Idar-Oberstein: a long history in gemstones
Idar-Oberstein has over a 500 year long tradition in working with gemstones. It all started when miners in the late 14th century found Amethyst and Agate in the area of the small towns of Idar and Oberstein. Amethyst in particular was considered one of the 5 "cardinal stones" and extremely precious. Many are convinced however mining started even long before that period, all the way back to Roman times.
Things couldn’t have gone better for "Idar-Oberstein": not only did they have the raw materials to build up a nice gem-processing industry, but they had cheap resources to process the material as well: the river Nahe was used through superior technology to power grinding mills that greatly facilitated the cutting, carving and polishing process of the gemstone material. Labour was considered to be extremely cheap as well. Author Emanuel describes the circumstances in the factories. It is so interesting to see the parallels with present-day arguments for offshore production.
Idar-Oberstein's new boom:
Idar-Oberstein underwent a new boom half a century later because of the huge Agate deposits found in Brazil by German immigrants. Shiploads of rough Agate were brought into the country as cheap ballast on empty vessels returning to Germany. Idar-Oberstein bloomed again and by the early 20th century there were 150 cutting shops making anything from goblets to beads. In fact in the early 1900's the demand from the Soudan for Agate amulets (in particular those with a white ring) were so huge that single shops would export a total value of US$ 30.000 (1900 level).
While the merchants in "Idar-Oberstein" were able to create different colors in Agates by dyeing and burning Idar-Oberstein kept innovating and created “superior technologies” in deying of Agates and other gemstones. By the early 20th century Germany had become a powerhouse in chemistry this knowledge was translated into secret recipes for Agate dyes which were made into beads of all possible colors, unique in the world. Edwin Streeter wrote about coloring and burning of Agates in his famous work on gemstones (Page 62-65). Burnham writes additionally about the dyeing of semi-precious stones. However 20 years later most of the chemical formulae were published in English, but in such an obscure publication that these trade secrets were not dissipated amongst a wider audience. Catelle writes about some of the chemical ingredients.
In this way (and by making use of its old cheap energy resource the river Nahe) Idar-Oberstein was able to beat India in creating cheap, colored Agate beads. These beads were consecutive sold, through traders, globally -- even to African tribes -- which in their turn sold them to tourists and travelers from Europe who came to Africa in the early 20th century. Globalization avant la lettre !!
However not only Agate beads were made in Idar-Oberstein. The large volumes of rough material was a unique resource for artisans who were looking for this "unique piece of rough material" which they turned into superior gemstone objects such as cameos, goblets, and a variety of innovative cut stones. Louis Kornitzer, one of England's leading gem dealers in the beginning of the 20th century, writes an interesting anecdote about his encounters with a leading gem carver.
Idar-Oberstein keeps re-inventing itself:
And things kept evolving…
Gem traders from Idar Oberstein moved away from Agate and invested heavily in mines in Brazil and Africa which produced much rough of many different types of gemstones. Idar-Oberstein became a trading-center (with a true “Gemstone-Exchange building”, of rough and cut stones.
A great supply for technically skilled minds that could pick and choose from so much material to create the next generation of cameos, gem cuts and gem carving.
And a new generation was born with amazing artists such as Bernd Munsteiner, Erwin Pauly, Dieter Lorenz and many others .
