By Dr Emrys Chew
Long cherished as the ‘celestial gemstone,’ sapphire has been treasured by human civilisation since at least 800 BCE. The ancient Persians believed that the earth rested on a giant sapphire and its reflection coloured the sky. While ‘sapphire’ stems from sappheiros, the Greek word for blue, the stone is actually found in […]
By Dr Emrys Chew
Ruby has been the world’s most valuable gemstone for thousands of years. Legends and stories abound about the nature and properties of ruby, and there are references to this gemstone in sacred and secular texts from around the globe. In Sanskrit, ruby is hailed as ratnaraj (‘king of gems’) or ratnanayaka (‘leader […]
By Dr Emrys Chew
Long cherished as symbols of purity and perfection, elegance and affluence, pearls have been prized by human civilisation since the dawn of history. Their name derives from the Latin sphaerula, meaning ‘sphere’. The Greeks believed they were drops of moisture flung from Aphrodite’s body as she emerged from the sea. Other ancients […]
By Dr Emrys Chew
Opal has been prized since ancient times for its iridescence, a magical play-of-colour seen as flashes of the colours of the rainbow. Its name stems from the Sanskrit word for precious stone (upala) and the Greek derivative of this (opallios) that has been translated as meaning ‘to see a change in colour’. […]
By Dr Emrys Chew
Lapis lazuli is a gemstone of great antiquity, prized as it has been by human civilization for some 7,000 years. Its name derives from the Latin word for stone (lapis) and the Persian word for blue (lazhward), from which we also get the Arabic derivative ‘azul’ and the English ‘azure’. In view […]
By Dr Emrys Chew
Jade is one of the world’s oldest gems. In Neolithic times, it was fashioned into weapons and other implements because of its exceptional strength. References to jade in recorded history begin around 4000 BCE where, in view of its significance for the ancient Chinese, some scholars have suggested that a Jade Age […]
By Dr Emrys Chew
Emerald takes its name from the Persian word for green, which evolved into the Greek and Latin smaragdus. Worshipped throughout the ages for its glorious colour, the inner radiance of emerald was likened by the ancients to the captured glow of a firefly. Writing in first-century Rome, Pliny the Elder commented that […]
By Dr Emrys Chew
Diamond is probably the best known of all gemstones, unsurpassed for its hardness, fire and brilliance. Known as the ‘king of gems,’ its history is long and extensive. Valued for an extraordinary ability to refract light, the ancients held that diamonds were splinters of stars fallen to earth, the tears of the […]
By Dr Emrys Chew
The rich purple gemstone known as amethyst has a history that extends into the reaches of antiquity. All the great civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean world valued it. In view of its wine-dark hues, it came to be associated with the prevention of intoxication. Amethysts were popular in Egypt for scarabs, and […]