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The Israelites obtained gemstones from across the known world, from Egypt and the African continent broadly to the Baltic Sea in Europe as far as Badakhshan in Afghanistan. At the time of the Exodus, the Bible states that the Israelites took gemstones with them from Egypt (Book of Exodus, 3:22; 12:35–6).
Asterism on the surface of a blue star sapphire. A purple-pink star sapphire displaying asterism in a platinum ring.. An asterism (from Ancient Greek ἀστήρ (astḗr) 'star' and -ism) is a star-shaped concentration of light reflected or refracted from a gemstone.
The classification of the cardinal gems dates back to antiquity, and was largely determined by ceremonial or religious use as well as rarity. [1] The term has largely fallen out of use. The five traditional cardinal gems are: amethyst (purple) – Rare and precious in the Old World until large deposits were found in Brazil. diamond (transparent)
Padparadscha sapphires are rare; the rarest of all is the totally natural variety, with no sign of artificial treatment. [12] The name is derived from the Sanskrit padma ranga (padma = lotus; ranga = color), a color akin to the lotus flower (Nelumbo nucifera). [13] Among the fancy (non-blue) sapphires, natural padparadscha fetch the highest prices.
In 2016, jeweler Olivia Young of Ouroboros sold a red spinel ring for £6,000 ($7,700). Last year, the client’s insurance company paid out £30,000 ($38,400) to replace it.
The tradition goes back to ancient Mesopotamia with books like Abnu šikinšu. Theophrastus (died c. 287 BC) treated rocks and other minerals as well as gems, and remained a significant indirect source for the scientific tradition; he was all but unknown in Europe in the Middle Ages, and not translated into Latin until the 15th century. [8]
A 0.37-carat (0.074 g) brilliant cut purple Yogo sapphire. Only about two percent of Yogo sapphires are purple. The Yogo dike is a narrow subvertical sheet-like igneous body. It varies from 2 to 26 feet (0.61 to 7.92 m) thick and extends for 5 miles (8.0 km), striking at an azimuth of 255°.
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