A complete handbook of common materials used in lapidary arts, lavishly illustrated with full-colour photographs.

A comprehensive dictionary of sacred and magical gem lore that draws on the rarest source texts of Antiquity and the Middle Ages • Reveals the healing and magical virtues of familiar gemstones, such as amethyst, emerald, and diamond, as well as the lore surrounding exotic stones such as astrios, a stone celebrated by ancient magicians • Examines bezoars (stones formed in animals’ bodies) and “magnets” that attract materials other than metal • Based on ancient Arabic, Greek, Jewish, and European sources, ranging from the observations of Pliny the Elder to extremely rare texts such as the Picatrix and Damigeron’s Virtue of Stones Our ancestors believed stones were home to sacred beings of power, entities that if properly understood and cultivated could provide people protection from ill fortune, envy, and witchcraft; grant invisibility and other magical powers; improve memory; and heal the sick from a wide variety of diseases. These benefits could be obtained by wearing the stone on a ring, bracelet, or pendant; through massage treatments with the stone; or by reducing the gem into a powder and drinking it mixed with water or wine. Drawing from a wealth of ancient Arabic, Greek, Jewish, and European sources--from the observations of Pliny the Elder to extremely rare texts such as the Picatrix and Damigeron’s Virtue of Stones--Claude Lecouteux provides a synthesis of all known lore for more than 800 stones. He includes such common examples as the emerald, which when engraved with the figure of a harpy holding a lamprey in its claws will banish panic and nightmares, and beryl, which when appropriately carved can summon water spirits or win its owner high renown, as well as more exotic stones such as astrios, a stone celebrated by ancient magicians and whose center glows like a star. Lecouteux also examines bezoars--stones formed in animals’ bodies--as well as “magnets” that attract materials other than iron, such as gold, flesh, cotton, or scorpions. This comprehensive dictionary of sacred and magical gem lore, drawn from the rarest sources of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, represents a one-of-a-kind resource for gem enthusiasts and magical practitioners alike.

Prospecting and collecting trips; Tools and how to use them; Rock classes and how to recognize them; How mineral deposits form; Field features of mineral deposits; Collecting practices; Preparation of specimens; Storage and exhibit; Marketing mineral specimens and gemstones.

This beginner’s guide shows how to create exciting wearable art using just 12 simple, inexpensive hand tools—no jewelry torch required! Learn the basics of materials and techniques with 8 practice exercises and 12 beautiful step-by-step projects.

“Jewelry isn’t ordinarily a tool of political persuasion, but in this beautiful book, Madeleine Albright, American ambassador to the United Nations and then the nation’s first female secretary of state, tells the compelling story of how these small objects became part of her ‘personal diplomatic arsenal.’” — The Chicago Tribune From New York Times bestselling author and former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, Read My Pins is a story and celebration of how one woman’s jewelry collection was used to make diplomatic history. Part illustrated memoir, part social history, Read My Pins provides an intimate look at Albright's life through the brooches she wore. Her collection is both international and democratic—dime-store pins share pride of place with designer creations and family heirlooms. Included are the antique eagle purchased to celebrate Albright's appointment as secretary of state, the zebra pin she wore when meeting Nelson Mandela, and the Valentine's Day heart forged by Albright's five-year-old daughter. Read My Pins features more than 200 photographs, along with compelling and often humorous stories about jewelry, global politics, and the life of one of America's most accomplished and fascinating diplomats.

Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, in conjunction with Springer-Verlag New York, is pleased to announce a new series: CRYSTALS Growth, Properties, and Applications The series presents critical reviews of recent developments in the field of crystal growth, properties, and applications. A substantial portion of the new series will be devoted to the theory, mechanisms, and techniques of crystal growth. Occasionally, clear, concise, complete, and tested instructions for growing crystals will be published, particularly in the case of methods and procedures that promise to have general applicability. Responding to the ever-increasing need for crystal substances in research and industry, appropriate space will be devoted to methods of crystal characterization and analysis in the broadest sense, even though reproducible results may be expected only when structures, microstructures, and composition are really known. Relations among procedures, properties, and the morphology of crystals will also be treated with reference to specific aspects of their practical application. In this way the series will bridge the gaps between the needs of research and industry, the pos sibilities and limitations of crystal growth, and the properties of crystals. Reports on the broad spectrum of new applications - in electronics, laser tech nology, and nonlinear optics, to name only a few - will be of interest not only to industry and technology, but to wider areas of applied physics as well and to solid state physics in particular. In response to the growing interest in and importance of organic crystals and polymers, they will also be treated.

Readers will find fascinating details about the discovery, whereabouts, and value of famous opals, from such classic specimens as the Burning of Troy Opal to the Bonanza Opal and other more recent discoveries. Finally, the book surveys today's major opal-producing areas and provides current information on opal occurrence worldwide. Punctuating the text are useful tables, extensive glossaries of opal types and opal-related terms, and beautiful photographs that capture the essence and mystery of this most exquisite stone.