Gemstone Research Articles

Geo-Strategic Significance of Wakhan Corridor for Pakistan

The Wakhan Corridor, a tiny strip of land in Afghanistan's northeastern area, is vital to Pakistan's geostrategic and economic interests. This research investigates the corridor's numerous dimensions and their consequences for Pakistan's interests. The Wakhan Corridor offers Pakistan a critical geostrategic buffer zone between itself and Central Asia. Because of its location, Pakistan can efficiently handle its border with Afghanistan while still maintaining strategic depth in the region. The corridor acts as a physical barrier, preventing conflicts and instability from spreading into Pakistan's territory. Furthermore, it provides Pakistan with a potential gateway to Central Asian markets, improving connectivity and trade opportunities in the region. The Wakhan Corridor plays a vital role in regional stability and cooperation. Economically, the Wakhan Corridor has enormous potential for Pakistan's energy and trade sectors. The region is thought to be rich in natural resources, such as hydrocarbon deposits, minerals, and precious stones.

Composite Concrete Paving Stones for Road Construction

The society pays attention to the reduction of construction costs and modern technologies and recommends using environmentally friendly and durable road paving materials instead of traditionally used asphalt concrete. Many years of experience accumulated in European countries shows the effectiveness of laying streets with small paving stones. Currently, the paving stones are made of natural stone (paving stones), ceramic stone (clinker) and fine-grained concrete. The most durable paving blocks are paving blocks, but for their production it is necessary to dig quarries and process precious stone, resulting in small waste. One of the main factors hindering their use in the production of ceramic materials is the high sintering temperature (1500°C), which significantly increases energy consumption. Concrete screed is mainly made of fine-grained concrete, but the screed itself is not as strong as blocks and clinker. In this paper, a review of studies on the inclusion of glass in the composite composition of concrete floors is carried out. Discussed of how the physical and mechanical parameters of concrete are subject to changes

Social studies teacher candidates' perceptions of cultural heritage

The social studies course is a multifaceted, interdisciplinary subject that encompasses the cultural wealth of societies and acts as a bridge between the past and the present. The concept of cultural heritage is crucial in the context of this course's rich material. Cultural heritage is described as all of the values that societies have passed down from generation to generation. Metaphors will be used to examine the perceptions of prospective social studies teachers regarding the concept of cultural heritage. In terms of structure and scope, the study, which examines teacher candidates' metaphors related to cultural heritage, is a descriptive study that employs qualitative research processes. In the data collection process of the research, the metaphor technique was used to determine the perceptions of social studies teacher candidates regarding the concept of cultural heritage. In the process of assessing the study's data, content analysis was used. The researcher generated particular topics for all of the metaphors developed by social studies teacher candidates connected to the concept of cultural heritage. Metaphors of treasure, precious stone, heritage, and entrusted stand out in the context of the concepts produced for cultural heritage through content analysis. The idea of 'cultural transmission' appears in the main categories developed.

Postal Photo-Postcards as Ethnographic Sources for Bashkir Children's Clothing in the Early 20th Century: V.K. Fedorov's Collection

The article analyzes the attributes of Bashkir children's clothing. The object of the study were photopostcards published in the printing house of A.P. Friesen in the village of Davlekanovo, Belebeyevsky District, Ufa Province, purchased in his bookstore. Photo-postcards were used in postal communication in the first decades of the 20th century. The analysis of the images showed that at the specified time, boys' clothes, shoes and hats were made in the likeness of men, while girls' costumes were copied from female attributes. The depicted children's clothing demonstrates the ethnolocal features of the costume complexes of Bashkirs who lived in the south-west, north of Bashkortostan and on the territory of the Chelyabinsk Region. The girls' costume included a long dress with long sleeves, a doublet, a scarf. The ethnolocal markers of the southwestern Bashkirs were a takiya cap and a rounded breast ornament embroidered with silver coins, coral beads, jewelry brooches with semiprecious stones and bells on the edge, the northern and Trans-Ural Bashkirs — a kalpak headdress and a twist with rows of coins. In the photos of boys, you can see the upper loose clothes of the Cossacks, shirt, boots ichegi, work shoes laptops and several types of headwear. A photo of boys with a fez headdress with tassels testifies to the penetration of a non-ethnic fashion to Bashkirs. The penetration of urban fashion into the environment of wealthy Bashkirs is also obvious.

Luxury in jewelry design

The current research dealt with the presence of ornaments and jewelry since ancient times، which express the social، religious or emotional status of the person who adorns them، in addition to being distinguished by a distinct aesthetic and luxury، that is، in a sense closely related to the social and economic status of people، and we note that jewelry is considered a symbol of luxury and luxury، and hence The need to study luxury appeared in the design of ornaments and jewelry because it refers to the adornment elements that are made of metals and precious stones، which actually indicate signs of status or position that distinguish social classes from each other. The problem was identified by the following question: Determine the effectiveness of luxury in the design of jewelry and jewelry? The research included two important topics. We will address them successively. Below are some results and conclusions:1. Luxury is of great importance in the field of distinguished and luxurious creativity of the industrial designer and industrial production institutions in the modern industrial world.2. The emergence of luxury led to the fulfillment of the requests of users with trends and class of the velvet class of the rich، political figures، aristocratic classes and the global bourgeoisie.

Luxury in jewelry design

The current research dealt with the presence of ornaments and jewelry since ancient times، which express the social، religious or emotional status of the person who adorns them، in addition to being distinguished by a distinct aesthetic and luxury، that is، in a sense closely related to the social and economic status of people، and we note that jewelry is considered a symbol of luxury and luxury، and hence The need to study luxury appeared in the design of ornaments and jewelry because it refers to the adornment elements that are made of metals and precious stones، which actually indicate signs of status or position that distinguish social classes from each other. The problem was identified by the following question: Determine the effectiveness of luxury in the design of jewelry and jewelry? The research included two important topics. We will address them successively. Below are some results and conclusions:1. Luxury is of great importance in the field of distinguished and luxurious creativity of the industrial designer and industrial production institutions in the modern industrial world.2. The emergence of luxury led to the fulfillment of the requests of users with trends and class of the velvet class of the rich، political figures، aristocratic classes and the global bourgeoisie.

Luxury in jewelry design

The current research dealt with the presence of ornaments and jewelry since ancient times، which express the social، religious or emotional status of the person who adorns them، in addition to being distinguished by a distinct aesthetic and luxury، that is، in a sense closely related to the social and economic status of people، and we note that jewelry is considered a symbol of luxury and luxury، and hence The need to study luxury appeared in the design of ornaments and jewelry because it refers to the adornment elements that are made of metals and precious stones، which actually indicate signs of status or position that distinguish social classes from each other. The problem was identified by the following question: Determine the effectiveness of luxury in the design of jewelry and jewelry? The research included two important topics. We will address them successively. Below are some results and conclusions:1. Luxury is of great importance in the field of distinguished and luxurious creativity of the industrial designer and industrial production institutions in the modern industrial world.2. The emergence of luxury led to the fulfillment of the requests of users with trends and class of the velvet class of the rich، political figures، aristocratic classes and the global bourgeoisie.

Blood in Stone and the Second Coming: On the Meaning of the Wenceslas Chapel in St. Vitus's Cathedral in Prague and the Karlstein Chapels

Abstract The essay attempts a new interpretation of the symbolic meaning of the chapel of St. Wenceslas in St. Vitus's Cathedral in Prague and the chapel of the Passion and Its Instruments, now St. Catherine's chapel, and the chapel of the Holy Cross, both at Karlstein Castle. They all feature a semiprecious stone dado, which was associated with the Passion of Christ due to its predominant red colour, while the upper part reflected the idea of the Heavenly Jerusalem and Christ's Second Coming. The chapels were either built to house the Passion relics or were probably planned for their storage, which in the case of the Wenceslas chapel perhaps influenced its unusual form, likely referring to Golgotha, the site of Christ's Passion.

“The Turquoise Was Brought From Chorasmia” Mining, Empire, and the People of the Steppes across the Achaemenid Northeastern Borderlands

Abstract Two main scholarly trends dominate the study of the relations between the Northeastern frontier zone(s) of the Achaemenid Empire and the steppes: the assessment of the military strategies to control the Saka and the development of artistic currents within and beyond the Empire through diplomatic relations and gift-giving. This paper makes the case for a more complex and dynamic scenario, in which the Central Asian borderlands transpire to have been a fertile ground for experimentation and innovation (not only of strife and rebellion), while local actors are given back their agency. In doing so, it first of all focuses on the extraction and working of precious stones. Secondly, recent research on Achaemenid archival materials shall be discussed which suggest the importance of trade in these and similar items for both imperial agents and local elites. Thirdly, and finally, the paper considers material evidence originating from the Empire but found beyond its Northeastern territories as far as China.

First report of a nephrite deposit from Somaliland, Africa: Characterization and geological and archaeological implications

Nephrite jade is of wide interest, not only for its value as a highly valued precious stone, but also for its significance in tracing geological and petrological processes. Here, we report the first discovery of a nephrite deposit in Africa, located in Somaliland. Field investigations revealed that two open nephrite pits at Goodieood and Laasmacaane are composed of a series of discontinuous vein-shaped nephrite bodies stretching for ∼2 km and defining a nephrite belt. Dolomitic marble and epidote-amphibole are the major rock types in this nephrite belt. Most of the nephrites show grayish green color, while a few are grayish white to light-grayish green, with an occasional brownish rind mainly in nephrite gravels from the secondary deposits. The nephrite is composed of tremolite and actinolite with minor diopside, pargasite, edenite, and apatite. Most nephrites display fine fiber microstructures, and the tremolite-actinolite aggregates show crystallographic preferred orientation. Parallel to the nephrite bodies, epidote-amphibole rocks appear as a metasomatic dark-colored boundary zone, composed mainly of actinolite-tremolite, epidote, and titanite with minor rutile, pargasite, edenite, diopside, and zircon. The dolomitic marble displays dolomite replacement partially by antigorite. Textural observations suggest a sequence from Na-, Al-, and Fe-rich toward Mg-rich compositions, leading to the possibility of prospecting for white nephrite. The various features suggest that the deposit belongs to a fluorine-bearing Ca-Fe-P fluid-dominant skarn. This deposit is estimated to have more than 1000 tons of nephrite jade reserves and has important significance for the exploration for more economic nephrite deposits in Africa, South America, and even Antarctica, as well as potentially important archaeological implications in establishing a connection between the nephrite jades and materials for the Hargeisan lithic industries, as part of the social development in eastern Africa. Comparison with a typical white nephrite deposit in Saidikulam provides insights into the formation of white and nonwhite nephrites.

ACCESSORIES AND ADDITIONS ARE ESSENTIAL ATRIBUTES OF GLAMOUR COSTUME

Due to things, people form their own image and broadcast it to others. The image of a person is primary, and the ways of his achievement are secondary, but glamour develops within them. Accessories and additions play an important final role in creating a glamorous look. They make a crucial impression during an acquaintance, demonstrating your style. In composition of a glamour costume, the accessories such as: bags, gloves, belts, glasses, hats, jewelry, and others – are essential attributes, they play not only role of additional elements but also contribute to the overall style of the costume. On the one hand, they must “fit” to the style, but on the other hand, they have their own “internal” fashion, which doesn’t always coincide with the ideas of designers. For this reason, the question of classification of accessories and additions characteristic of glamorous style in clothes design and determining of the main ways of their embodiment in modern design practice is still relevant. The analysis of identified sources of information enables to state the following: fashion analysts and costume theorists consider glamour as a distinct stylistic tendency or integral structure of a particular style, which in modern conditions pretends to the recognition of specific design and artistic practice with the typical constants through which new images are constructed and recognized. The origin of glamorous lifestyle, according to most of scientists is related to the epoch of Rococo, when France became the center of society life of all Europe, offering endless entertainments, holidays, balls and masquerades. Frenchmen identified glamour with an ability to present themselves exquisitely and with charm, to show their own elegance. An important fact is that the culture of salon and privately-elite communication appeared at that time, and became a foundation of a glamour culture, within which accessories and additions have and essential role. According to the results of research of a glamorous costume of the late XIX – early XX centuries, it was found that during this period of time accessories took an important role in formation of a costume. First of all, accessories were made only of expensive and high-quality materials and were decorated with rich decor, that’s why only people of the upper classes of a society could afford them, thus demonstrating their social status. The research had also shown that gloves, hats, highheels and valuable jewelry were essential attributes of the glamorous costume in this period, and they had not only practical but also a decorative significance. The ХХ century is characterized by a great variety and variation of accessories. The main changes got hats and shoes – designers and couturiers at the beginning of this century created constructively sophisticated forms of hats with rich decor, which over time, transformed into elegant small hats decorated with brooches, handmade embroidery, precious and semi-precious stones. At this time the culture of glamour penetrates into the different layers of a society, women try to copy the images of film-stars. Gloves, highheels, filament of pearls and valuable accessories remain the main attributes of a glamorous style, but considerable changes took place in the formation, design and use of the modern materials. The great attention is paid to decoration of products. The peculiarity of modern glamour is that it is organic and acceptable as a way of life, as ideology, and as a specificity of styling one’s own appearance through a suit and accessories to it – only for a small group of consumers. As a rule, these are people who create glamour and live glamorously in the right surrounding. The main amount of people use glamour “on demand”, for example the actors of red carpets or the participants of beauty contests. In their daily life, these people are not always glamorous, but for these events, they choose a style of glamour that is focused on expressing exceptional status, fantastic, standard and seductive beauty.

Precious Stones and Bronzes in Jade Age and Bronze Age of China

Abstract This article aims to revisit the terms ‘Jade Age’ and ‘Bronze Age’ in respect to Chinese archaeology and history. It argues that the active exchanges of techniques, ideas, and tools between the bronze and stone producers have blurred the definitions of these periods and proposes that we focus more on the concrete agents in history. This article adopts evidence from the cold mechanical treatments of precious stones and bronzes. It presents and analyzes traces of polishing and chiseling on bronze surfaces and argues that some of the traces may have been left by abrasives as practiced in the lithic industry. This demonstrates that lapidary skills and the post-casting treatments of bronze objects were interrelated.

Mineralogical and Deposit-Geological Expertise of the Head of the Dean's Scepter of the Faculty of Chemical Technology, UCT Prague

Academic insignia of the Faculty of Chemical Technology UCT Prague have a history and are used in academic ceremonies (graduation, ceremonial scientific councils, awarding honorary doctorates, etc.). Insignia consists of a single chain with a medal and a scepter. They are made of gold-plated silver and decorated with natural and synthetic precious stones. The central motif in the head of the sceptre is a pentagonal dodecahedron cut from sulphide ore. It consists mainly of pyrite, chalcopyrite and other minerals. The ore most probably comes from a Czech deposit. The pentagonal dodecahedron in the head of the scepter thus represents the conjunction of the power of intellect with art and manual dexterity.

Analogical Perspectives on the Comparison between Vǫlundr and Daedalus

Analogical Perspectives on the Comparison between Vǫlundr and Daedalus

“WHAT IS ÞER IN PARADIS”: SYMBOLISM OF THE DETAILS OF EARTHLY PARADISE AND FLIGHTS OVER IT IN THE POEM OF THE XIV CENTURY THE LAND OF COKAYGNE

The article deals with The Land of Cokaygne, the poem of the 14th century recorded in Middle English in a manuscript associated with Ireland. The poem is a description of an unprecedented land, which is the embodiment of the earthly Paradise, and therefore one of the goals of studying its image was to establish the symbolic meanings of its details. Th e mention of the four rivers of the land of Cokaygne, the precious gems that are the bed for the mouth of the four healing streams, the roses and lilies that adorn the meadow of the abbey described in detail, etc., according to the author of the article, turned out to be associated with biblical images and medieval religious beliefs, therefore, the depicted earthly Paradise seems to be a projection of both the heavenly Jerusalem and the Garden of Eden. Th is religious connotation separates the English version of the Cokaigne legend from foreign-language versions created solely for the entertainment of the social lower classes, and not addressed to “men of wisdom”. The author of the article touches upon the fragment of the English poem which depicts the heavenly games of the monks, and their fantastic fl ight over the abbey, the center of this land. The author sees the origins of the anonymous poet’s fantasy in his acquaintance with the English tradition of depicting celestial flights and with the Irish tradition of mentioning ‘evidence’ of boats floating in the sky. The article argues that the poet embodied this fantasy, because the forms of the verbs ‘fly’ and ‘flee’, that originated in the Old English and developed in some dialects of Middle English, were indistinguishable.

The Life of Imam Al-Buqai and his Methodology in (Systems of Pearls) - an Objective Study -


 
 
 
 Imam Al-Buqai, may Allah have mercy on him, was one of the prominent scholars of the eighth century AH.
 - He suffered from his opponents harm and slander until some of them reached the point of wasting their blood and wasting their lives.
 Imam Al-Buqai, may Allah have mercy on him, was very intelligent, having issued a fatwa at the age of twenty.
 - Imam Al-Buqai, may Allah have mercy on him, composed dozens of books, compilations and books, which are considered precious gems for students of knowledge in general and for scholars in particular.
 
 
 
 
 - Imam Al-Buqai, may Allah have mercy on him, is not infallible from error and omission in his jurisprudence, and his words are subject to research and scrutiny, because infallibility is only for God Almighty and his messengers (peace be upon them)

:Souvenirs and the Experience of Empire in Ancient Rome

:<i>Souvenirs and the Experience of Empire in Ancient Rome</i>

Gemological and Chemical Characterization of Varicolored Gem-Grade Spinel from Mogok, Myanmar

Spinel is a precious gem with a long history, but people are far less familiar with it. Previous studies on Mogok spinel from Myanmar focused on inclusion analysis, chromogenic mechanism with a single-color gemstone and heat treatment, whereas systematic studies on varicolored gem-grade spinel are lacking. In this study, the gemological and geochemical analysis of four colors of spinel samples from Mogok were carried out for basic gemology, inclusion morphology and identification, spectroscopy and geochemistry. The aim was to explore the occupation of elements of spinels in the crystal structure, as well as the chromogenic mechanism of varicolored spinels and the geological and geodynamic conditions of the formation. Mogok spinel samples are characterized by octahedral negative crystals filled with calcite and chondrodite inclusions, indicating that they are derived from a marble metamorphic-type deposit. The spinel samples of four colors are magnesia–alumina spinel (MgAl2O4). The contents of V and Cr in Mogok spinel are generally high, with a significant high content of Zn being the most characteristic, and trace elements vary greatly. The infrared spectra of spinel samples in different colors are basically similar. According to the UV–Vis spectrum, pink and red samples are mainly colored by Cr and/or V, whereas orange samples are mainly colored by V. Two wide absorption bands in the range 300~600 nm are mainly attributed to the spin-allowed transition and spin-forbidden transition of Cr3+ and/or V3+. The purple samples are mainly colored by Fe and the UV–Vis spectrum is mainly attributed to the spin-forbidden transition of TFe2+. This study is a favorable supplement to the research on Mogok spinels of various colors from multiple perspectives.

Types, varieties and evaluation criteria qualities of pearls

Purpose. To carry out a comprehensive analysis of the existing types and varieties of pearls on the world market of precious stones and to establish indicators of pearl quality assessment, which the expert service needs. The methods. The work uses general scientific and special research methods - theoretical (analysis, generalization, comparison), gemological and economic. The main part of the work is based on the analysis of literary sources, information from the Internet and practical results of previously performed research and expert evaluations. The objectivity of the methodology is ensured by a large amount of analytical work carried out on specific batches of pearls, as well as by a close natural relationship between types, species and methods of growing pearls. Findings. It is shown that pearls are precious stones of organogenic formation, which by genesis can be of natural origin, cultivated and synthetic. The credibility and reliability of the conducted research is ensured by the convergence of the results between the quality assessment criteria and the methods of growing pearls, as well as the complex of decorative properties that are established for each genetic variety. The proposed criteria for assessing the quality of pearls are aimed at obtaining objective results and, importantly, they ensure the invulnerability of the expert in his professional activity during the gemological examination. The originality. The main criteria for the quality of pearls have been established. Various variations of certain of its properties, characteristic of each specific genetic variety, became the basis for assessing the quality of pearls based on the natural relationship between methods of cultivation in different conditions (sea, river basins) and decorative properties. In the future, the proposed criteria for assessing the quality of pearls will allow to expand and improve the scientific and methodological base of the Expert Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and other related organizations. Practical implementation. The use of the proposed criteria for assessing the quality of pearls will allow specialists to determine the variety, geography of cultivation (method and place of cultivation), quality group and cost, which is determined by procedural and legal acts in the field of forensic examination.

The Determinants Linked to the Trafficking of Precious and Semi-Precious Stones in Cameroon: The Case of Diamonds in the Eastern Region

The objective of this paper is to analyze the factors favoring the smuggling of rough diamonds in Cameroon. To achieve this objective, we carried out a survey in the eastern region of Cameroon using the quota sampling method, the data processing was done using mainly a factor analysis by the analytical principal components (PCA) method. The study proposes five key components that promote diamond trafficking among actors in Eastern Cameroon helping to bring a new direction in the fight against trafficking in precious stones.