Gems from India and Ceylon

Below are my notes taken (quickly) at Jack Ogden’s talk held recently at GIA London. Details have not been checked with the speaker or third parties and are prone to error. I welcome corrections.

Eastern Promise: a history of the gem trade from India and Ceylon

Introduction

Gems have been traded throughout Asia for thousands of years. A jewel from Ur (in modern Iraq) dated 2600 BC has beads of lapis lazuli mined from what is now Afghanistan.

Up to 1730s India was the only major source of diamonds. Indian citations claimed that very few large diamonds (over 15ct) were found until 16C.

First Mediterranean use of diamonds was in Greece in approx. 500BC – used as tool to engrave upon gems such as chalcedony.

The earliest reference to Indian gems in the West was by a Roman writer in the early centuries AD quoting a Greek writing in the 5^th century BC of “a garland of golden Indian gems”

Trade in Indian gems started at the time of Alexander the Great. He from N. Greece in approx 300BC conquered vast parts of the Persian Empire and reached the borders of India. At this time Theophrastus, the Greek philosopher, mentions diamonds. Another Greek around this time wrote a book on the value characteristics of diamond: shape, colour and brilliance.

The next major Roman writer mentioning Indian diamonds was Pliny the Elder who died in AD79

Hundreds of Roman ships sailed to India via the Red Sea. 30 million dollars per year (at today’s prices) worth of diamonds were imported into the Roman Empire from India at this time.  The gems were sold within the Empire at 10 times more this amount.

Written description of the gem trade in India is limited. Evidence comes from jewels themselves. A ring discovered recently in Afghanistan from 300BC shows two diamond octahedral crystals mounted in a ring. This is the earliest example of a diamond ring.

Ogden mentioned other finds of diamond rings:  a Roman ring dated 175AD and a 3^rd century ring found in Syria showing a diamond crystal – diamonds could not be faceted at this time. An early imitation of diamond from the 3^rd century is ring with rock crystal fashioned to imitate a diamond

In the 13^th century Marco Polo described Indian diamonds – the fine ones were kept for the Indian rulers and the lesser ones were sold.

Campaigns of Genghis Khan made possible the establishment of the Silk Route, the overland trade path from China to the borders of Europe. A quote from 1795 claimed diamond merchants travelled in safety when on the Silk Route. An Interpreters’ Book of translation of business words in three languages for use by traders on the Silk Route gives translations for word diamond.

Mentioning sapphires, a 2^nd – 3^rd century Roman Necklace has bean-shaped sapphire beads probably from India. In  5^th -6^th century Roman times - pale blue drop shaped drilled beads from Ceylon fashioned from the broken bipyramidal prisms were used in jewellery. Many sapphires at this time were worked with a drill to remove surface reaching inclusions, resulting in deep surface grooves. This work was done in India at source since the 3^rd century.

Sapphire was the most popular gem in Europe in Medieval jewellery but the gem was not popular in Islamic lands.

The 15^th century Middleham jewel with a sapphire cabochon found in England.

Faceting of gems became more complex during the 15^th century with rose-cut sapphires appearing in European jewellery.

Rubies were not common in Ceylon gem gravels. None have been found in ancient jewels and very few in later jewels. Many red stones called rubies in medieval jewellery are perhaps garnets or spinels. Emeralds at this time were from Egypt.

In the 11^th century the heating of rubies is mentioned in texts. “Rubies were heated in crucibles specifically designed for heating gems”. It was discovered the yellowish tinge of sapphires could be removed by heating.

Ceylon sapphires and Indian diamonds were set in jewellery made in England in the 14^th century as part of dowry for the English Queen Blanche  to be married to a Munich prince.

Muslims preferred red stones – spinels from Badakhshan (Afghanistan). Source exploited from 1524 – found after an earthquake. The 14^th century gem, the Black Princes Ruby is a 170 carat spinel now mounted in the Imperial State Crown.

Gem Values –

In 14^th century India diamond was the most expensive gem – an 18 carat diamond was valued at 3million pounds (current values). Emeralds were much cheaper than rubies.

Spinels were more costly than chrysoberyl  cat’s- eyes, which were more expensive than sapphires. A 15 carat sapphire was valued at just £200.

In the 15^th century the silk route was closed thus the sea route to Asia was opened up. Many gems were brought into Europe from Goa, India by this route. Madras was an important port for English commerce.

Pearls

Earliest pearl in Europe from 300BC is a large 2cm diameter pearl from Ceylon found in Cyprus now in the British Museum. Enormous prices were paid for pearls.  In 1330 a European writer states 8000 boats were employed in pearl fishing in the Gulf of Mannar (between India and Ceylon).

Tavernier brought back diamonds and pearls during his travels to India in the 17^th century.

The production of Indian diamonds was less than 5000 carats per year. The low global volume exploded with the discovery of Brazilian and Southern African diamond deposits. In 1870s 100,000 carats per year were exported from South Africa causing a temporary price drop until the ‘new rich’ of the industrial America took up the supply.

In the 16^th=17^th centuries faceting of gems became popular. Rubies were common in Europe as new sources in Burma came on stream causing a price drop of rubies in India. Sapphires at this time were rare in European jewellery. Sapphires came popular in Europe only in late 19^th century.

In jewellery the settings of table-cut coloured stones followed the irregular outline of the gems. Tops and sides of gems were faceted, bottoms were left unpolished to preserve weight. Faceting was carried out on bow-driven polishing wheels

The Cheapside Hoard (discovered in London in 1913) a 17^th century goldsmith’s stock in trade contained large gems from India and Ceylon.

A Welshman, Elihu Yale, went to Madras with the East India Company. He made a vast fortune trading in diamonds and in the early 18^th century helped bequeath the US university that bears his name.

Mogul court was importing emeralds from South America just a generation after their discovery. Tavernier writes of this importation.

Coral was imported into India from the Mediterranean for centuries. It was highly valued in the East. An East India Company document shows coral being exported to India, sold there and diamonds being bought for export with the funds.

Exporting gems from Ceylon was disallowed upon pain of death.

In 1796 the British moved into Ceylon (previously Dutch and Portuguese).  John Davy 1821 gives an account  of the best cat’s-eyes from Ceylon but thought the gem industry not to be profitable.

In 1875 the Prince of Wales visited Ceylon. His visit created an interest in the island and its gems and by 1886 new British companies were dealing in Ceylon gems. Tourists en route to/from the Orient bought gems in Ceylon in a Colombo hotel. Most gems were glass!