Birthstones

The name "diamond" comes from the Greek word, "adamas" meaning unconquerable. Fittingly diamonds are made of pure carbon, and diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man.[1][1] Diamonds have long been a sign of wealth and fortune. Kings and queens have worn these forms of concentrated carbon and even more countless millions people over time have lusted after them. These gems can be transparent, truculent white, yellow, green, blue, or brown. To understand the value of these stones, and ultimately their role in war, it helps to first understand their origins and where they come form.

BOSTON, MA (June 23, 2014)—A world-class collection of jewels from ancient Nubia at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), will go on view this summer in Gold and the Gods: Jewels of Ancient Nubia. The MFA’s collection of Nubian adornments is the most comprehensive outside Khartoum—the result of an early 20th-century expedition by the Museum with Harvard University. The exhibition opens on July 19, and includes works by Nubian goldsmiths and jewelers, who were among the most innovative in the ancient world. Featuring some 100 excavated ornaments dating from 1700 BC to AD 300, which will be on view in the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation Gallery, the exhibition explores the royal tombs of kings and queens, which were filled with elaborate jewelry such as necklaces, amulets, stacked bracelets and earrings. The MFA is unique in its ability to mount an exhibition of Nubian jewelry and adornment drawn exclusively from its own collection. In addition to gold––Nubia’s most important commodity––jewelry in the exhibition incorporates precious materials such as lapis lazuli (imported from Afghanistan), blue chalcedony (imported from Turkey), amethystine quartz and carnelian, as well as enamel and glass––both of which were rare and valuable new technologies at the time. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated MFA Publication on Nubian jewelry.

There are two types of minerals that we find in Earth - rock-forming and ore minerals.

Purple: How often do you see a purple piece of jewelry? It may not be a color that you saw people wearing in prior years, or even one you have considered, but this spring, purple is in. Amethyst is a beautiful, unique variety of quartz that many people enjoy, and with it having a nice purple color to it, you will likely see many pieces both on people and at jewelry stores near you.

Defining a mineral by color is not the most sophisticated method, due to many minerals hold the same color. Also, different imperfections can show different colors within the mineral. Only using color can be difficult to identify a mineral, but when using a combination of shape and hardness one has the ability to narrow down choices. If a mineral reflects light from a surface it is said to have luster, however it does not reflect light such as silver or copper does it would be called glassy, pearly and dull.

Aphrodite’s pearl symbol was known because it was thought to be the offspring of the water. The girdle had the

The work of art that I choose from the Amarna period from the Brooklyn Museum is called the Nefertiti, ca.1352-1336 B.C.E. The sunk relief was carved in limestone and painted with blue in the hieroglyphs, flows, and crowns. Also, red paints were used for the bodies and hands of Aten and the base of the bouquet. According to the eLearning videos, “the blue crown is symbolic of the goddess Tefnut, the goddess of moisture, clouds and dew”, which represented Nefertiti as the goddess of nature. This work of art used to be part of a column. Moreover, the scene displayed offering of life to one of the sun god, Aten. With Nefertiti standing beside her husband, Akhenaton, it served to strengthen Nefertiti’s divinity and supports for their sun god, Aten,

The emerald, diamond, and gold nugget are minerals because they are a single substance, formed by nature, inorganic, and have a constant crystalline structure. Water is not a solid, beach sand is made up of many different minerals, wood is an organic material with differing chemical compositions, vitamins are manmade and contain more than one substance, and fishbone is an organic material so none of them are considered minerals.

Meta Description: Where do opals get their colours? Read this article from Volle Jewellery and uncover the secrets of one of the most sought-after gems in the world.

which is supposed to be the birth of the sun. This stone expresses the great

1. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, the Scarlet Letter, it shows how one sinful act can impact someone's life in several different ways. Although one may think a sinful act would only lead to only punishment, it doesn't always happen that way. In this case, the crime that is committed was adultery, which almost gives away what it lead to. Hester Prynne's evil act had lead to the birth of a little girl, who was loved infinitely by her mother even though they were both shot down by society.

Gemstones were also used to ease childbirth. Placing a magnet in the mother’s hand was believed to provide relief. As was wearing coral around her neck.

According to the British Museum, the stone established a cult for a king, referring to Macedonian Pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanies and it is described as a priestly decree because it tells about Egyptian priest's and the pharaoh's agreement on March

This Goblet Inscribed with the names King Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, is made of travertine, (Egyptian alabaster) height 5 ½ in diameter 4 1/8 in. (MET). When I look at this piece I feel it may commemorate a wedding, anniversary, or King Akhenaten’s deep love and affections for his principal Queen Nefertiti. This Piece encompasses the changes King Amenhotep is making in the Egyptian culture, as the previous artworks and vessels have a much different look and style. King Akhenaten has as of yet changed his name as the cup shows the name Amenhotep IV and his principal Queen Nefertiti. This places the goblet at about 5 years into King Akhenaten’s rule over Egypt. The Goblet is not a typical show of craft for that time in Egypt.

Over thousands of years, jewelry has been worn by many people. Whether to show beauty, wealth or belief there is no era that can compare to the jewels of Ancient Egypt. At the beginning of the kingdom, precious stones and metals were discovered and worn like never seen before. Unfortunately, the remaining Egyptian jewelry that is displayed in Museums today is only a small fraction of what actually existed due to grave robbers. Questions such as how jewelry started, how it was made and worn, what the symbolization of jewelry was and who were the people that wore jewelry in Ancient Egypt will be answered.