The Tavernier Stones

When the body of seventeenth-century mapmaker Johannes Cellarius floats to the surface of a bog in northern Germany with a 57-carat ruby clutched in his fist, the grisly discovery ignites a deadly twenty-first-century international treasure hunt to unearth the fabled Tavernier stones. The hoard reputedly contains some of the world's most notorious missing jewels, including the 280-carat Great Mogul diamond and the 242-carat Great Table diamond. Scrupulously honest Amish-born cartographer John Graf teams up with outlaw prospector and gemologist David Freeman in a ferocious race to find the treasure and break a secret code that will unravel the centuries-old Tavernier stones mystery. But other fortune hunters, opportunists and criminals alike, are in hot pursuit of the mismatched partners--and they'll stop at nothing to possess the legendary jewels. "Relentlessly fascinating, Stephen Parrish's Tavernier Stones is reminiscent of Dan Brown's Lost Symbol . . . It's one hell of a good time."--Mark Terry, author of The Fallen

When the body of seventeenth-century mapmaker Johannes Cellarius floats to the surface of a bog in northern Germany, a 57-carat ruby clutched in his fist, the discovery ignites an international treasure hunt to unearth the fabled Tavernier stones. The hoard reputedly contains some of the world's most notorious missing jewels, including the 280-carat Great Mogul diamond and the 242-carat Great Table diamond. Amish-born cartographer John Graf teams up with outlaw prospector and gemologist David Freeman in a race to break a code that will unravel the centuries-old mystery. But other fortune hunters, opportunists and criminals alike, are also in pursuit, and will stop at nothing to possess the legendary stones.

'I am following the traces of a great jewel. All its owners are dead, and the jewel is lost...' Precious stones are thousands of years old. They pass through the hands of owners and smugglers, merchants and thieves. Often the hands leave no trace, but they are there all the same: they leave impressions, invisible, like atoms of hydrogen drawn to the surface of a diamond. The Love of Stones charts three lives linked by one such jewel. Katherine Sterne searches the goldsmiths' quarters and hidden archives of contemporary London, Tokyo and Istanbul, following the trail of a long-lost jewel: a brooch of rubies, diamonds and pearls once worn by Queen Elizabeth I. Two hundred years earlier, a pair of Iraqi Jewish brothers travel to London, their fortunes made by an unearthed jar of mysterious and priceless stones. An epic story spanning two continents and six centuries, The Love of Stones follows three very different people, each in their own way consumed by the same desire. At the heart of their lives is the Three Brethren, the legendary jewel that binds them together in a narrative as clear and irresistible as the facets of a diamond.

The author of, "FACETING HISTORY: CUTTING DIAMONDS AND COLORED STONES" has for a long time had a deep interest in learning how the early faceters (cutters) of diamonds and colored gemstones were able to complete their work. What methods did they use? What equipment did they have to make success possible? How soon did they discover how to complete the many phases necessary to accomplish their work? How did the equipment and methods differ between fashioning diamonds and faceting colored stones? These are just a few of the questions that the author wanted to find the answers for. In looking for answers to these and other questions, the author found that there were bits and pieces of information available in many previous books, but there was not a good book available that would answer most of his questions. Upon hearing the author ́s remarks about this fact, one of the librarians at the wonderful library located at the Gemological Institute of America ́s Carlsbad campus said that if such a book was not available, "maybe you should write the book!" Well, the author had been thinking of doing just that, but the remark caused the author to see the light and agree to get started on the project. Little did he know then that the project would require many months of eight hour days over seven day weeks to get the book completed. He decided to write a book that would answer these and other related questions that he had. The thought also occurred to him that such a book would be a valuable volume to be placed in libraries of individual faceters around the world. He realized that such a book would also be of great value to anyone who works behind a Jewelry store counter. A successful sales person is one who is knowledgeable about the products that they are selling. A book of faceting information would be extremely valuable if read and re-read from time to time. A customer in the Jewelry store will no doubt be favorably impressed by a sales presentation that is made with the use of interesting and informative information about diamonds and the various colored gemstones. The customer will be convinced that the sales person knows about what they are talking. The author has spent nearly three years on the project of researching the GIA library and other libraries, along with the extensive personal library of gemstone related books that he personally possesses. Many conflicting reports were noted in his study. He has made the statements in his book reflect the most commonly accepted opinions, of the most respected authors ́ works that he has found in his research. History is only obtainable from the earlier works of other authors. We cannot go back to the long past centuries ourselves, to see first hand what really happened and when it happened. A study of faceting history requires making the best choices of the information that is available. This completed book answers questions as to why the fashioning of diamonds was/is so different from the faceting of colored gemstones. The book compares the needed equipment and the methods that have brought the greatest successes. In addition, a great deal of other information connected to faceting is included. There are seven chapters in the book and there are over 125 photographs of the early equipment and methods that were used. The photographs show the faceters, the workroom conditions, and the tools and equipment that they used to complete beautiful and lasting gemstones. The book chapters are titled: An Introduction to Faceting, Early Man ́s Stone Appreciation, Diamond Fashioning Procedure and Equipment, Colored Stone Faceting Procedure and Equipment, The Evolution of Cut Designs, Famous and Historic Gemstones, Sources of Diamond and Colored Stone Rough, and lastly, Advances in Faceting Over the Past One Hundred Years. By books end, the reader will be well informed as to what is r

The Science Magpie is Simon Flynn's bestselling collection of enthralling facts, stories, poems and more from science's history, from the Large Hadron Collider rap to the sins of Isaac Newton. With Antiques Roadshow regular Marc Allum as your guide, go in search of stolen masterpieces, explore the first museums, learn the secrets of the forgers and brush up on your auction technique with The Antiques Magpie . And with acclaimed nature writer Daniel Allen, join naturalists, novelists and poets as they explore the most isolated parts of the planet and discover which plants can be used to predict the weather in The Nature Magpie .

From the mythical artefacts of the ancient world to saucy seaside postcards, The Antiques Magpie explores the wonderful world of antiques and collectables. With Antiques Roadshow regular Marc Allum as your guide, go in search of stolen masterpieces, explore the first museums, learn the secrets of the forgers and brush up on your auction technique. Meet the garden gnome insured for £1 million, track down Napoleon's toothbrush, find out how to spot a corpse in a Victorian photograph – and much more. This book is for anyone who's ever been fascinated by what relics of the past tell us about history – and what they are worth today.

This classic study begins with a general analysis of precious stones followed by descriptions of their cutting and mounting. The remainder of this volume focuses on the diamond. 52 figures.