Precious stones

Mawe, John (1813)

Illustration of assorted gemstones, from Max Bauer's Edelsteinkunde (1909). 1. Lapis lazuli (sanded). 2. Turquoise (sanded). 3. Turquoise (in the rock). 4a. Malachite (natural occurrence). 4b. Malachite (sanded). 5a and 5b. Onyx (from above and from the side). 6. Carnelian (cut and engraved). 7. Agate (carnelian ponyx, as a cut cameo). 8. Chrysoprase (polished). 9. Amber (sanded). (Source: University of Toronto Libraries via Biodiversity Library)

Perfect for a showroom spruce! We’re looking to add some extra sparkle to our lovely new showroom and have found some fantastic vintage gem posters that want to get our hands on!

Check out this @Behance project: “Mineral Admiration #2” https://www.behance.net/gallery/49607497/Mineral-Admiration-2

Artist Carly Waito uses a hyperrealistic painting approach to capture radiant mineral art. She's created the crystal paintings since 2009.

Illustration from ‘The Building News’, wallpaper decorations by Jeffrey & Co., 1879. Museum no. 29502D-60. © Victoria & Albert Museum, London Morris’s papers were too expensive for most, but by the 1880s their growing appeal had been recognised by other designers and manufacturers who began to produce cheaper papers in the Morris style. The Silver…

Antimony ore, from The Mineral Kingdom by Dr. Reinhard Brauns, 1903. Germany. Find the complete book online here, plates are shown in “Band 2″.

Title: Edelsteinkunde; eine allgemein verständliche Darstellung der Eigenschaften, des Vorkommens und der Verwendung der Edelsteine, nebst einer Anleitung zur Bestimmung derselben, für Mineralogen, Edelsteinliebhaver, Steinschleifer, Juweliere Identifier: edelsteinkundeei00baueuoft Year: 1909 (1900s) Authors: Bauer, Max Hermann, 1844-1917 Subjects: Corals; Pearls; Precious stones Publisher: Leipzig C. H. Tauchnitz Contributing Library: Gerstein - University of Toronto Digitizing Sponsor...

Get a quick introduction to quartz crystals here.