganyika featured a Rose Diamond and a mine. In 1966, Central African Republic depicted a Diamond grade. Other stamps showing Diamonds were issued by Southwest Africa in 1961-62, and South Africa in 1965.

Twice Belgium featured Diamonds. A handicrafts issue included a Diamond in 1960. In 1965, a commemorative stamp featured a woman’s hand with a large round Diamond on one finger and a huge pear-shaped Diamond held between two fingers. The latter was issued to publicize Diamontexpo, a Diamond exposition held in Antwerp July 10-28, 1965. In 1954, France linked jewelry with goldsmith’s work on a stamp. In 1966, Dahomey featured jewelry, as Czechoslovakia had done in 1956 and 1965. The first of the Czech stamps marked that country’s second 5-year plan, the other publicized a costume jewelry exhibit at Jablonec.

Israel has not emphasized minerals on its stamps, but in 1968 it did issue one high value airmail stamp with a large faceted diamond to celebrate its important export trade in cut stones. The same set also included postage stamps as a major Israeli export. Earlier postal issues in Israel showed ancient glass vessels from the 1st to 3rd centuries A.D., a bronze panther of the 1st century B.C., a gold calf’s head earring of Ashdod from the 6th to 4th centuries B.C., and a gold ram’s head drinking horn of Persia from the 5th century B.C. Such archaeological treasures are becoming more common in philatelics. The collector of minerals on postage stamps may include them, if he chooses, as examples of ancient metals.

Russia, too, depicted its ancient treasures on postage stamps. In 1964, one issue showing items from the Kremlin Museum included a helmet, a saddle, a jeweled fur crown, a gold ladle, and a bowl. Two years later, the USSR presented treasures from the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad; a 6th century B.C golden stag from Scythia, a Persian silver jug, and a Malachite vase from the Urals.

The above indicates how far governments have gone in celebrating their minerals and mineral wealth on their postage stamps. Collectors who limit themselves to the mineral area have only the Geology Unit of the American Topical Association to guide them. This Geology Unit has been dubbed Geolately or Geo-Philately. Whatever it may be called, it covers minerals, waterfalls, volcanoes and the oil industry.

So, minerals available on postage stamps are relatively few. However, the increased worldwide interest in minerals will undoubtedly influence many governments, including perhaps our own, to pay more attention to the design possibilities for their postal issues.

Ray Movie

Memorable quote (s) from the movie:

Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx): Who is it?

Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong): Mr. Charles, my name is Ahmet Ertegun. May I have a moment of your time?

Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx): What do you want? I'm at church.

Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong): I'm sorry. I'll come back later.

Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx): You're here now, what do you want?

Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong): Mr. Charles, my company, Atlantic Records, has just acquired your contract from Swingtime. I'd like to discuss your future.

Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx): Hold on, man. Don't jive me now. I ain't for sale.

Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong): May I sit down? You see, Mr. Charles, it seems that Jack Lauderdale has found himself, shall we say, a little over extended and has had to unload some of his talent. When your name came up I jumped at the chance to work with you. I'm a big fan.

Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx): What if I want to go to another company? There's a guy out there right now that'll pay me seven cents a record. Can you do that?

Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong): Man, I could promise you fifteen cents a record but you won't get it. Anymore than he'll pay you seven. What I will do is promise you five cents a record and pay you five cents a record. You think pennies, Mr. Charles, you get pennies. You think dollars, you get dollars.

Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx): I like the way you put things together. Omlet, you're alright with me.

Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong): Ahmet.

Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx): Ahmet. What kind of a name is that anyway.

Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong): I'm Turkish.

Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx): Well, Ahmet, it looks like Jack Lauderdale's bad luck is my good fortune. I always knew Atlantic was bigger than Swingtime. You do great work there. I dig Atlantic.

Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong): You could have fooled me.

Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx): Well, I gotta keep my eye on you city boys. Back home they call it country dumb.

Pearl Diver’s Luck

By Clarence Benham
W W Norton & Company Inc
1950

Clarence Benham writes:

This is a story of pearl diving, as experienced by me, during a brief period of my life, in the waters of Torres Straits, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Solomon Islands. It depicts the nature of the work, the rough conditions, rude men, and some of the dangers that may be met.

The principal pearl fisheries of the world are those of the Persian Gulf and Ceylon (Sri Lanka); the Gulf of California, once fished by the Aztecs; the Paumotus; and Australia. The greatest pearl production is that of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), but the shell is the most valuable, and the largest of all pearlshell, one kind (Pinctada maxima) growing to a diameter of twelve inches and a weight of seven pounds.

Captain Banner, in the brig Julia Percy, is reputed to be the first to bring the news of the Torres Strait pearl beds to Sydney some time in the sixties of the nineteenth century. For a long time all the vessels out and sailed from that town, simply because there was no other suitable place nearer at hand.

All of the divers were swimmers in those days, the dress not being introduced until 1874. The divers and crews were brought from various South Sea Islands, and from the northern parts of the continent. Very often the natives were shanghaied. In any case they were paid only a few shillings worth of trashy trade goods a month, and were forced to work willy-nilly. In 1872 an Imperial Act was passed for the protection of the natives and in order to show that the government meant business, several vessels were seized and forfeited. Thursday Island was selected as the seat of authority and settled in 1878, but the conditions generally continued to be very tough for a long time afterwards.

When the dress was introduced many white divers, and sometimes white crews, were employed. Shell brought up to 400 pounds a ton in Sydney, and white divers commonly earned 500 pounds a year. Gradually, as more shell came on the market, and the price dropped accordingly, the earnings of the white divers decreased so that they were no longer attracted to the life. At the time when I was there, some forty years ago, no more than half a dozen remained.

Thursday Island s about thirty miles nor’-west of Cape York, the most northerly point of the great continent of Australia, and is the one of the many other islands in Torres Straits. With the exception of the soldiers in the Fort, and a few gold miners on neighboring islands, the resident population depend upon those engaged in fishing, of one kind or another, in the same way as people in a goldfields town live on the earnings of the miners and the production of the mines.

It will be incomprehensible to many people that any normal young man should voluntarily submit himself to the privation and discomfort, apart from the dangers, experienced by the writer and described in this book. On the other hand, it is difficult for others to comprehend how any healthy young fellow can put up with a pampered, petted life in town, meeting the same people, and doing the same things day after day for the whole of his life.

Today, as throughout the history of mankind, and as I hope it ever will be, young fellows seek the untrodden wilds, or the unusual. It is not easy not to do something that no other has done, but the spirit of adventure beckons and heedlessly we plunge into something that has excited our imagination. When whalers call at Hobart they have no difficulty in signing on additional hands for a voyage to the bitter Antarctic. There will always be volunteers to go anywhere and do anything, no matter how perilous and rough the task may be. If they were called, thousands would offer themselves for a journey to the moon, or into the space; in fact, they would proffer big sums of money for the privilege of being one of the lunatic crew.

Acknowledgment is hereby made to the Melbourne Herald, which has printed some parts of this story, and to Mr Simmonds, the Editor, for his kindly encouragement. All the characters in this book are now dead, or fictitious, or both, except me.

Bling'd: Blood, Diamonds and Hip Hop

"Bling'd: Blood, Diamonds and Hip Hop", is a new diamond documentary produced by Article 19 Films in co-production with Raquel Cepeda, director, for Djali Rancher Productions and in association with VH1 and UNDP.

The movie highlights the diamond trade in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and the poverty in the mining communities; the evolution of diamond-obsessed hip-hop community and their unintentional link in the country’s civil war.

More info @ http://www.vh1.com