The Gem of Queens and the Queen of Gems: inscribed copy for the head of Tiffany’s jewelry workshop

Kunz, George Frederick / Stevenson, Charles Hugh. The Book of the Pearl. The History, Art, Science, and Industry of the Queen of Gems.

€ 6,500.00

One of the highlights of American gemology from the beginning of the 20th century. Richly illustrated with plates from various sources, some in colour, this is a presentation copy inscribed by the author to the head of Tiffany's jewelry workshop: "To Miss Julia Halsey Munson, with the compliments of the senior author George F. Kunz. New York, July 10, 1913".

For this book, Kunz drew heavily on his encyclopedic knowledge of gems. The Book of the Pearl presents the history of pearls from ancient China to the author's own times. Kunz describes the historical and current practices of pearl harvesting and how pearls are processed into jewellery and cult objects. He devotes much space to the region that he describes as the pearling centre of the world: the Gulf and the Red Sea. Kunz describes the mastery of pearl fishers and pearl cutters of the region and the rich collections of pearls of Arab shahs and princesses. He illustrates all of this through detailed maps. The text covers all aspects of ancient and modern knowledge of pearls, including the formation of pearls and the natural history of fresh- and saltwater pearls. In his bibliography of gemology, John Sinkankas praised the book as "[a] beautiful example of modern book design, executed in high quality materials [...] prized not only for the enormous amount of reliable information that it contains, indeed still unmatched in any work since", but also for the large number of high-quality illustrations in black and white.

G. F. Kunz (1856-1932) was one of the United States' earliest gem experts. Born into a Swiss immigrant family in New York, he was primarily raised in New Jersey, where he developed an early interest in minerals. He began collecting his first specimens by the age of 14 and had amassed a collection of approximately 4,000 stones only six years later. A self-taught expert, Kunz made his unrivalled knowledge as a gem expert available to Tiffany & Co. at the age of 23. He remained with Tiffany's for 53 consecutive years, eventually becoming the company's vice president. During his career, Kunz also became a prolific author, and he is credited with a legacy of important books on gemstones. He was one of the founders of the New York Mineralogical Club, a Secretary of American Society of Arts and Sciences, an Honorary Curator of Precious Stones at the American Museum of Natural History, and a Curator for the New York Academy of Sciences. The pink gem variety of spodumene was named "kunzite" in his honour in 1903.

In very good condition, with only very slight wear to extremities. All plates intact, without browning or foxing.