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enterprise
in the mining of hard rocks. The Lapis lazuli mines of Afghanistan
might be equally old. The emerald mines of Egyptian Red Sea coast were
operated about 1925 B.C. The diamond deposits of India and the
sapphire-ruby mines of Ceylon were working about 800-600 B.C. Brazil
came to prominence in diamond mining in 1725 A.D. which in turn was
superseded by South Africa in 1870 A.D. The centre of the world's trade
in gems as known to Europeans have been successively Babylon,
Alexandria, Rome, Venice and Amsterdam; and now London, Paris, Antwerp,
Amsterdam and New York. But the Second World War has caused wide-spread
disturbance in Europe.
Precious
stones form one of the most valuable and compact of commodities, which
had an upward trend in value over long periods. Great wealth could be
concentrated in a small packet of stones. Since they enjoy an
international market, precious stones served as a form of investment
for centuries. This has promoted in a reasonable growth of the family
fortunes of some Hindus. The same tendency prevailed also in the West
where wealth is easily hidden or easily transported in the event of any
disturbance to political tranquillity. During the recent war there has
been a great tendency to invest in precious stones, and the gem trade
is having a prosperous time. Precious stones have also promoted
exploration and the travels of gem merchants formed a useful source of
information regarding the East to Europe in the middle ages.
Precious
stones are regarded as 'flowers of the Mineral Kingdom'. They are
minerals with a few exceptions such as pearls, corals and ivory which
are animal products; amber and jet are of vegetable origin. The gem
materials or precious stones are minerals distinguished by their
hardness, which enables them to be worn as personal ornaments without
deterioration, and by their colour and lustre which render them
attractive. These qualities might be had in several minerals, some of
which could not
2
IB
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