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Morgan discusses the origin of the emerald, its peculiar structure, and its strange allure. The story weaves across several continents and thousands of years. It is a tale of conquistadors, treachery, shipwrecks, and alchemy. Along the way, we meet scientists and kings and bear witness as the great emeralds are born, mined, smuggled, cut, and sold. The book also discusses the modern art of making synthetic emeralds. From the fastnesses of Afghanistan to the steamy jungles of Colombia and Zimbabwe, from the sands of Egypt to the bitter Urals, this is the story of a stone whose strange journey reflects the yearnings, greed, passions, and longing for beauty of the human race.
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FROM SATAN’S CROWN TO THE HOLY GRAIL: Emeralds in Myth, Magic, and History
Diane Morgan
PRAEGER
FROM SATAN’S CROWN TO THE HOLY GRAIL
FROM SATAN’S CROWN TO THE HOLY GRAIL Emeralds in Myth, Magic, and History
Diane Morgan
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Morgan, Diane, 1947– From Satan’s crown to the holy grail : emeralds in myth, magic, and history / Diane Morgan. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–275–99123–4 (alk. paper) 1. Emeralds—Miscellanea. I. Title. QE394.E5M67 2007 2007000068 553.8 6–dc22 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. C 2007 by Diane Morgan Copyright
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007000068 ISBN-13: 978–0–275–99123–4 ISBN-10: 0–275–99123–7 First published in 2007 Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.praeger.com Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Introduction
vii
1
The Green Legend
1
2
The Birth of the Stone in Myth and in Rock
9
3
From Mine to “Mine”: The Emerald Business
21
4
Emeralds in World History
43
5
The Mystique of Origins and the Great Emeralds
75
6
Secrets of the Emerald Trade
141
7
Fake Emeralds and Their Kin: A Tale of Simulation and Dissimulation
155
Selected Bibliography
173
Index
175
Introduction
Rocks are among the commonest things on earth, and the strongest. The very word pulses with power: the Rock of Gibraltar, the Rock of Ages, bedrock, “like a rock.” Throughout the ages, which themselves take their names from rocks (Paleolithic, Neolithic, the Old and New Stone Ages), humankind has been enthralled with the simple power of stone: the strength of granite, the cool serenity of marble, the firepower and surgical sharpness of flint. Above all, the glitter of gems has enchanted us and held us hostage. Despite their secret birth underground, they live a rather public life among us, admired, bought, sold, and hoarded. They have become ours in a way a hunk of raw granite never can. Gems have studded ears, adorned fingers, encircled arms, and emblazoned belly buttons. Bits of compressed carbon no larger than a match head have transmogrified themselves into emblems of undying love. Nothing could be more civilized. Or more brutal. Men have bled for rubies and drowned for emeralds. They have killed for beauty as they have killed for love. And this has been the case forever. Popes and kings, emperors and magicians, commoners and criminals, all have looked to these glowing fruits of the earth as a means to wealth,