EVA’99-Moscow
Vladislav Semyonov ~ Evgeny Negulyayev
Historical Gemmological Knowledge in the Internet
Vladislav Semyonov,
Evgeny Negulyayev
Historical Gemmological Society (HGS) «Lithica», (Ekaterinburg)
E-mail: semenov@etel.ru
http://heritage.eunnet.net/lithica
http://heritage.eunnet.net/malachite
The Internet-site on historical gemmology has been designed on the basis of research work
conducted by the historical gemmological society (HGS) «Lithica», established in Ekaterinburg in
1994, and programs run by the publishing house «Lithica» attached to the society and operating
since 1997.
We regard this work as our contribution to the program of the World Decade of Cultural
Development (1988-1997) proclaimed on January 21, 1988 by the UN General Assembly and
carried out under the aegis of the UN and the UNESCO, being adequate to the main statement of
this program formulated by the UNESCO’s Director General Federico Mayor Zaragosa:
«Development of international intellectual cooperation: expansion and strengthening of
opportunities allowing the culture of one people to scoop inspiration in other cultures and
simultaneously enrich them with their treasures whilst understanding the s firmness of common
human truths» (UNESCO Courier, 1988, December).
Gemmology is the science of precious and semi-precious stones. Its history can be
conditionally divided into two large stages.
The first stage is the time of empirical accumulation of knowledge in the course of centuriesold experience of using stone in different areas of human activity: mining, construction, crafts and
technologies; markets, and particularly markets of luxury; spiritual culture (religion, science, art).
The chronological framework of this stage covers primitive society, antiquity and the Middle Ages,
twenty five centuries of the history of the science which originated as the first special gemmological
treatise known to us by the outstanding philosopher, the recognized predecessor of European
gemmology the Greek Tirtamos of Eres who lived in the 4th-3rd century B.C. and who was
nicknamed by his contemporaries as Theophrastus the Divine Orator.
The second stage of gemmology began in the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment, when
stone became the subject of special branches of scientific knowledge such as crystallography,
mineralogy, petrography, whilst the appraisal of precious stone, once as mysterious as occult
«sciences», became exact knowledge.
As for Russian gemmology, it is re-settling itself literally before our eyes.
The science of precious stones is not new to Russia (we, therefore, use the word ‘resettling’
rather ‘establishing’). New is the recognition of this science in Russia, and forms in which this
recognition is realized today. In Russia there were and are excellent connoisseurs of stone,
researchers whose names are known in the world, self-trained mineralogists, miners, historians of
gemstone who are passionate promoters of this art. There are museums, both state and private, and
unique personal collections of stones, including precious and semi-precious ones; there are
institutes, laboratories, faculties, research teams which have developed and are developing a great
number of themes connected with gemstones and who are capable of solving complex
gemmological problems and who solved such problems in different years with reference to different
branches of the study of gemstone.
However, the trade of ‘gemmologist’ never was on the list of trades needed in Russia, and the
term ‘gemmology’ was not to be found in dictionaries or in common use.
Nowadays, thank God, the new word has been put in circulation. Departments of gemmology
have been set up at universities, and first gemmologists have graduated from them. Russian trainees
have been admitted to world gemmological centers…. There are plans to set up nation-wide and
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regional gemmological centers, commercial appraisal laboratories, and gemmological museums.
The circle of the world’s well-known gemmological communities has added new members, the
Moscow Gemmological Association (set up in 1991) and the Ural Gemmological Association
«Uralgem» established in Ekaterinburg in 1993.
Using the support of the Open Society Institute (Soros Foundation) we created in 1998 our own
historical gemmological WWW-site «Lithica». Work has been completed on another large WWWsite, «Malachite», a joint creation together with the Internet-center of the Ural State University,
again owing to a grant from Soros Foundation. The total volume of these two sites is about 30 Mb,
more than 1200 pages of text, and about half a thousand illustrations. In general, a great amount of
work has been done over the last 15 months, which is but a very small part of our plans. We hope to
be able to present our new developments through the Internet, if HGS received further support to its
programs. Being a non-governmental not-for-profit organization, HGS «Lithica» is in need of
support, including financial. We do not have funds to cover all expenses involved in the preparation
of Internet-projects. HGS «Lithica» is not yet firm on its legs. We are open to all and are ready for
joint work on historical gemmological programs with everyone who is not alien to this area of
interest.
Today we pursue activities in the Internet along the four main lines: general education, and
three historical gemmological electronic libraries, world, Russian and Ural.
In our report we will not dwell on the completed projects, which are accessible through the
Internet and are presented at this exhibition; rather, we will describe our plans for the near future.
They provide for electronic «Minor Historical Gemmological Library», which has not yet been
published in either electronic or printed form. It is an original product of members of the Society.
The purpose of the program is research work in the area of the history of gemmological knowledge
and gemstone culture, dissemination of this knowledge in forms which could increase professional
and amateur interest in gemstones, gemmology, gemstone cutting and finishing art as a whole, and
would promote a revival of domestic gemstone culture traditions.
The plan for the «Minor Historical Gemmological Library» provides for three series of popular
electronic publications as anthologies and research works: the first series is «History of
Gemmological Ideas», the second series is «Gemmological ABCs», and the third series is «The
Magic and Power of Stone». These will be electronic anthologies and works on the history of stones
corresponding to each individual anthology, in other words, a chain from publications of literary
and scientific monuments of a gemmological character to analysis of gemstone culture in epochs
corresponding to the timing of monuments under study.
The «Minor Historical Gemmological Library» will, in fact, represent a new branch of
knowledge distinguished by the HGS, historical gemmology. The very formulations «historical
gemmology» and «historical gemmological knowledge» are the HGS’s know how. The authors of
this electronic library firmly believe that the time is ripe to put these new concepts in common use
and to work towards establishing historical gemmology as a new branch of knowledge in its own
right, and to define its subject and methods of study.
The series «History of Gemmological Ideas» consists of translated texts (Treatises) and
research works on the history of gemmological knowledge from the antiquity and the Middle Ages.
The plans provide for publication of the electronic books «Treatises» and «Studies». The
«Treatises» will contain extracts from ancient and medieval texts about gemstones, books about
stones from different countries and peoples of the world; these texts have been translated into
Russian for the first time specially for this Library. The «Studies» will present comments on
published texts; describe how precious stones were viewed from the natural science standpoint in
the ancient and antique worlds, early middle ages, and classical and late middle ages.
The electronic «Gemmological ABCs» will contain texts by ancient and medieval authors and
father of the church systematized by gemstone and arranged in the alphabetical order.
The books of the series «Magic and Power of Stones» will consider problems at the interface
between historical gemmology and parascience: cosmogonic gemmology (mythical representations
of the role and place of stone in the creation of the world); lithoteology (sacred and sacerdotal
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stones with their «divine» powers); esoteric gemmology (belief in the «sparkling universal power of
stones towering above the chaos and leading to the world of initial harmony»; in the energy of
stones, in the effect of this «power» on man, lithoastrology (astral gemmology in fruitless searches
of unity between the stars and gemstones), and lithotherapy (belief in the healing power of stones).
Monuments to which the compilers of the «Minor Gemmological Library» draw attention are
original primary sources of gemmological knowledge, a huge cultural wealth the importance and
universality of which have not yet been considered by either world or Russian scholars. This
universality manifested itself best, and with amazing brilliance, during the youth and adolescence of
gemmology, the first stage in its history, when the science, which today is considered only as a
study of stone hardly distinguishable from mineralogy and crystallography (gemstone mineralogy,
appraisal and cutting) presented a synthesis of humanitarian knowledge, natural science, local lore
and technology.
Reference to the primary sources of gemmological knowledge and their integration into
contemporary life will bring in ‘fresh’ breeze and make our culture and education more
humanitarian, a process which is under way, gaining strength and becoming irreversible.
The compilers of the electronic «Minor Gemmological Library» intend to acquaint the reader
with such authors as Theophrastus of Eres, Pliny the Elder, Dioscuridis, Halen, mythical
Damigeron, Euax, Orpheus, Hermes, the legendary Kiranide, Pseudo-Socrates, and PseudoDionysius, Pseudo-Plutrach, Pseudo-Dioscoridis, Pseudo-Hippocratus, Astrampsychose, Epiphany
the Bishop of Cyprus, St Meliton, Buddhbhatta, mythical Agaste, Andrea of Caesarea, Isidore of
Seville, Raban Maurus, Hunein ben Ishak (Pseudo-Aristotle), Ar-Razi, Serapion, Iovane Berai, Ibn
Sina (Avicenna), Theophyl Presbiter, Michael Psellus, Marbode of Rennes and his numerous
imitators, St Hildegard of Bingen, Beruni, Tiflisi, Mkhitar Airivanetsi, Volemar, Alrnold of Saxony,
Albert the Great, Brunetto Latini, Arnold of Villanova, Bartholomeus Anglicus, At-Teifashi,
Abdallah Kashani, Thomas Kantimpre, Conrad von Megenberg, Alonso X the Wise the King of
Castilia and Leon, Abolais, Ieguda Moska, Aben Kish, Matteus Silvaticus, Philip VI Valois, the
King of France, Jeanne Mandeville, Isaac Benjamin, Robert de Berquen, Abu-Abdullah
Mohammed, Johann von Cuba, Lyubchanin, Camil Leonardi, Georg Agricola, Bombast
Prapacelcius, Francois de la Rue, Dupinet, Girolamo Cardano, Christoph Encellino, Conrad Gesner,
Gavriil Fallopius, Benvenuto Cellini, Arfe de Villafane, Pierre Andre Matiolli, Joseph Kersetanus,
Rene Bellot, Andrea Bacchi, Andre Libavi, Antonio Saraccenni, Simeon Polotsky, Johan Fragoz,
Kleandre Arnobio, Gaspar de Morales, Silvaticus, Boeci de Boodt, Shopper, Augerius Kluzius,
Etienne Clav, Johann Johnston, Abraham Enccelensis, Ullis Aldrovandi, Thomas Nichols, Robert
Boyle, Sargis of Haleb, Atansy Kircher, Spener, Hiller.
This series ends up with Hill, Bruckmann, Puget the Son and Santini de Riol. The first three
wrote in the 18th century, the one last at the turn of the 19th century. The inclusion of their works
into the anthologies of the electronic «Minor Gemmological Library» is dictated by the fact that
these four authors were the true followers of the traditions of antique and medieval gemmology,
and, ‘relayed’ knowledge accumulated throughout centuries to subsequent generations: Hill,
Bruckmann and Puget the Son to the Age of Enlightenment, and Santini de Riol to the 20th century.
The themes of the monuments to be published are nature and the origin of stones, mining and
trade centers, production forms and technologies; lithotheology, lithotherapy, the magic and
symbolics of stones, stone and astrology, consumption of precious stones in the market of luxuries,
legends and tales, the history of accumulation of treasures and the outstanding treasuries of the
world.
These old texts are interesting as monuments of gemmological thinking, as research products
and fiction representing a variety of authors and ideas, containing a varied professional
gemmological lexicon which has absorbed the experience of the dialogue with the gemstone of
different cultures, countries and peoples at different times.
Whilst confining their interest to gemmology, the compilers of the anthologies will omit from
translations extensive materials on various lands, ores, metals and related technologies (the user will
get an idea of the complete structure of each monument in from corresponding appendices).
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It is planned that lithotheological works considering the gemstones of the Old and New
Testaments will be appended with studies of biblical gemstones by 18th-20th century authors. Such
appendices will be attached to the treatises about stones by Andrea of Caesaria, de la Rue and
Lodovico Dolce.
Why have we endeavored to publish the primary sources of gemmological knowledge? In a
very extensive library on the history of art, the histories of separate crafts and applied art as a whole
there is no book that would investigate gemstone culture with sufficient detail and depth. It has not
been written either in the West or East, in any of the European countries or Russia. The compilers
of the electronic «Minor Gemmological Library» are convinced that one of the main factors in the
way of such a study is complete lack of information about the original sources of gemmology
(individual works were translated, studied and commented only). Note that gemmology is one of
few sciences which have not yet realized the importance of source study. The appearance of an
electronic anthology of ancient and medieval texts about gemstones should bridge this gap.
The electronic «Minor Gemmological Library» is addressed to the general public. The
compilers hope that its books about gemstones and books about books about gemstones will enjoy
wide interest and will not pass by unnoticed for a professional or an amateur, experts in gemstones,
science and culture historians, fans of magic and astrology, handicraftsmen interested in the secrets
of the old crafts, and even belles-lettres lover. The library is addressed to those who are interested in
everything which is connected with pagan and Christian symbolics of precious stones, the role and
place of gemstone in lithotheology, lithocosmogony, lithotherapy, demonology, natural magic, and
astrology, in science and parascience, in jewelry and gemstone cutting art. We hope that the Library
will be equally interesting to historians, ethnographers, local lore experts, art historians,
antiquarians, particularly dealers and everyone who is susceptible to all the wonderful and
inexplicable. We believe in it because the Library contains material which practically unknown and
is unique; the ancient texts about gemstones are particularly charming because they are filled with
unusual manifestations of man’s interest in precious stones.
In addition to ancient texts, the subject of the electronic «Minor Gemmological Library» is
books about gemstones. It is therefore planned to reproduce fragments of all editions of published
monuments accessible to the compilers. For instance, the famous «Natural History in XXXVIII
Books» by Pliny the Elder has had more than 270 editions; the compilers have been fortunate to
work with 170 of them in libraries of Russia. The reader will have an idea of all these editions in a
corresponding issue of the Library. Another example is a translation from the Latin of a
mineralogical treatise included in the «Hortus» («Garden of Health») (1491) by Johann von Cuba,
one of the edition of this book is provided with 144 painted xylographs (engravings on wood). All
of them will be given in the «Minor Gemmological Library». Where the original texts do not have
illustrations, we will reproduce fragments of works which are close in design and spirit to the
literary monuments published. Thus, translations of works about biblical stones, no illustrated
editions of which are available to the knowledge of the compilers, will be provided with a series of
painted xylographs from the Bible printed in the 15th century by Koberger. This series is a unique
monument of book and graphic art which has never been published, and we hope to publish it in
full.
In designing the sites the compilers give preference to ancient book graphics rather than images
of gemstones. Treatises characterize the epoch of a rather unsteady, unsettled gemmological
experience. Some of the stones were already very well known to their authors and were described
with accuracy allowing them to be easily identified even today. This enabled us to provide
illustrations without any difficulty. But in overwhelming majority of cases it could not have been
done. Say, ‘iaspa’ of antique treatises is different from ‘yaspa’ of medieval gemmology; besides,
neither of them represents ‘jasper’ as we know this stone, and it would have been irrelevant to
include photos of jasper as illustrations. The same can be said about ‘smaragd’, which does not
mean ‘emerald’ in texts by ancient writers, about crystal, which is almost always not rock crystal
only; about selenite, which looks like mica, gypsum, and frequently god knows what. Also, there
are allectories, hyienas, memphites, panthers, samias, sandaresias …
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Several words about the ultimate goal of the electronic «Minor Gemmological Library», which
defined the compilers’ attitude towards the texts to be published.
The available extensive (mainly European and American) literature on the history of gemstone
shows that sources of knowledge for modern gemmologists working in respect of ancient and
medieval treatises are studies by philologists of classical and medieval texts. These experts
discovered and continue to discover this literature for to gemmology historians. As for gemmology
itself, which is confined with the boundaries of applied knowledge only, it regards its historical
heritage as a sideline and uses it for acquiring antiquarian charm. In other words, the gemmological
heritage has never been the subject of a purposeful systematic study on the part of historians–
gemmologists (exceptions are very rare). As a result we have neither history of gemmological
knowledge, nor history of gemstone, nor convincing reconstructions of individual links of this
history. Gemmology does not even have any history of the gemmological lexicon.
The modern condition of historical gemmology makes presumptuous any attempt at
deciphering old gemmological texts. We would dare to state that no one today is ready to do this,
for nobody has due knowledge of sources and traditions of gemmological knowledge.
Such a study belongs to the future. Our work on the above electronic collection of monuments
of gemmological culture is undertaken just in order to pave the way to this future.
Proceeding from this ultimate goal the compilers of the Library have selected the most careful
way of handling the gemmological lexicon of monuments and fragments to be published, and in
translations we have given up substituting terms by Russian equivalents. Thus, the reader will
encounter ‘adamas’ and ‘adamant’ instead of diamond, ‘marmor’ instead of marble, crystal instead
of rock crystal, ‘melochit’ instead of malachite, ‘smaragd’ instead of emerald … It will seem
strange to many. The compilers, however, do not doubt that whilst reading a third or fourth text
adaptation will take place, the forms will become habitual and he reader will develop taste for old
terms — the ‘smaragd’ of antique treatises, the ‘marakt’of Sanskrit texts, the ‘zumurrud’ of Arabian
treatises and the ‘izumrud’ of Russian trade books. The reader will learn to distinguish, compare
different gemmological traditions, and perceive the gemstone as it was perceived by the authors and
their contemporaries.
The desire to immerse the reader in the world of the intricate gemmological lexicon, give an
opportunity to feel its peculiarity, ambiguity, and variability has induced the compilers to provide in
brackets terms in the language of the original in some cases.
Today we are opening the electronic «Minor Gemmological Library» with the book
«Gemmological Ideas of the Antique World. 4th century BC — 4th century AD: Treatises» from the
series «History of Gemmological Ideas». It contains ten literary monuments of ancient Greek and
Latin gemmology: the treatise «About Stones» by Theophrastus; gemmological extracts from the
work «About Medical Matter» by Dioscoride; gemmological fragments and the XXXVIIth book of
the «Natural History» by Pliny the Elder; «Litica» attributed to the legendary Orpheus; Eptiomes or
Paraphrases of Orpheus’s «Litica»; the treatise «About Stones» by Socrates and Dionysius; «Marine
Gemstones» by Pseudo-Astrampsychose; the treatises «About Twelve Stones on Aaron’s
Breastplate» and «About the Stone Adamant» by Epiphany the Bishop of Cyprus; «The Book by
Learned Damigeron About Stones» attributed to the magician Damigeron and rendered by Euax.
The collection of these literary monuments is preceded by a table in Russian «Gemmological
Lexicon of the Antique World», whose purpose is to introduce the reader to the rich and virtually
unfamiliar world of professional terminology used in Greek-Latin gemmology during Hellenism
and in Rome. Each treatise is given separately (the exception being two treatises by Epiphany,
which are united in one section). The exposition of each of the nine sections opens with a foreword
briefly describing the author and the monument. The monuments are followed by the called by the
compilers «Reflections»; it contains fragments from the Old and New Testaments («the Second
Book of Moses», «the Book of the prophet Jesekil», «the Book of Jove», «Revelation by John the
Baptist») containing mentions about gemstones and gemmological terminology ascending to the
Greek tradition. The compilers thought it relevant to include this section together with fragments
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from the Bible because the «Treatises» contain treatises by Epiphany the Bishop of Cyprus about
biblical stones. The book of treatises ends up with the Index of Gemmological Terms.
Publications of translations of the antique gemmological texts in the electronic «Minor
Gemmological Library» will be of a preliminary character. There is a large amount of work ahead
on studying critical literature, conducting a comparative study of various lists of these texts and
editions. Even greater work needs to be done by way of analyzing gemmological information
contained in literary monuments; commenting on gemmological terminology and identifying
described gemstones.
Antique treatises are, as a rule, short; they are, therefore, published in full, an exception being
the anthology of gemmological fragments from «Natural History» by Pliny the Elder. This longest
gemmological monument of the ancient world is included in an abridged form (we plan to issue its
complete electronic version separately, outside of the «Minor Gemmological Library»).
All names of stones in Russian, in both the texts and the indexes, are given in italics. The
gemmological terms (names of gemstones) are rendered in strict conformity with the originals. In
some of the texts they are given in the language of the original followed by the Russian word in
brackets. This has not been done in Pliny’s «Natural History» only, because it abounds in
terminology. However, this gap is filled with the «Index of Gemmological Lexicon in ‘Natural
History’ by Pliny the Elder», in which Russian terms are provided with corresponds Latin
equivalents.
A user with a good feeling for the word will pay attention to certain roughness of the style of
some of the translations. Do not blame the interpreters and editors, whose job was to follow the
original strictly. The majority of the texts date back to the time when gemmology was establishing
itself as a trade, and they were written not by compilers or laymen rather than writers. The
compilers thought it would not be correct to improve their manner of writing and bring their style in
accordance with the norms of modern stylistics.
Considering the fact that the publication of translations is of a preliminary character the
compilers think it premature to include extensive comments, gemmological in particular, in which
European publications of such treatises are abundant. Not everything is acceptable in them, but the
compilers thought the publication was not a good place for debates. Besides, the compilers are
firmly convinced that we have no right to sift gemmological essays by antique authors through the
sieve of modern knowledge of gemstones. We can judge about the depth of knowledge of ancient
gemmologists only by comparing their experience with what preceded it, which is unknown to us.
And any dialogue with the user (and comments can be considered as a form of such dialogue)
would be more substantial if the user himself were better familiar with gemmological literature.
And the purpose of our work is just to ensure such familiarization as soon as possible.
Comments and footnotes are reduced to a minimum but the compilers thought it necessary to
include a special section (appendices) containing reference materials: «Register of Sources of Raw
Minerals for Mining and Stone Cutting Industries in the Hellenistic world and the Roman Empire»
compiled on the basis of treatises; «Alphabetic Index of Geographical Names»; «Alphabetic Index
of Proper Names Mentioned in Treatises»; «Alphabetic Index of Mythological Names Mentioned in
Treatises». The «Register of Raw Mineral Base» and the Index to it are illustrated with historical
geographical maps.
Work on the electronic «Minor Gemmological Library» has united like-minded people and it is
being conducted by experts from Moscow, St.-Petersburg and Ekaterinburg, classical philologists.
being the prime movers. The first brick was placed in its foundation by the teacher of the Latin
language at the Second Moscow Medical Institute, the philology faculty of the Ural State University
and interpreters of the Ural Branch of Vneshtorgizdat, at the time when nobody was sure of the
feasibility of the project.
Translation work was preceded by a long-term search for literary monuments, manuscripts and
editions, rare ones, incunabulas as a rule, and, consequently, hard to get access to. Now we have
about two thousand references on record (relating to the antiquity and Middle Ages only).
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Great help in search work has been provided to the compilers by the largest national libraries:
the M. Ye. Saltykov-Shchedrin State Public Library (now State National Library) in St.-Petersburg,
the Museum of Rare Books of the Russian State Library (former GBL), the Library of the Russian
Academy of Sciences (St.-Petersburg), the Scientific Library of Tartu University, the M.Gorki
Scientific Library of Moscow State University, and the State Library of Foreign Languages.
The author of the project the electronic «Minor Gemmological Library» is Vladislav
Semyonov, president of the HGS «Lithica». He also supervises all work within the project
conducted by the compilers Andrei Popov, Sergei Dublennykh, Yelena Velichko, Yekaterina
Semyonova; the designer Valery Semyonov, the interpreter and editor of the English versions of the
site Valery Gafurov. Work is coordinated by the HGS’s web-master Evgeny Negulyayev.
Vladislav Borisovich Semyonov
President of the «Lithica» Historical Gemmology Society. An art historian by background, he is the
manager of the «Gemmological Heritage» Publishing Bureau, a division of the «Lithica» Society.
He is also a member of the National Mineralogical Society, a full member of the Moscow Society
of Naturalists at the Moscow State University. He is the author of a number of books on the history
of gemstones, including «The Factory «Russkiye Samotsvety»» (1976, in co-authorship with
I.M.Shakinko), «Jasper» (1979), «Ural Gemstonecutter» (1981), «Ural Gemstones: from the
History of Gemstone Cutting Business in the Urals» (1982, in co-authorship with I.M.Shakinko),
«Agate» (1982, in co-authorship with V.N.Tchernykh), «Selenite» (1984), «Malachite» in two
volumes (1989).
Evgeniy Alexandrovich Negulyayev
Historian, member of the «Lithica» Society. He is the coordinator of the Society’s Internet program.
«Lithica» Historical Gemmology Society
The «Lithica» Historical Gemmology Society was registered with the Department of Justice of the
Sverdlovsk Oblast (Russia) in the city of Ekaterinburg on 30 November 1994.
This non-governmental organization aims at setting up a research and education historical
gemmology center, participating in the design and implementation of programs of this center,
providing advice on issues relating to historical gemmology, and developing international
cooperation in the area of humanities.
Within its priority «Research and Research Services», the society is implementing work along
the following lines:
 studying and disseminating historical gemmological knowledge around the history of
rough gemstones, consumption, exchange, and study of gemstone in spiritual and artistic culture;
 cataloguing and studying gemmological articles contained in museum collections;
 translating, studying and popularizing scholarly and literary works from the world
gemmological heritage;
 designing, printing and implementing publishing projects within the framework of
«Gemmological Heritage» program;
 compiling a computer database in accordance with the Society’s program;
 creating a specialized library of gemmological and historical gemmological literature, rare
and hand-written collections of Ekaterinburg;
 participating in the implementation of research programs in the area of gemmology;
 conducting assessment of programs and projects within the area of history of gemmology,
and of gemmological collections and jewelry and cut gemstones;
 providing assistance to museums and libraries;
 providing help in the design and delivery of teaching programs and courses on the history
of gemmology and gemstone culture at educational institutions;
 holding annual thematic series of lectures within the «Gemmological Readings» program.
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